Waldin Avocado and Super Waldin Seedlings
September 12, 2020: What do I call a Super Waldin:
Waldin Avocado seedlings have been used in So. Florida for many many years as root stock in commercial plantings. Most commercial nurseries that produce trees for commercial plantings use Waldin seedlings as the primary root stock and Lula seedlings would be a second choice. I'm not going to get into its history and its merits or short comings. I will not get into the why we in So Florida are not using cloned rootstocks.
Waldin seedlings are openly pollinated fruit, produced locally in our groves. Most groves in So. Florida have multiple varieties thus endless possibilities for cross pollination.
This is where this work comes in. I have about 1000 plus trees that I know where grafted on Waldin seedlings, now they are 17 years old trees. I have seen over the years some trees continuing to push very strong shoots from the base of the Waldin seedling. Usually are the same trees. I cut the shoots but they keep coming back and every year is a ritual. The recurring culprits are not many, just a handful of trees. Some times as it just happened when hurricane Irma pass by in 2017 we are so busy with other things that I have no time to worry about those shoots. During that time many a few of these trees have very strong growing branches now with fruit. Some very nice fruit, clean and tasty. In one of the cases tree shoot branches took over the grafted tree and killed it. I have a handful of these trees that I'm labeling as SUPER WALDINS for their ability to survive in spite of my repeated attempts to subdue them or kill them. They have a resilience and a desire to live that has amazed me. I decided to let them live and see what they are about. I will build a page under this one for each of the Super Waldins I decide to monitor.
Waldin Avocado seedlings have been used in So. Florida for many many years as root stock in commercial plantings. Most commercial nurseries that produce trees for commercial plantings use Waldin seedlings as the primary root stock and Lula seedlings would be a second choice. I'm not going to get into its history and its merits or short comings. I will not get into the why we in So Florida are not using cloned rootstocks.
Waldin seedlings are openly pollinated fruit, produced locally in our groves. Most groves in So. Florida have multiple varieties thus endless possibilities for cross pollination.
This is where this work comes in. I have about 1000 plus trees that I know where grafted on Waldin seedlings, now they are 17 years old trees. I have seen over the years some trees continuing to push very strong shoots from the base of the Waldin seedling. Usually are the same trees. I cut the shoots but they keep coming back and every year is a ritual. The recurring culprits are not many, just a handful of trees. Some times as it just happened when hurricane Irma pass by in 2017 we are so busy with other things that I have no time to worry about those shoots. During that time many a few of these trees have very strong growing branches now with fruit. Some very nice fruit, clean and tasty. In one of the cases tree shoot branches took over the grafted tree and killed it. I have a handful of these trees that I'm labeling as SUPER WALDINS for their ability to survive in spite of my repeated attempts to subdue them or kill them. They have a resilience and a desire to live that has amazed me. I decided to let them live and see what they are about. I will build a page under this one for each of the Super Waldins I decide to monitor.