What is the primary reason people have trouble with growing avocados in N. Florida zone 8b? To hot in summer, to cold it winter, to humid?
Too cold
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Thanks for the reply, that’s what I have been reading. I’m buying a Mexicola and wanted to know the main cause of death so I can figure the best place to plant it and how to keep it alive. Might dwarf it by pruning and put a winter green house around it out made of plastic with deep mulch in side, I would keep the mulch away form the trunk. I also have a shipping container I could put it against.
Trunk must also be protected with white paint from sun while it is green. Avocado can survive in protected 9a. A friend has a 40+ foot tall mexican seedling(also 40+ foot tall white sapote) but he lives on Oyster Creek and is around 6 miles from the Gulf. Drainage must also be perfect. Oyster Creek flooded one time and another large avocado was submerged for two days. It died.
Lots of people here near Houston borderline 9a(we maybe once in 10 years get 18F for a few hours) are trying to grow avocado, nurseries and Master Gardener sales sell them. Around 99% fail due to drainage, unprotected young trunk or cold. One friend had a 30+ foot tall Day avocado. We had a low 20s freeze and it died back to the rootstock.
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Thanks for the reply, I just checked the drainage in a 2-ft deep hole and it drains 6" per hour so I think I’m good on drainage and I anticipate mounting it up another foot which will probably help a little more (no risk of flooding where I am).