AboutTom Alonzo Expertise I have been growing plants from seeds for at least 20 years. I have grown literally hundreds of different kinds of vegetables, trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, tropicals, some cacti, water plants, iris, rose, lilies, cannas, etc. I enjoy starting from seed.
Experience I've been growing my own seeds for 20 years with indoor propagation equipment I built myself. I am also an Allexperts volunteer on the perennial forum. I have completed the Master Gardener course through the Kansas State University Extension. I have experience with a wide variety of seeds and I have also read through Norm Deno's books on seed germination.
Question I was in Zambia a few years ago and brought home a seed from a tree there. The fruit was as large as a canalope...I never seen them this size. Why?
Also, I planted the seed in a pot where it lived for a couple of years and did pretty well in the greenhouse. I transplanted it to the garden and now it is starting to suffer. The large leaves are turning brown and the branches seem to be wasting away from the tips. Before I lose the whole thing, what can I do? I have taken a cutting to try to root but to no avail yet. I tried "air rooting" but that didn't work either.
Thanks for your help.
Dick
Answer Hi Dick,
Thanx for your question. Your tree doesn't sound like an avocado to me. Does the fruit have a shiny skin as opposed to the rough skin of the alligator pear or Haas avocado which has almost black skin? Haas avocadoes are small like pears. The bigger avocadoes like the smooth-skinned, bright gree avocadoes we used to call Florida avocadoes are lower in quality, sometimes a bit stringy and not as rich in oil. But the fruit can get quite large. You didn't say where you lived or what kind of weather conditions or soil conditions you have. Please provide this information so I can give you a good answer. Have you recently transplanted the plant? Are you watering it frequently? Have you fertilized it? Please let me know.
thx,
Tom
