Lots of questions here... but I'll take a shot at a couple. You will find many different opinions on the web because many things work or don't work based on the individual site (soil, temp, water quality, etc.). Dry leaves (tip burn) can be from underwatering, or overwatering (not enough oxygen to the roots), , too much fertilizer, or salt accumulation from watering too frequently and too shallow, or excessive wind drying out the leaf tips. It is not uncommon to see some tip burn on older leaves before they drop off and are replaced by new growth. Tree shouldn't be naked since it is an evergreen, but will drop older leaves year-round and especially heavy in the spring during new growth spurts. Avocado grown from seeds are not true to the variety, so it may or may not produce fruit, and if it does it may or may not be the variety that you planted. I've grown some from seeds for fun, but if you want good fruit you should get one from a reputable nursery. Blooms are both male and female. A & B refer to the bloom sequence and it makes sense to have a male and female blooming at the same time for best pollenation from bees, but wind and moisture also play a role. A tree can have many thousands of blooms and they are not always in perfect coordination, so even with a single tree you can see some overlap which aids in pollenation. Hass trees in this area are now in bloom and setting fruit that will be harvested from January to August of 2009. Bloom is late this year due to the unusual weather and will most likely continue for a couple months. SoCal has many micro-climates and you will need to be in a moderate one to be successful. One way is to check around the neighborhood and see if avocados grow there.

Well, avocados are very particular about how their roots receive water, Suzi. Sitting in standing water is sure death for an avocado tree. Which is why Fallbrook and N. San Diego County were so perfect - all planted on slopes. Avocados prefer being planted on a slope so the water will drain away. Their feeder roots prefer water to pass by them. Yes, they need a LOT of water. And the only reason they are still hanging on in our area, is because they really don't grow well anywhere else (as opposed to citrus, another water-hungry commercial crop). And, the fact that people are willing to pay $1.50 to 2.00 a piece for them. But, unlike citrus, which are being successfully grown in other areas of California, due to water prices having climbed to the outrageous amounts we see here in San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles counties (and to almost the same extend in Riverside and San Bernardino), avocados have not been able to acclimate to the Coachella or Imperial Valleys. So, they're hanging in there, in Fallbrook, still. So, standing water is about the worst thing you can have for avocados, proper drainage is critical to having them survive. Ben, to your questions: Jan Boyce, Reed and Sharwil all sound like excellent avos, but will my limited spacing realistically allow for these cultivars because of their size? - You can keep them pruned down to size using drop-crotch pruning. Those 3 cultivars are worth the pruning, trust me. How close can I plant to the wall? Naïvely, I was thinking I could just plant within a couple feet and just have a bed extending to about 3-3.5 ft from the wall, but thanks to you all, I’m questioning how realistic that is now, considering the size potential for mammoth-sized trees - at least 6 feet. Preferably 10 to 12 feet. I think raising the root ball up in a raised bed will help considering my poorly-draining soil. Since I don’t have a slope, I plan to put in a French drain at bottom to hopefully help with drainage. - Yes, Yes, Yes! Thing BIG mound or berm. Excellent option. And, a french drain below the mounds, a couple of feet down, sloping away from the trees, hopefully towards your front yard (and out to the street if you don't need the water elsewhere in your yard). I would also see what's happening with your next door neighbor's drainage. Is it draining over to your yard? Are you dealing with your and THEIR water? If so, make your neighbor fix their drainage issues. That's really a big no-no, as some else's water draining over into your yard could affect your home's foundation and that is grounds for a lawsuit. I would make your mound or berm at least 1 to 2 feet high (if you can make it 3' high, that would be superb) and 3 to 5 feet around (or, just continue the berm straight across for all 3 trees). Put down at least 20 pounds of gypsum spread around the base of each of the trees, plant and then mulch the area with 6 inches of woody mulch keeping the material about 6-8 inches away from the tree trunk. Of course, the french drain system should be below the mounds, about a foot or two down in the ground. You can also spread gypsum down into your french drain system as well. That gypsum application will really, really make a difference in the drainage of your soil. And, lastly, it wouldn't hurt to apply one application of Agri-Fos at planting, then again in 1 month. Apply a 3rd application of Agri-Fos in Feb or March, and then once a year in Feb or March thereafter, just to make sure you don't end up with Phytophthora issues due to water built up in the soil. You can also apply it to your citrus for the same reasons. An ounce of prevention can save you a pound of cure (and agony) later on. If avocado roots are shallow, how deep do they typically go? How much spacing tree to tree, at minimum, should I allow? - the feeder roots are very, very shallow. Most exist within the top 6" of your top soil (as compared to citrus feeder roots, which exist in the top 12 to 18" inches of your soil, and they're considered shallow rooted, so you can see how very shallow avocado feeder roots are). That's why their leaf drop is so critical to their survival. They literally make their own mulch, and if removed, it will affect the health of your trees (and even kill them, eventually, believe it or not.) Their feeder roots will grow into their leaf mulch/mold. They have very sensitive root systems, and do not like to be transplanted after being established. But, they can send down fairly deep anchor or tap roots. And being between the 2 houses should getting enough sunlight be a concern? - It can be. I have an inherited (was planted here before we bought the house and moved in) that was planted in the worst possible spot on my entire acre for an avocado - in nearly full shade, at the lowest part of my yard where the large part of my yard drains down to via two large swale systems. It is amazing it is still alive. I would have transplanted it, but it was too large and established. I figured I'd kill it for sure if I tried. It has produced 3 avocados for me since we moved in, in 2009. As opposed to my Lamb Hass, in the ideal location (full sun, on a nice slope), that produced about 30 avos this season (3rd season), and will have over 100 this next year. So, sun is pretty important. If you're sure they will get at least 6 hours of sun, I think they'll be okay. They might grow slower, and produce a little less, but, considering avocado trees can be prolific producers, that may not be a bad thing with 3 avos, lol! I would plant the Reed in the middle, as it is the most columnar in growth habit, and then simply keep them all down to about 15' and you're good! Patty S.

If you are still curious, the Choquette should be about four years old before setting any fruit so that the trunk size is sufficient to support the weight of mature fruit. I had a very mature (over 20 yrs) tree split down the center from too many fruits that become quite heavy in this variety. I have not found the Choquette to have pollination difficulties with the nearest avocado tree 100 ft. away, although I do have two wild bee hives on my property. As to the Russell mentioned in another post, I find this variety to have excellent flavor when allowed to ripen. The fruits are very large and elongated and will show a slight yellow tint well before they are really ready, so you need to wait for signs of softening before picking, assuming animals haven't gotten there first.

I have one in Denham Springs, just outside of Baton Rouge. It is in a Jack Daniels half whiskey barrel. I planted it last year. It put out at least 1 million blooms this year, and appears to have about 5 avocados growing on it currently. I moved it in and out of my garage every time temperatures hit freezing this winter. It is a Hass variety btw. Fertilized a few times with Vigoro Citrus and Avocado fertilizer. Has grown great. It is probably about 6 ft. tall now.