Sometimes the best course of action is to do nothing. Stop fussing with your fruit. It knows exactly what to do. Get your box of avocados at: www.guacfarm.com
Came for the avocado info, stayed for the business & time management story. Oddly enough, it just happens to be a story I was needing to hear right now. Thank you for that! And ya, had no idea about the differing varieties of Avocado, but when I think about the dozens and dozens of types of straberries that most ppl don't know about, guess that makes sense.
Could you do a video on information about if you rooted a Hass seedling and grafted on a cold hardy variety and grow it in zone 8b would it work or would the cold kill the rootstock.? That is if you run out of topics.. I'd like to know if I'm wasting my time using a less cold hardy rootstock . Thanks
@@kearneystephens8019 I can talk about that in a vid but it's a quick answer. Every seedling is unique so some will handle the cold and others won't. But it's not as much a concern because the seedling part is underground or very close to the ground so that's the last part to get damaged in a freeze...that's the warmest place.
In dog training, the issue is not the dog, it’s the handler. We screw it up being too impatient & wanting results immediately. We’re all guilty of that. Thanks for schooling us on these valuable tips, had no idea avocados didnt ripen on the tree, (not that I have a tree) but that’s very neat that mother nature has it perfect on these tasty beauties!
wow, what a great example. Same with raising children. I remember my son's little buddy still in diapers could spell apple and his parents were so proud and I'm thinking by the time they're 10 every damn kid at this birthday party will be able to spell apple.
@@SleepyLizard I used to work as a preschool teacher and once in a while parents came and asked me if their child wasn't mature enough to start the regular school a year earlier than his/her age. Even though their kid might seemed very matured for his/her age I _always_ told them to wait, because you are a playing little child for such a short time of life and an adult for the rest of your life. Playing is the _most important thing_ to do when you are a child! So please wait!
My daughter just bought 3 bright green avocado's, we left them on the counter for 3 weeks!! No ripening whatsoever!! Don't know where it was from, but they never ripened! We had to throw them away! ( she had never bought avocados before) I have never experienced this before! God Bless!
Sleepy lizard..... I am in NY State in USA on Long Island and shop either in Stop and Shop or Shoprite supermarkets! I never bought an avocado that didn't ripen in a few days in my life, but my daughter did the shopping and never bought an avocado at all and she bought them too, rock hard! Our next 3 were much better and delicious, I think they were from Peru,
I’ve been waiting to feed my toddler frantic avocados I bought and the top of the hass is a little soft but the bottom is super hard. Is this something I can take back to the supermarket . The bag came with 2 other avocados that ripened and we ate already a week ago!
Hello Tom: This is an amazing video on many different levels. It really is a stunning life lesson that hopefully all viewers will have understood. It isn't so much about the ripening of an Avocado, but rather about tempering one's impulses to interfere, antagonize situations that requires tactical patience. In the interim, please leave the Avocado alone on the counter to ripen! Such life gems Tom! Amazingly practical!!
Loving your videos. Every time I go to your site to order an avocado they’re sold out I am very patient I will keep watching your videos and someday get some avocados that I’ve never heard of until you brought the education to me funny thing is I’ve been arborist for over 2o years. So I’m really good at pruning trees thanks for being awesome. Joe
Thank you hillbilly yo. Normally I have avocados from jume through January but this year I had so much demand all my spring crop sold out. I’m waiting in the fall crop which starts mid September Thank you for your encouraging words
You are right 4.34 With strawberry when I put in the fridge and eat straight away test very sour, if I leave them outside for one day test much better with sweet 😁 I love Avocado 🥑 Thanks for sharing your experience 👍😊
My son lives in a house in LA and says his avocado’s are bad because of how the trunk of the tree was cut, I said no, those are good, so I just sent him this video, they are Haas-thank you for your valued knowledge 😁
GREAT VIDEO!!! When CostCo gets their avos from Peru for most of the summer months, the majority of those NEVER ripen correctly. They're picked way too early before the fruit can achieve at least 8% oil content internally. I never have this issue with the avos from Mexico or California. For ripening, I place my avos in a bowl with the bananas and leave them alone -- no bags, no apple slices, etc...
T M, yeah peak avocado season when the stores are full of fruit from Mexico and California it's good. During the downtime when we import from other places is when we run the risk of fruit being rushed to market.
That is a big change of a job, I thought you were always in the farming business. I must say it is fun to hear stories not directly related to avocados. And the second camera shots were great, it made the video more interesting to watch and not just listen to.
@@SleepyLizard Oooh, that is an interesting combination of interests. I enjoy programming a lot and working in a garden is my passion too. Unfortunately thanks to various reasons I have trouble actually finishing my degree...
Awesome video Tom! My Hass is producing fruit for the first time and I was wondering when to start picking, so I heard you said July….. I can’t wait! Thanks!
The best source of information on avocado growing, or time management, anywhere on the internet. 😄 A serious question. Is it feasible and efficient for a resident of California to order a box of avocados from Florida? Since they've been picked, how far along would they be by the time they arrived? Maybe I'm over thinking it. From another video of yours I know about putting some in the refrigerator to slow the process down. I've done that and it really works. Thanks, Tom. You're a true leader.
Steve, thank you for the compliment. And yes I ship avocados to California every week. Lots of our subscribers and customers live in California. I always pick and then immediately ship. My avocados go right from the tree to the box to the post office to your doorstep. They usually arrive no more than three days after I pick them which leaves five days to a week until they soften. And yes I provide written instructions on how to stagger the ripening process using your refrigerator so that the entire box doesn’t ripen all on the same day.
"The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey" has a 81% 5-star rating on Amazon and 12% 4-star. Any book that has that high a rating is probably worth reading.
Thanks a lot for the tips! I often do make mistakes on how to determine when avocados are ripe 😆🤣 .... always end up up throwing away bitter tasting ones! 😳
Nope, I'm in SEAsia right now. ...Philippines. Too bad I'm way too far from you to place orders of your great avocados 😆. Maybe someday if I return to Virginia!
