size and price is irrelevant ... you need to buy a named variety ... so that you can predict the output of the fruit[???] .. so that you can predict its genetic background ... which you can not do on a homegrown seedling ... e.g. ... presume you love red delicious apples .. then you go buy a RD apple tree .. which was grafted onto understock.. it will take a few years.. but you WILL end up with a RD apples .... if you take a seed out of a RD ... you will.. not unlike children .. get anything the family tree wished to dredge up ... lol .. but odds are high.. that it will NOT be a RD ... so if you really want a tree that produces a known quantity ... then go buy that tree ... and that may or may not be what the bigboxstore offers ... in CA.. its hard for me to believe.. that there are not specialty nurseries around.. that offer many many varieties of what you are looking for ... all that said.. avocado is not something i grow in MI .. lol ... so maybe that matters, and i have no clue on any of this .. but genetics matter ... so correct me if i am wrong ... but i doubt it.. lol .. now.. if you are just looking for a green tree .. and dont really care if you ever get anything worth eating.. go for the best bargain ... good luck ken

Either squirrels or-,most likely at that size- the tree aborted the small fruits. Avocado's from my experience wont hold fruit until the are at least 6-8' tall. Grafting makes them bloom very young..and every single flower will fall off and any fruit that do get to some size also. The tree's seem to know that they need to have some branch diameter and roots and enough foliage to support the heavy fruits.

A...as P has said, it is near-impossible to say for sure. By the picture and growth habit...I can tell you some varieties it is not. Best guess is probably by harvesting the fruit (letting some hang longer and longer) and try to identify by the fruit. Your pic is a bit hazy of the fruit. Hass will start to turn black the longer it hangs (starting about this time of year)....depending on your location/weather. It looks to me it needs some serious pruning/shaping....if I am making out the photo correctly. Avos are long-lived trees...and I am happy you chose to save and nurture this one. If you have more info (especially about the fruit)....feel welcome to ask me more. goodluck, Ed

Backyard growers don't need to worry about a second tree. You will get plenty of avos without it.