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Types of avocados

Gardening Guide: All About Avocados: Everything There Is to Know about This Trendy, Tasty Fruit—from Planting to Eating

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Types of avocados

By Norann Oleson

West Indies avocado variety.

West Indies avocado variety.

As mentioned, there are three races of avocado trees. Of the three, Mexican varieties are the most cold-tolerant, while the West Indies varieties are the least.

Most of today’s popular varieties are hybrids, like the Hass. In addition to the Hass in the U.S., there is another Mexican-Guatemalan hybrid known as Sharwil, which aficionados claim is the tastiest of all avocados. It is grown almost entirely in Hawaii, and is of limited availability elsewhere, because of strict import regulations aimed at keeping pests and diseases from the islands from arriving on the mainland.

Synchronous dichogamy

Avocado trees in garden.

Avocado trees in garden.

Synchronous dichogamy is a fancy term to explain the unusual pollination behavior of avocado trees. Trees can self-pollinate, as noted, but deliver more yields when there are other trees present.

Here’s how the avocado tree does it. The tree’s flowers have both male and female parts, but only one gender is active at a time. Trees known as Type A have flowers that open as female in the morning of one day, open as male in the afternoon of the second day, and then close forever.

Meanwhile, trees known as Type B have flowers that open as female in the afternoon of one day, and as male in the morning of a second day. This means Types A and B together increase the amount of pollen available, and can pollinate each other if planted close enough together for pollinating insects to flit from tree to tree. (All of this only happens when temperatures are just right—above 70 degrees F day and night.)

The different types of avocados ripen at different times of year in the southern climates where they grow. The popular Hass, for instance, ripens April to October, while there are other varieties that ripen between November and June.

That’s just another reason to plant more than one avocado tree: With different types, you can have a year-round harvest of avocados in your garden.

Did you know about the Type A and B flowers of avocados? Please tell us if you’ve grown both together, or tell us how your crop turned out from a single tree.

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Tags

avocado tree, the avocado tree

Comments
  • Lori K. August 10, 2022

    Any chance there’s a type of avocado tree that will grow in Washington state? Western Washington?

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Curator’s Corner
  • Introduction
  • Feature Articles

  • Types of avocados
  • Choosing to Grow Avocados from Seeds or Seedlings
  • Choosing a Site for your Avocado Tree
  • Planting Your Avocado
  • Watering, Fertilizing, and Pruning Avocados
  • Harvesting your Avocados
  • How to Deal with Avocado Pests
  • How to Deal with Avocado Diseases
  • Essential Tools and Equipment for Growing and Enjoying Avocados
  • Plant Profiles

  • Fuerte Avocados
  • Sir Prize Avocados
  • Lamb Hass Avocados
  • Bacon Avocados
  • Hass Avocados
  • Recipes

  • Keto Avocado Pops
  • Guacamole-Stuffed Chicken
  • BLT Guacamole
  • Bacon-Avocado Fries
  • Baked Avocado Boats
  • Avocado Pickles
  • Avocado Toast
  • Additional Articles

  • Nutrition Facts about Avocados
  • Home Remedies & Health Benefits of Avocados
  • Resources about Avocados
  • Avocado Glossary
  • Related Articles

  • Watering Fruit Trees: When to Do it, and When to Avoid it
  • All About Avocados—Everything There Is to Know About This Trendy, Tasty Fruit—from Planting to Eating

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