Thanks for the info. I have a Lila avocado tree and it gave me 3 avocados....I picked one and waited 3 days and tried it and it was horrible....the 2nd fell off the tree and I give it 4 days and it felt a Lil soft and it was better but still nasty....I guess I will let the 3rd one set for 7 to 10 days and see if it's any better.....but the seed in both of the other 2 had already began splitting and starting a root and the Hass from grocery store take weeks to sprout...
Kearney, You are just getting into Lila season so maybe wait another few weeks and let them plump up a little then pick and let them soften for a week.
I subscribed your channel because of the time management lesson you shared in this video. I hope you can share one or two career advices in future videos. Thank you so much.
Hi Even Better. I have some other career advice scattered in vids throughout my channel. I'm glad you enjoyed this one. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Time management is indeed important. Hard work is a good quality, but excessively spending time on things that aren't necessary, is a waste of time and energy. And it's cruial to know how much effort to put in certain things. For instance, I don't have to rotate my avocado trees every hour, or turning on the fan for wind for thickening and strengthening trunks. Sometimes too much of a good thing can become too much of a bad thing. Typically, the second unit of effort is best. I should really take a look at and read the one minute manager meets the monkey book one day. Once again, spot on with the video! Every one of your vids are unique in some way, shape or form. .
I LIKE Hass because they do give a visual of being green and turning dark, and I like to make guac with them when they JUST got to a near dark color but they still have a little bit of a sheen on them. Just a little firm but soft enough to work, add enough lime juice to them and the guac will last in the fridge for a week easily. I can make a good sized batch and have guac for a week.
Unripe and hard avocados are still delicious, extremely nutritious, , and I have no problem eating them. Soft ripe avocados definitely taste better, but I enjoy the texture amd taste of unripe avocados and will gladly eat them rather than waiting a week for them to ripen if thats all I have. Thats why I always buy alot of Avocados when they're not ripe in the store.
What different types of avocados are recommended for different types of recipes? Like which one is better for avocado toast etc? Is there any way of encouraging frost hardy genetics apart from selection? Would smaller varieties theoretically grow better in cooler climates? Another person asked about rootstock for cold hardy, it was a great question and I've wondered the same thing. Can I bonsai an avocado? Re avocado emergency: did you forget what it's like to have a 3 year old needing avocado?? Lol 💖
I like Hass for spreads like on toast and mixes like guacamole. I like Simmonds and the other big green ones to eat stand alone cut in cubes or spears or also cut and put into salad or on a burger. I like both for mixing in my rice, gives the rice such a nice flavor. I suppose somebody in a lab can try to isolate and hand pollinate until they come up with a variety that is both cold hardy and meets all the other desireable traits such as flavor, production, reliability etc. I don't know if smaller varieties would grow better, right now it's a mix of big and small that are cold hardy. Rootstock is random, since it's seed grown it might be cold hardy it might not but the good news is most of it is below the ground or slightly above which is the warmest part during a frost. If we get a frost or freeze that goes down into the ground it's all over for every fruit tree in the region...but that would be like Canadian winter hitting south florida I don't know if you can bonsai an avocado tree but there's only one way to find out! My kid hates avocado. Can you believe it?!!!
Hello again Tom. Another great video. Have a question though...mature and overgrown trees...how to cut em down to more manageable size and re-grow. If you cut above the graft line do you have to re-graft? Maybe a good subject for your next videos?
Hi Pauldez, I would recommend you find a vid on pruning since it's a bit involved and I couldn't do it justice in a comment reply. A few things to think about: First, you never want to remove more than 30% from the existing tree. so if you're going to give it a big haircut limit it to 30%. Try to make the cuts balance the tree growth. Look for redundant and curled gnarly branches to remove. Also, we prefer to make the trees grow round and wide because it's easier to harvest fruit that's lower than having to go way up high. You want to maximize the surface area that can get sun to the leaves. If you cut above the graft you don't have to re-graft but if you cut below the graft you do. and yes, I plan to do a vid soon about pruning Mango trees because it's that time of year.
Leaving on the counter method works if you live in a warm weather like Florida, if the room temperature tend to be cool like where I am in the winter I put them in a paper bag in the closet or anywhere that's warm.
Excellent video! My question is, I live in Southern California in Los Angeles. Should a Hass avocado, for example, be harvested to mature here in the same months as in Florida? How to know when I should harvest an avocado that I don’t know what kind it is. Are there any signs or number of months from the time they begin to form until they can be harvested? Thank you!
Hi Luisa, Yes, Hass is now, July - September. Here's a few tips how to figure out the harvest months if you don't know the type: ua-cam.com/video/-VDbToXOC1w/v-deo.html
Este video me deja dos enseñanzas la primera no todos maduramos al mismo tiempo algunos nos toma más que a otros y la segunda no fuerces que las cosas pasen cuando tú lo quieras aveces hay que esperar que se den por si solas y tomen el tiempo que tiene que tomar 😌
@SleepyLizard I have just recently transplanted my Avo Plants into larger Grow Bags and I am having a problem with one of them. Background = I happened upon your channel early last year and was inspired to start growing Avos. I planted 9 seeds and ended up with 7 successful grows thus far. This year (all seven where happy and thriving) I decided to transplant them into Extra large grow bags. My issue is I used the same fresh new soils/fertilizer and composts for all the new grow bags but for some reason 6 of the plants are doing super well but 1 of the plants the leaves are drooping and the plant appears to be struggling, I don't think it has died yet. Is there anything you can suggest I do to try help it along or Diagnose the problem or should I just let it give up the ghost????
Hi Joking Atheist, you need to caveat my answer with the fact that I'm a commercial grower so I'm not inclined to spend a lot of time and energy caring for a sick tree. As a commercial grower it's far better for me to plant more than I need and discard the ones that don't make the cut. In your case, it depends how much you want to put into it. If you want to try and focus on the tree then go for it. On the other hand if you've been caring for it the same way as the others it simply could be the runt of the litter and you're better off focussing your time on the viable trees. As for how to specifically rescue the failing tree the only thing I'd do is continue to care for it the same way as the healthy ones and see if it bounces back. This is why I recommend people plant and graft more than they need, you then have the luxury of selecting the best of the batch...same way a sports team does tryouts...they're not gonna pick a player who needs development when the field is already full of all stars.
