{"product_id":"avocado-reed-persea-americana","title":"Reed Avocado Tree - Persea americana Reed","description":"\u003cp\u003eReed is the avocado for a backyard with height to spare but not much width. Where most avocados spread into a broad dome, Reed grows upright and comparatively narrow, so it can stand nearer a fence or another tree without taking over the yard. The second reason to plant it is timing. Reed is a late variety, and its large, round fruit, roughly the size of a softball, ripens through summer, after the main Hass harvest has finished in Queensland and northern New South Wales.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe skin is thick, slightly rough and stays green when ripe. Inside, the flesh is creamy and rich, and it is slow to brown once cut, so half a fruit kept in the fridge is still good the next day. One Reed is often enough for a family meal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFrost is the limit\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eReed belongs to the Guatemalan race of avocado, which is less cold hardy than the Mexican race behind Bacon, and it does well in frost free or nearly frost free districts: coastal and subtropical Queensland, northern New South Wales, the warmer parts of the Sydney basin and sheltered Perth gardens. A light frost is enough to burn its soft new growth and blacken the flowers, so in a marginal garden keep frost cloth on hand for the first few winters. Hot, dry wind at flowering knocks off blossom and young fruit, so plant it where a building or windbreak takes the worst of the westerlies. Because the tree climbs rather than spreads, shorten the leader back to a side branch at the end of each picking season to keep the crop within reach.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eDrainage decides whether it survives\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery avocado hates wet feet, and Reed is no exception. The root rot organism Phytophthora cinnamomi kills more backyard avocados than any pest, and it thrives where water lingers around the roots after rain. On heavy ground, build a broad mound of free draining soil at least knee high and plant on top of it, or choose a slope. Water deeply and regularly through summer and while the tree is flowering, then let the surface dry a little between drinks. A thick layer of coarse mulch protects the shallow feeder roots; keep it a hand's width clear of the trunk. Because Reed carries its crop through summer, keep feeding light and steady from spring until the last fruit is picked, using a citrus and avocado fertiliser, and spread gypsum each year on clay soils. Reed comes as one of our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/advanced-trees\"\u003eAdvanced Trees\u003c\/a\u003e, and a tree that size needs extra water in its first summer; our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/planting-and-establishing-advanced-trees\"\u003eplanting an advanced tree\u003c\/a\u003e walks through that first year.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eA late crop to follow Hass, and what to watch for\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eReed carries Type A flowers, the same group as the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hass-avocado-tree-persea-americana-hass\"\u003eHass Avocado Tree\u003c\/a\u003e. For a pollinating partner, add a Type B such as the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fuerte-avocado-tree-persea-americana-fuerte\"\u003eFuerte Avocado Tree\u003c\/a\u003e. Reed gives no colour cue, so go by the calendar: in warm districts the crop is ready through summer, and like every avocado the fruit only softens once it has been picked.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFruit spotting bug can mark the fruit in coastal Queensland and New South Wales, and possums and flying foxes will help themselves. Leaves, bark, skin and seed contain persin, a toxin that is dangerous to pet birds, horses, goats, sheep and rabbits, so keep prunings and fallen fruit out of aviaries and paddocks; dogs are less sensitive, but a swallowed seed can block the gut.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 90L, at $599.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/when-to-plant-trees-and-shrubs-australia\"\u003ewhen to plant in Australia\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"90L","offer_id":67672110825841,"sku":null,"price":599.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/avocado-reed-persea-americana.jpg?v=1791524404","url":"https:\/\/plantdrop.com.au\/products\/avocado-reed-persea-americana","provider":"Plant Drop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}