Description
The Fuerte avocado tree is a popular cultivar known for its smooth, green skin and delicious, creamy fruit. The fruits are pear-shaped with a green skin that remains green when ripe. The skin is smooth and slightly thinner than that of the Hass avocado. The flesh is buttery and has a mild, slightly nutty flavor, making it versatile for various culinary uses.
Fuerte trees require a pollinator, with Hass being the best.
Position
This tree prefers a subtropical or tropical climate and is more cold-tolerant than other avocado varieties. A young tree will need to be covered in colder climates until it is established.
Plant your Fuerte avocado tree in a sunny spot sheltered from the wind. Allow about 7.5 to 10 metres between your trees. The size of the tree can be controlled for smaller gardens.
The Fuerte cultivar is a type B avocado, meaning that flowers open first as males, then close and reopen as females. So, plant them about 7.5 to 10 metres from a type A tree, which will have the opposite sex flower simultaneously. This helps bees to cross-pollinate them.
Size
Avocado trees can reach a height of between 12 and 15 metres, depending on the condition of the soil, with a canopy spread of up to about 10.5 metres. In good conditions, it can grow about a metre a year. The Fuerte avocado tree can grow to quickly to about 6 meters or more, but it can be maintained at a smaller size with proper pruning.
Soil Type
Fuerte needs plenty of water, but soggy soil leads to rotting roots. So, the soil needs to be sandy or loamy that drains well. A pH of between 5.0 and 7.0 is best. Plant with at least one bag of acid compost.
Mulch
Use from 2 to 5 cm of pine bark mulch to protect the roots from UV damage and drying out. It retains moisture, and maintains an optimal pH. Do not let the mulch touch the plant stem, as it may cause infection or rot.
Watering
Avocado trees are particularly demanding when it comes to water. They want plenty of it. A mature tree may drink up to 75 litres of water a day. Generally, your tree should be watered two to three times a week unless it has been particularly dry.
Fertilising
One tablespoon of nitrogen can be applied around your tree once in spring, summer, and autumn. Follow the sprinkling with heavy watering to allow the nitrogen to be absorbed into the soil.
Our nitrogen-rich, slow-release Berry/All-plant Fertiliser works well. For young trees, apply 1 teaspoon every 4-5 months.
Pruning
Prune your Fuerte tree towards the end of winter/beginning of spring with clean equipment (that hasn’t been used on another diseased tree). Keep the canopy light and airy, and trim off horizontal branches hanging closer to the ground.
Harvesting
Only mature fruits will ripen once plucked, so leave them on the tree for as long as possible. As a general rule, pick the largest fruits first, which will be the most mature.
Pick while green and allow them to ripen indoors. Avocados do not ripen on the tree and will fall off when rotten.
When your Fuerte avo is ready to eat, it will be firm but give under the pressure of your thumb.