This is probably a stupid question I love avocados can I plant an avocado tree in Pennsylvania climate zone 4 or can you only grow avocados in tropical regions? Thanks love your videos!
Oh but but but You have to sit them next to bananas. Grandma told me so!!! I felt so lucky when avocados ripened when I didn’t have bananas. 🤣life lessons 🤗
Hello Tom, I love all your videos. It's becoming a passion of mine to try and grow avocados. Trouble is I'm in the UK and you literally can't find a single nursery over here that deals with them as grafted trees. I've got Hass, Pinkertons, Fuertes and GEMS all grown from seed. I've found one magnificent tree in London that's full of avocados. I guess the general idea is it's not hot enough here or something. So I've tried to graft this tree's cuttings but none of them took. I'm now on round two. I should have tried it in the heat of the summer, but that's just passed. If I could ask a couple of questions that would be wonderful. Not sure if you've ever covered it in your videos. Does the root stock make difference? Can what I think is a Hass be grafted on any of all of the above? It doesn't look like that matters from what I've seen from you. I know the GEM is meant to be a smaller bush kind. Would it grow still be a bush even if the graft is coming from a 30' tree? Also do the properties of say the hotter climate varieties requiring say more sun and optimal drainage change when say this Hass type grafted avocado takes? One final question, have you ever rooted a cutting from a tree? This is I guess y only other option. Would love video on that. Thanks anyway Tom. Love your spirit.
Hi Scott, Thanks for reaching out and I'm glad you're growing avocados over there! Yes the root stock does make a difference but since every seed gives a different result to only way to control for it is to graft way more than you want and discard the ones that go bad. I like to use Lula seeds but again, every seed is unique so some will be better than others. I dont know anything about the GEM but if youre asking what will happened to a cutting grafted to a GEM seedling you'll get a full grown tree that's a DNA match for the tree you took the cutting from...doesn't matter what seed produced the rootstock. Hass you don't really want to be in an overly sunny environment. it's leaves are sparse compared to other varieties so the fruit burns in places with a lot of sun like we have here in South Florida. I have rooted cuttings from Loquat and Mulberry but never avocado. thanks!
You can start now. If you want to be on the safe side pick one and let it soften at room temperature. If it doesn’t taste good wait 2 weeks and repeat until you find the right month
And you have our summer and your summer..is also different..then i have a trick to help the unripe avocado a bit...in a bag put a banana and an avocado...also i saw in china they put it in dried rice...
Trouble is I want to eat my avo, I can't walk away from one 😊 but in the UK it's difficult to buy decent avos, most are rubbish. So those that live where they naturally grow are very very lucky.
Hi Lizard, Thanks for your helpful avocados’ videos. I live in zone 9, California, zip 94531. I’ve a Crafted self Pollinations Cado that planted it several years ago but, every year it has bloomed in spring time but never set fruits. So do you have any ideas that helps my Little Cado get fruits in next season? Thanks for your help in advance! Have great weekend!
Hi James, while avocados are capable of self pollination it works much better when you have a type A and type B together. This vid explains it: ua-cam.com/video/X8eQeA88nVo/v-deo.html
@@jamesbaker3430 James the little cado is the Wurtz variety which is type A so if you want better pollination you could get a type B. also, when it flowers go out when the flowers are open and gently shake the branches a little which will help with self pollination.
@@SleepyLizard Hi, thanks for replying. Got the Avo here in local nursery named MK avocado, can't find anything about it on Google. Also have a Gem avocado when do I pick those, or maybe a general rule. Have a great day
Renate, I don't know about the Gem nor the MK so my suggestion would be to pick one fruit in May and let it soften on your counter. If it doesn't go bad AND tastes good then you'll know it's May. If not, repeat each month until you find the appropriate month for each of your varieties. That's also how to figure out what month to pick seed grown.
Mmm... Based on my own experience... Avocados ripen uneven when left on the counter, it takes longer but they ripen more evenly when left on the fridge, maybe because I live in a very worm place (very close to equator)
I can tell you an avocado emergency. I purchased all the supplies I needed to make a few meals, but all the avocados I have are hard as a rock. They've been sitting on my counter for 24 hours and now in a paper bag for another 48 hours, but they are still too hard to eat. My freshly baked sourdough bread is going to go bad before I have avocados I can eat. 😩 Eirher way, I need avocados.
Kim, I feel you. I've had times where there's 100's of thousands of pounds of avocados out on my tree but not a ripe one on my kitchen counter 😂. Definitely a food that require prior planning. I hope the bread lasts until your fruit softens.
@@SleepyLizard well I have good news. This afternoon one of them was ripe and it is now in my tummy. Lol I have two more that will probably be fine tomorrow and the last one is still hard. Thankfully, I was able to make my avocados toast, but I'll need to buy more bread.
I've been wondering why my avocados keep getting these air pockets and going bad. So you're saying the trick is to hope that the people who picked them waited long enough otherwise there's nothing one can do about it... Dang.
@@SleepyLizard Appreciate the response. I'm just not have luck with these haas avocados from wal-mart these past few months. I might just switch to the larger avocado variant I see in your video here and try them out.
How do you think I feel when I run out? I try to pick one or two per day so I have a pipeline but sometimes I run out then I look out my window and see tens of thousands...water everywhere and not a drop to drink!
You have to check the usda hardiness zone for your zip code. If it’s 7a or above you’ll be able to cultivate avocados. Also if you get some winter evenings where it dips below freezin you’d be best with a cold hardy variety such as hass, oro negro, or Brogdan
You have to check the usda hardiness zone for your zip code. If it’s 7a or above you’ll be able to cultivate avocados. Also if you get some winter evenings where it dips below freezin you’d be best with a cold hardy variety such as hass, oro negro, or Brogdan
Aneka, I know of Booth 7 because they are grown around here but I've never tasted one. I'll have to try one. Last week I watched the vid you did on Booth 7.
