Native & adapted

Avocado

Persea americana

Also known as Avocado tree · Alligator pear · Aguacate · Bơ

Avocados can grow and fruit in Phoenix, but they are not easy. They need filtered sun while young, careful deep watering and the hardier Mexican-type varieties.

EdibleFruitingEvergreen

Landscape layersUpper canopy

Mature size

20–30 ft tall and 15–25 ft wide

Climate fit

Urban core · USDA 9b–10a · Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b · Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9b

Plant spacing

20 ft from other trees and buildings

Frost

Mexican types handle about 20°F; Guatemalan types about 28°F; West Indian types are damaged near 32°F.

Special categories

EDIBLE

Hardiness guidance

USDA 9b–11; Mexican types hardy to about 20°F, Guatemalan types to about 28°F

Winter chill

None

Typical harvest

Varies by variety. Mexican types ripen in fall; others in winter and spring. Fruit softens off the tree.

Before you plant

These conditions determine whether it will thrive.

Soil chemistry

Very fast-draining soil; mound planting helps. Amend with sulfur and compost and flush salts with occasional deep soakings.

Required microclimate

Placement is part of the growing system.

Under a nurse tree or on the east side of a building, out of hot wind.

Cold hardiness

Cover in a hard freeze below 28°F

Depends on type: Mexican avocados take about 18 to 26°F, Guatemalans about 24 to 28°F, and West Indians are hurt below about 30°F. Young trees of any type need cover on frost nights, and all of them when a hard freeze is forecast.

Leaves and wood: damaged below 28°F

Heat tolerance

Needs afternoon shade

Avocados take desert sun poorly, and leaves can shrivel over 115°F. Plant on the east side of a building or a deciduous tree, and shade young trees with cloth from June through August.

Sources:

ask.ifas.ufl.edu , phoenixtropicals.com

Right plant, right place

Will Avocado grow at your Arizona property?

Arizona's own Aravaipa avocado and Mexican types such as Mexicola, Lila and Joey handle cold best. Buy as large a tree as you can.

Best regional fit: Urban core · USDA 9b–10a, Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b, Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9b.

Light

Sun exposure

Filtered sun or 50% shade cloth for the first two summers. Whitewash or shade the trunk; bark sunburns easily.

Water

Irrigation

Deep, wide, infrequent watering with a ring of emitters or a basin, not a single drip line. Roots rot in soggy soil and burn when salts build up.

Fruit set

Pollination

Flowers are type A or type B. One tree can fruit alone, but an A and B pair sets more fruit.

Harvest

How to use it

Fresh, in guacamole, salads and toast. Some thin-skinned Mexican types have edible skin.

Planting & stewardship

How to help Avocado thrive

1
Shade the tree and trunk heavily for the first two summers.
2
Water widely and deeply; keep 3 to 4 inches of mulch over the roots.
3
Leach salts with a long, slow soak every month or two.
4
Do not disturb the shallow roots by digging or cultivating.

Read the horticultural reference ↗