I can see you get much less frustration from avocados than you do from corporate America. Maybe you could make some new kids toys like Mr Avocado head, just like the potato version. Glad you found some sanity in those trees! 😅
Literally every other time I go to the market (not some random market but a well known and high rated one) the fruit either taste like nothing and the avocados never ripen.
Your just like the guy from "Capricorn One" climbing the mounten. While climbing hes telling the story "how to break Bad news". Well, I didn't do nothing while your telling your story. I ate my carrot in the mean time.
that's no fruit, it's her phone. 🤣. actually I believe it's a long neck avocado. Aneka has an amazing channel where she reviews different kinds of avocados. When I finally found a way to use the close caption translation feature I really began to enjoy her vids. I think I chose Indonesian --> English.
Here they pick it to you g an forced it to ripe an post it fpavour an qualify I have avocado s take from 3 days to 10 days they pick the fruit to young an it's tastepess
@@SleepyLizard Caribbean islands Trinidad and Tobago onpy rain an sun my bro avocado s are very expensive here an the quality no good either it's picked to young to get a good shape I have a grafted tree an wipo nake it after you smipe one I cut it an it got stem rot
I always knew they didn't ripen on the tree, but you know what? The grocery stores are notorious for storing in refrigerator before they come to market.... I bought 5, 4 were sort of fine, but the last one is still a rock. At 1.50 each this is unacceptable. I also know that you can put them hard/green in the frig take them out and they will soften if harvested correctly.... I'm from CA, and moved to FL FL has the worst care for avocados.... can we get some intelligence out here!
yeah when people buy directly from the farm they are surprised how flavorful the avocado is. the chilling process they use at the stores mutes the flavor of all the fruit.
@@SleepyLizard when I live in CA we would buy a bushel from the Avo Farms.... if let me start to soften then when they reach your desired feel, then you put them in the frig and the last up to 6 weeks. People on the east coast where I live now are so ripped off....
Came for the avocado info, stayed for the business & time management story. Oddly enough, it just happens to be a story I was needing to hear right now. Thank you for that! And ya, had no idea about the differing varieties of Avocado, but when I think about the dozens and dozens of types of straberries that most ppl don't know about, guess that makes sense.
Ryoko, welcome to the channel!
This video is literally not just learning to riepen an Avacado, its a life lesson..
Aditya, I'm running out of stuff to say about avocados 🤣
Could you do a video on information about if you rooted a Hass seedling and grafted on a cold hardy variety and grow it in zone 8b would it work or would the cold kill the rootstock.? That is if you run out of topics.. I'd like to know if I'm wasting my time using a less cold hardy rootstock . Thanks
@@kearneystephens8019 I can talk about that in a vid but it's a quick answer. Every seedling is unique so some will handle the cold and others won't. But it's not as much a concern because the seedling part is underground or very close to the ground so that's the last part to get damaged in a freeze...that's the warmest place.
Makes sense! I'm almost zone 9 I really think this will work fine
@@SleepyLizardwhat is the number on that hass avacado also is it from Mexico or Peru????
Came to learn to ripen an avocado 🥑 learned to ripen my soul
thank you Eric, I really appreciate your comment.
In dog training, the issue is not the dog, it’s the handler. We screw it up being too impatient & wanting results immediately. We’re all guilty of that.
Thanks for schooling us on these valuable tips, had no idea avocados didnt ripen on the tree, (not that I have a tree) but that’s very neat that mother nature has it perfect on these tasty beauties!
wow, what a great example. Same with raising children. I remember my son's little buddy still in diapers could spell apple and his parents were so proud and I'm thinking by the time they're 10 every damn kid at this birthday party will be able to spell apple.
@@SleepyLizard I used to work as a preschool teacher and once in a while parents came and asked me if their child wasn't mature enough to start the regular school a year earlier than his/her age.
Even though their kid might seemed very matured for his/her age I _always_ told them to wait, because you are a playing little child for such a short time of life and an adult for the rest of your life. Playing is the _most important thing_ to do when you are a child!
So please wait!
My daughter just bought 3 bright green avocado's, we left them on the counter for 3 weeks!! No ripening whatsoever!! Don't know where it was from, but they never ripened! We had to throw them away! ( she had never bought avocados before) I have never experienced this before! God Bless!
Yeah I imagine they sent too market to early. What part of the world are you in?
Sleepy lizard..... I am in NY State in USA on Long Island and shop either in Stop and Shop or Shoprite supermarkets! I never bought an avocado that didn't ripen in a few days in my life, but my daughter did the shopping and never bought an avocado at all and she bought them too, rock hard! Our next 3 were much better and delicious, I think they were from Peru,
I'm glad you were able to salvage part of the batch anyhow.
I had the same thing happened with plantains. It would stay green, firm, and never showed any sign of wanting to ripe.
I’ve been waiting to feed my toddler frantic avocados I bought and the top of the hass is a little soft but the bottom is super hard. Is this something I can take back to the supermarket . The bag came with 2 other avocados that ripened and we ate already a week ago!
Hello Tom: This is an amazing video on many different levels. It really is a stunning life lesson that hopefully all viewers will have understood. It isn't so much about the ripening of an Avocado, but rather about tempering one's impulses to interfere, antagonize situations that requires tactical patience. In the interim, please leave the Avocado alone on the counter to ripen! Such life gems Tom! Amazingly practical!!
I am so glad I found your channel
I would love to get the graft shoots the next time you have them for sale so I can graft them to my established tree
Michael, welcome to the channel. I don't have any cuttings right now but sometimes when conditions are right I have extras to sell.
Brilliant!! From an old Avo grower here in New Zealand well done.
Greg, Thank for the compliment.
Loving your videos. Every time I go to your site to order an avocado they’re sold out I am very patient I will keep watching your videos and someday get some avocados that I’ve never heard of until you brought the education to me funny thing is I’ve been arborist for over 2o years. So I’m really good at pruning trees thanks for being awesome.
Joe
Thank you hillbilly yo. Normally I have avocados from jume through January but this year I had so much demand all my spring crop sold out. I’m waiting in the fall crop which starts mid September
Thank you for your encouraging words
I love your business advice. You are a gem my Friend.
Thank you Miguel. You always have positive things to say.
What a wonderful channel! I'm so glad I found it.
Welcome. We are glad you’re here
You are right
4.34
With strawberry when I put in the fridge and eat straight away test very sour, if I leave them outside for one day test much better with sweet 😁
I love Avocado 🥑
Thanks for sharing your experience 👍😊
so true
Again.... excellent business and life advice.
thanks Alaska!
My son lives in a house in LA and says his avocado’s are bad because of how the trunk of the tree was cut, I said no, those are good, so I just sent him this video, they are Haas-thank you for your valued knowledge 😁
yeah, picking at the right time is crucial
This video was 10/10 on multiple levels. Really good work!
Thanks Jhoan!
Great video Tom bring me some avocados😂
you gonna be at the field tonight?
What a lesson to achieve practical knowledge and grow in a sustainable dimension. Thank you instructor!!!!!
Tefera, you're welcome. Thank you for your comment.
GREAT VIDEO!!! When CostCo gets their avos from Peru for most of the summer months, the majority of those NEVER ripen correctly. They're picked way too early before the fruit can achieve at least 8% oil content internally. I never have this issue with the avos from Mexico or California. For ripening, I place my avos in a bowl with the bananas and leave them alone -- no bags, no apple slices, etc...
T M, yeah peak avocado season when the stores are full of fruit from Mexico and California it's good. During the downtime when we import from other places is when we run the risk of fruit being rushed to market.
That is a big change of a job, I thought you were always in the farming business. I must say it is fun to hear stories not directly related to avocados. And the second camera shots were great, it made the video more interesting to watch and not just listen to.
Pepso, yeah sometimes I add another camera. Yep I was in the software business most of my career. started as a programmer in fact.
@@SleepyLizard Oooh, that is an interesting combination of interests. I enjoy programming a lot and working in a garden is my passion too. Unfortunately thanks to various reasons I have trouble actually finishing my degree...
Awesome video Tom! My Hass is producing fruit for the first time and I was wondering when to start picking, so I heard you said July….. I can’t wait! Thanks!
you are going to love them.
Amazing how I was trying to understand why are my avocados not ripening but ended up with additional understanding of the philosophy of management.
I mighta got a little carried away 😝
The best source of information on avocado growing, or time management, anywhere on the internet. 😄 A serious question. Is it feasible and efficient for a resident of California to order a box of avocados from Florida? Since they've been picked, how far along would they be by the time they arrived? Maybe I'm over thinking it. From another video of yours I know about putting some in the refrigerator to slow the process down. I've done that and it really works. Thanks, Tom. You're a true leader.
Steve, thank you for the compliment. And yes I ship avocados to California every week. Lots of our subscribers and customers live in California. I always pick and then immediately ship. My avocados go right from the tree to the box to the post office to your doorstep. They usually arrive no more than three days after I pick them which leaves five days to a week until they soften. And yes I provide written instructions on how to stagger the ripening process using your refrigerator so that the entire box doesn’t ripen all on the same day.
Thank you for your kind words and life lessons my brother.
I appreciate your comments. thank you
"The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey" has a 81% 5-star rating on Amazon and 12% 4-star.
Any book that has that high a rating is probably worth reading.
like I said, my whole management philosophy hinged on that book
Enjoyed the story, hopefully Chad got the deal signed in August 😅👍
He did. He was excellent at closing business and he was also very good at forecasting it
Came for the avocado expertise 🥑 left with life lessons
Thanks for coming
Love this! I have to get your book also!
thank you Kathy
Often times doing nothing is actually the best thing to let people to feel more freely and have trust in what they do. Believe!🙏🙏🙏
I agree
Thanks a lot for the tips! I often do make mistakes on how to determine when avocados are ripe 😆🤣 .... always end up up throwing away bitter tasting ones! 😳
if they're bitter they probably fall under the category of picked too early. are you in Europe by chance?
Nope, I'm in SEAsia right now. ...Philippines. Too bad I'm way too far from you to place orders of your great avocados 😆. Maybe someday if I return to Virginia!
Thanks for the info. I have a Lila avocado tree and it gave me 3 avocados....I picked one and waited 3 days and tried it and it was horrible....the 2nd fell off the tree and I give it 4 days and it felt a Lil soft and it was better but still nasty....I guess I will let the 3rd one set for 7 to 10 days and see if it's any better.....but the seed in both of the other 2 had already began splitting and starting a root and the Hass from grocery store take weeks to sprout...
Kearney, You are just getting into Lila season so maybe wait another few weeks and let them plump up a little then pick and let them soften for a week.
I subscribed your channel because of the time management lesson you shared in this video. I hope you can share one or two career advices in future videos. Thank you so much.
Hi Even Better. I have some other career advice scattered in vids throughout my channel. I'm glad you enjoyed this one. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Thank you for the words of wisdom. 🤔 God Bless 🙏❣🙃
Thanks Frozen
Time management is indeed important. Hard work is a good quality, but excessively spending time on things that aren't necessary, is a waste of time and energy. And it's cruial to know how much effort to put in certain things. For instance, I don't have to rotate my avocado trees every hour, or turning on the fan for wind for thickening and strengthening trunks. Sometimes too much of a good thing can become too much of a bad thing. Typically, the second unit of effort is best.
I should really take a look at and read the one minute manager meets the monkey book one day.
Once again, spot on with the video! Every one of your vids are unique in some way, shape or form.
.
yep!
I LIKE Hass because they do give a visual of being green and turning dark, and I like to make guac with them when they JUST got to a near dark color but they still have a little bit of a sheen on them. Just a little firm but soft enough to work, add enough lime juice to them and the guac will last in the fridge for a week easily. I can make a good sized batch and have guac for a week.
😋
Thx broda u are awesome explain it so good next time at the shopping i will care bro cheers and love
thanks Rimm, I hope you get a good batch next time shopping
I had no idea ... brilliant!
why thank you
Thanks for the tips 😁👍.
You’re welcome Adrian
Unripe and hard avocados are still delicious, extremely nutritious, , and I have no problem eating them. Soft ripe avocados definitely taste better, but I enjoy the texture amd taste of unripe avocados and will gladly eat them rather than waiting a week for them to ripen if thats all I have. Thats why I always buy alot of Avocados when they're not ripe in the store.
wow, I never heard of that
What different types of avocados are recommended for different types of recipes? Like which one is better for avocado toast etc?
Is there any way of encouraging frost hardy genetics apart from selection?
Would smaller varieties theoretically grow better in cooler climates?
Another person asked about rootstock for cold hardy, it was a great question and I've wondered the same thing.
Can I bonsai an avocado?
Re avocado emergency: did you forget what it's like to have a 3 year old needing avocado?? Lol 💖
I like Hass for spreads like on toast and mixes like guacamole. I like Simmonds and the other big green ones to eat stand alone cut in cubes or spears or also cut and put into salad or on a burger. I like both for mixing in my rice, gives the rice such a nice flavor.
I suppose somebody in a lab can try to isolate and hand pollinate until they come up with a variety that is both cold hardy and meets all the other desireable traits such as flavor, production, reliability etc.
I don't know if smaller varieties would grow better, right now it's a mix of big and small that are cold hardy.
Rootstock is random, since it's seed grown it might be cold hardy it might not but the good news is most of it is below the ground or slightly above which is the warmest part during a frost. If we get a frost or freeze that goes down into the ground it's all over for every fruit tree in the region...but that would be like Canadian winter hitting south florida
I don't know if you can bonsai an avocado tree but there's only one way to find out!
My kid hates avocado. Can you believe it?!!!
@@SleepyLizard omg that's hilarious your kid hates avocado- trade him in, get a better version 🤣
Hello again Tom. Another great video. Have a question though...mature and overgrown trees...how to cut em down to more manageable size and re-grow. If you cut above the graft line do you have to re-graft? Maybe a good subject for your next videos?
Hi Pauldez, I would recommend you find a vid on pruning since it's a bit involved and I couldn't do it justice in a comment reply. A few things to think about: First, you never want to remove more than 30% from the existing tree. so if you're going to give it a big haircut limit it to 30%. Try to make the cuts balance the tree growth. Look for redundant and curled gnarly branches to remove. Also, we prefer to make the trees grow round and wide because it's easier to harvest fruit that's lower than having to go way up high. You want to maximize the surface area that can get sun to the leaves.
If you cut above the graft you don't have to re-graft but if you cut below the graft you do.
and yes, I plan to do a vid soon about pruning Mango trees because it's that time of year.
Leaving on the counter method works if you live in a warm weather like Florida, if the room temperature tend to be cool like where I am in the winter I put them in a paper bag in the closet or anywhere that's warm.
thanks for the tip
Excellent video! My question is, I live in Southern California in Los Angeles. Should a Hass avocado, for example, be harvested to mature here in the same months as in Florida? How to know when I should harvest an avocado that I don’t know what kind it is. Are there any signs or number of months from the time they begin to form until they can be harvested? Thank you!
Hi Luisa, Yes, Hass is now, July - September. Here's a few tips how to figure out the harvest months if you don't know the type: ua-cam.com/video/-VDbToXOC1w/v-deo.html
@@SleepyLizard thank you!
thank you for this!
You're welcome. Good luck ripening your avocados
Este video me deja dos enseñanzas la primera no todos maduramos al mismo tiempo algunos nos toma más que a otros y la segunda no fuerces que las cosas pasen cuando tú lo quieras aveces hay que esperar que se den por si solas y tomen el tiempo que tiene que tomar 😌
Si. Es verdad
@SleepyLizard I have just recently transplanted my Avo Plants into larger Grow Bags and I am having a problem with one of them. Background = I happened upon your channel early last year and was inspired to start growing Avos. I planted 9 seeds and ended up with 7 successful grows thus far. This year (all seven where happy and thriving) I decided to transplant them into Extra large grow bags. My issue is I used the same fresh new soils/fertilizer and composts for all the new grow bags but for some reason 6 of the plants are doing super well but 1 of the plants the leaves are drooping and the plant appears to be struggling, I don't think it has died yet. Is there anything you can suggest I do to try help it along or Diagnose the problem or should I just let it give up the ghost????
Hi Joking Atheist, you need to caveat my answer with the fact that I'm a commercial grower so I'm not inclined to spend a lot of time and energy caring for a sick tree. As a commercial grower it's far better for me to plant more than I need and discard the ones that don't make the cut.
In your case, it depends how much you want to put into it. If you want to try and focus on the tree then go for it. On the other hand if you've been caring for it the same way as the others it simply could be the runt of the litter and you're better off focussing your time on the viable trees.
As for how to specifically rescue the failing tree the only thing I'd do is continue to care for it the same way as the healthy ones and see if it bounces back.
This is why I recommend people plant and graft more than they need, you then have the luxury of selecting the best of the batch...same way a sports team does tryouts...they're not gonna pick a player who needs development when the field is already full of all stars.
@@SleepyLizard TY so much for your response
This is probably a stupid question I love avocados can I plant an avocado tree in Pennsylvania climate zone 4 or can you only grow avocados in tropical regions? Thanks love your videos!
Hi David, I’m from scranton.
Too cold up there. Had to be 7a or higher
Opened to learn how to ripen my poor avocado, seen an unexpected ted talk video
😁
Oh but but but
You have to sit them next to bananas. Grandma told me so!!!
I felt so lucky when avocados ripened when I didn’t have bananas.
🤣life lessons 🤗
Hilarious
Hello Tom, I love all your videos. It's becoming a passion of mine to try and grow avocados. Trouble is I'm in the UK and you literally can't find a single nursery over here that deals with them as grafted trees. I've got Hass, Pinkertons, Fuertes and GEMS all grown from seed. I've found one magnificent tree in London that's full of avocados. I guess the general idea is it's not hot enough here or something. So I've tried to graft this tree's cuttings but none of them took. I'm now on round two. I should have tried it in the heat of the summer, but that's just passed.
If I could ask a couple of questions that would be wonderful. Not sure if you've ever covered it in your videos. Does the root stock make difference? Can what I think is a Hass be grafted on any of all of the above? It doesn't look like that matters from what I've seen from you. I know the GEM is meant to be a smaller bush kind. Would it grow still be a bush even if the graft is coming from a 30' tree? Also do the properties of say the hotter climate varieties requiring say more sun and optimal drainage change when say this Hass type grafted avocado takes?
One final question, have you ever rooted a cutting from a tree? This is I guess y only other option. Would love video on that. Thanks anyway Tom. Love your spirit.
Hi Scott, Thanks for reaching out and I'm glad you're growing avocados over there!
Yes the root stock does make a difference but since every seed gives a different result to only way to control for it is to graft way more than you want and discard the ones that go bad. I like to use Lula seeds but again, every seed is unique so some will be better than others. I dont know anything about the GEM but if youre asking what will happened to a cutting grafted to a GEM seedling you'll get a full grown tree that's a DNA match for the tree you took the cutting from...doesn't matter what seed produced the rootstock. Hass you don't really want to be in an overly sunny environment. it's leaves are sparse compared to other varieties so the fruit burns in places with a lot of sun like we have here in South Florida.
I have rooted cuttings from Loquat and Mulberry but never avocado.
thanks!
Moral of the story have patience for your avocados
yep
Quick question for sir. I live in Los Angles and I have a Hash Avocado tree with a lot of fruits. When is the best time to pick them? Thanks
You can start now. If you want to be on the safe side pick one and let it soften at room temperature. If it doesn’t taste good wait 2 weeks and repeat until you find the right month
And you have our summer and your summer..is also different..then i have a trick to help the unripe avocado a bit...in a bag put a banana and an avocado...also i saw in china they put it in dried rice...
Simone, I forget where you are...are you below the equator?
You literally inspired me to be an avocado farmer ❤
I hope it works out 😱
Crushing the content meter Tom. I went from corporate rat race to indoor strawberries. I've added you to my tribe. Well done avocado whisperer.
thank you for the encouraging comments. I appreciate it.
We are getting small avocados that are never good. Need to change my buying habits.
Karen, I can't remember where you are. Are you in Europe?
@@SleepyLizard Happily in Florida, Avocados are my favorite fruit. 🤗
@@karenreaves3650 you should be able to get some good ones this time of year in Publix.
Trouble is I want to eat my avo, I can't walk away from one 😊 but in the UK it's difficult to buy decent avos, most are rubbish. So those that live where they naturally grow are very very lucky.
Chris, I agree with you. Also true for other types of tropical fruit.
That explains why my costco avacados go from hard as a rock to rotten with nothing good in between
certain times of year yes.
Hi Lizard,
Thanks for your helpful avocados’ videos. I live in zone 9, California, zip 94531. I’ve a Crafted self Pollinations Cado that planted it several years ago but, every year it has bloomed in spring time but never set fruits. So do you have any ideas that helps my Little Cado get fruits in next season? Thanks for your help in advance! Have great weekend!
Hi James, while avocados are capable of self pollination it works much better when you have a type A and type B together. This vid explains it: ua-cam.com/video/X8eQeA88nVo/v-deo.html
@@SleepyLizard thanks for quick response. So my Little Cado avocado is needing a what type of A or B avocados for self pollination?
@@jamesbaker3430 James the little cado is the Wurtz variety which is type A so if you want better pollination you could get a type B. also, when it flowers go out when the flowers are open and gently shake the branches a little which will help with self pollination.
@@SleepyLizard thanks for your help 👍😍
@@SleepyLizard and what varieties name are types B?
Hi how do i know when to pick my avos off the tree, just have my first lot growing. Thanks for all your ongoing information
Do you know the variety?
@@SleepyLizard Hi, thanks for replying. Got the Avo here in local nursery named MK avocado, can't find anything about it on Google. Also have a Gem avocado when do I pick those, or maybe a general rule. Have a great day
Renate, I don't know about the Gem nor the MK so my suggestion would be to pick one fruit in May and let it soften on your counter. If it doesn't go bad AND tastes good then you'll know it's May. If not, repeat each month until you find the appropriate month for each of your varieties. That's also how to figure out what month to pick seed grown.
Thank you that makes total sense
Interesting good to know
thanks Ever! It's something people ask me about all the time.
Mmm... Based on my own experience... Avocados ripen uneven when left on the counter, it takes longer but they ripen more evenly when left on the fridge, maybe because I live in a very worm place (very close to equator)
what part of the world are you in?
@@SleepyLizard southern México
I can tell you an avocado emergency.
I purchased all the supplies I needed to make a few meals, but all the avocados I have are hard as a rock. They've been sitting on my counter for 24 hours and now in a paper bag for another 48 hours, but they are still too hard to eat. My freshly baked sourdough bread is going to go bad before I have avocados I can eat. 😩 Eirher way, I need avocados.
Kim, I feel you. I've had times where there's 100's of thousands of pounds of avocados out on my tree but not a ripe one on my kitchen counter 😂. Definitely a food that require prior planning. I hope the bread lasts until your fruit softens.
@@SleepyLizard well I have good news. This afternoon one of them was ripe and it is now in my tummy. Lol I have two more that will probably be fine tomorrow and the last one is still hard. Thankfully, I was able to make my avocados toast, but I'll need to buy more bread.
@@kimhuff that's great! glad they didn't all ripen at once
I've been wondering why my avocados keep getting these air pockets and going bad. So you're saying the trick is to hope that the people who picked them waited long enough otherwise there's nothing one can do about it... Dang.
Yes but right now in the summertime you shouldn’t have that problem it’s usually in the winter when we’re importing from other countries
@@SleepyLizard Appreciate the response. I'm just not have luck with these haas avocados from wal-mart these past few months. I might just switch to the larger avocado variant I see in your video here and try them out.
@@Rain1 I'll have 'em for sale 3rd week of September
I only have one avocado emergency. When I'm out!!!
How do you think I feel when I run out? I try to pick one or two per day so I have a pipeline but sometimes I run out then I look out my window and see tens of thousands...water everywhere and not a drop to drink!
@@SleepyLizard you win. That is the saddest story I have heard all day.
@@PlantObsessed hahahaha
still waiting for the last shipment to ripen 4 days later and i'm drooling xD
should be just about time.
@@SleepyLizard checked today, still firm but watched a vid about ripening things up, and noticed a fella talking about an apple in a paper bag ?
@@erinpitt580 the idea is to expose the avocado to methane I think to hasten ripening. I prefer to just let them take their own time on the counter
@@SleepyLizard I'll keep doing the same then. Never did like rushing things that are naturally beautiful and delicious on their own.
Have you been working out bro? Looking stout man
yep. 4 days/week. I need to start jogging but I'm too lazy.
Will avacado tree grow and produce fruit in the Seattle, WA climate? If yes, is one variety better for this climate?
You have to check the usda hardiness zone for your zip code. If it’s 7a or above you’ll be able to cultivate avocados. Also if you get some winter evenings where it dips below freezin you’d be best with a cold hardy variety such as hass, oro negro, or Brogdan
You have to check the usda hardiness zone for your zip code. If it’s 7a or above you’ll be able to cultivate avocados. Also if you get some winter evenings where it dips below freezin you’d be best with a cold hardy variety such as hass, oro negro, or Brogdan
@@SleepyLizard I got back zone 8a....so that would work for Hass?
@@brentarcher7981 yep!
Btw Tom do you know booth 7 avocado? Are monrow, Choquette, lula better thanh booth7
Aneka, I know of Booth 7 because they are grown around here but I've never tasted one. I'll have to try one. Last week I watched the vid you did on Booth 7.
I can see you get much less frustration from avocados than you do from corporate America. Maybe you could make some new kids toys like Mr Avocado head, just like the potato version. Glad you found some sanity in those trees! 😅
I'm glad too
You still don’t have Avocados available… could you lend me the book to read in the meantime.. :)
🤣. I’ve given out dozens of copies of that book but you can find it used on Amazon for like 2 bucks
@@SleepyLizard 👍🏼
i do nothing i just let avocadoes ripen on the counter for a few days
This keeps happening to me at Walmart.
now that summer is here the quality should be better.
👍👍👍
Literally every other time I go to the market (not some random market but a well known and high rated one) the fruit either taste like nothing and the avocados never ripen.
Most likely they were picked too early and chilled
@@SleepyLizard thanks for the reply!! Subbed!
When are u gonna have more avocados available?
Second week of September
@@SleepyLizard I'll keep n eye out thanks
Did we just experience the most concise MBA course or what.
What a great compliment. Thank you
@@SleepyLizard You’re welcome but, it was a statement of fact as I saw it.
I one time threw a unripe avocado at my head from my tree. I got a bruise..
hard as rock they are
Your just like the guy from "Capricorn One" climbing the mounten. While climbing hes telling the story "how to break Bad news". Well, I didn't do nothing while your telling your story. I ate my carrot in the mean time.
thank you
I'm here.... 🤣🤣🤣
whats that vegetable your holding in the pic?
Aneka! My new favorite UA-camr. How are you doing today?
that's no fruit, it's her phone. 🤣. actually I believe it's a long neck avocado. Aneka has an amazing channel where she reviews different kinds of avocados. When I finally found a way to use the close caption translation feature I really began to enjoy her vids. I think I chose Indonesian --> English.
@@SleepyLizard let review Indonesian variety of avocado
you gotta go to her page. She has so many varieties
Here they pick it to you g an forced it to ripe an post it fpavour an qualify I have avocado s take from 3 days to 10 days they pick the fruit to young an it's tastepess
yep, where are you?
@@SleepyLizard Caribbean islands Trinidad and Tobago onpy rain an sun my bro avocado s are very expensive here an the quality no good either it's picked to young to get a good shape I have a grafted tree an wipo nake it after you smipe one I cut it an it got stem rot
Great information Tom nice advice good job 👌👍
thanks Heera
sleepylizard you like jalapenos? i know i don't they hot!
love them. especially roasted
@@SleepyLizard i cannot wait to see if i will get bananas next year!
I always knew they didn't ripen on the tree, but you know what? The grocery stores are notorious for storing in refrigerator before they come to market.... I bought 5, 4 were sort of fine, but the last one is still a rock. At 1.50 each this is unacceptable. I also know that you can put them hard/green in the frig take them out and they will soften if harvested correctly.... I'm from CA, and moved to FL FL has the worst care for avocados.... can we get some intelligence out here!
yeah when people buy directly from the farm they are surprised how flavorful the avocado is. the chilling process they use at the stores mutes the flavor of all the fruit.
@@SleepyLizard when I live in CA we would buy a bushel from the Avo Farms.... if let me start to soften then when they reach your desired feel, then you put them in the frig and the last up to 6 weeks. People on the east coast where I live now are so ripped off....
🍺👍
💪
Soniceusa
it is nice here yes
this is NOT A Business Management Video : TOO MUCH about your Business EXPERIENCES !!!!!??
you seem a little jealous
Off color comment, in poor taste, redacted.
Sometimes you fly a bit close to the sun. 🤣
Who would have thought that I'd get a life lesson from this avocado video?? 😅
thank you for giving me a chance