GEM avocado tree: a profile

[@miett49]

Thanks Greg my good friend for the beautiful video and valuable information about the Gem tree and its history. Continue the good work we appreciate it very much.

[@Lion-dq9uj]

I just ordered one !!! Can’t wait !!

[@Sam-mc2dk]

Hey Greg, I am looking forward to the day my GEMs look like the GEMs in your video loaded with fruit. My trees have some fruit but in a couple of years I hope there will be tons! Great video as usual.

[@Balaams_Donkey]

Enjoying the GEMs you shipped out. Thank you so much. 🥑👍 My GEM trees are also in the ground just under a year. I picked them up from Brokaw the end of last May. They're on Dusa rootstock and are covered in little fruitlets. I don't know how many they'll be able to hang on to through to maturity, but it's really exciting to see a GEM being a GEM.

[@gregalderdotcom]

Glad you're enjoying those GEMs. Some of the GEM trees in the video are on Dusa.

[@nicolassaarni88]

I have about 200 gem trees planted out. They are very slow to grow until they get some trunk size. All my gem trees trunks lean sideways and are somewhat weeping in my windy climate. My trees are still under 5 years old and have only had modest harvests to date. Hopefully my older gems will set their first heavy crops this season. Great looking grove thanks for sharing

[@salvadordominguez5925]

Greg, very nice video. I am in love with this variety, I will have over 23,000 in the ground by this summer. Its delicious, productive and beautiful.

[@gregalderdotcom]

Thank you, Sal. How many GEMs is enough?! I appreciated your talk, along with Henry's, on GEM a few months back. I learned a lot. Thanks.

[@GryphonEDM]

You are living the dream :)

[@SVmathfarmer]

@@GryphonEDM amen!🙏🥑🙏

[@odettes5869]

Great videos as always Greg. Always appreciate the insight to all the avocado varieties, both the tree profiles and the fruit. I have a Reed and Gem, your videos have been a great guide for my backyard orchard.

[@prisrod8500]

Excellent video Greg. Thank you.

[@johnnysworld-backyardorchard]

Great video Greg, thanks for sharing!

[@laurathayer559]

Nice update on the GEM. Can't wait when they are more available in the nurseries in the spring since I'm not in Southern California

[@jamestnguyen2165]

Great location for a video shoot. The trees are nice tool

[@mikecheck1256]

Great video, thanks greg

[@socalbackyardgardener]

Nice tree. I am seeing plenty of little BB's on my Gem this year

[@msassi]

Thanks Greg! Am loving the GEM avocados you sent! Like them more than any Hass I've eaten. Sadly I missed on the next Gwen round (hoping for a 2nd round) so I can taste the amazing variety of avocados out there.

[@aegarden6006]

Nice Gem avocado trees and fruit. Thanks for sharing.

[@GryphonEDM]

Great video greg :) A long ways from it, but my dream right now is be able to one day have a GEM orchard. Only have 2 gem trees right now, and I've been starting Zutano seedlings. I have about 50 seedlings starting right now. I know it's nothing compared to what I'd need for a farm but I figure I can build up some GEM grafting stock material then graft to the zutano seedlings. and then have more GEM trees to grow out and collect budwood from later when I can manage to get some land and really get some numbers behind me. Thanks for all these videos :)

[@gregalderdotcom]

You can do it!

[@j.mclouth4968]

Hi Greg, I am a new grower of GEM and have started doing high density of 5x5 spacing, I am starting to see exceptional growth, but I am looking to see what others are doing with drought conditions, so for instance skirting the bottom more for air flow and more intensive mulching practices. Thanks

[@williambutler4976]

With a bit of luck my young gem will hold a couple of fruits. This is the start of the 3rd year for it.

[@johnreyes1749]

Greg is this in Pauma Valley or Fallbrook, I normally drive the 76 to buy Reed’s during June and July, those avocados would look real tasty on a hot corn tortilla with salt of course.

[@SpYucaipaSoCal]

At 6:08 holy moly Batman. Wow thats impressive.

[@naseltarim8250]

Thank you for this great video. What is that tall stakes between trees for? Microsprinklers?

[@gregalderdotcom]

Yes, there are sprinklers on top of each pole that can be used for evaporative cooling during a heat wave.

[@bonniesdad4939]

Greg. Follow you closely excellent info. Any input on GEM in 95682/Zone 9B? Gets hot here and can be cold also. 30s. Thanks

[@gregalderdotcom]

30s are no problem. Below 30 is a problem. This post of mine has stuff on GEM you might be interested in: gregalder.com/yardposts/growing-avocados-in-californias-central-valley/

[@Betty599]

I also have a Gem tree in Zone 8b plus lots of other varieties avocados tree and it survive the winter here in Paso Robles Ca.

[@ocneal]

GEM is a wonderful avocado specimen. I spoke to Gray about in March and he stated the GEM was a rare “semi-dwarf.” While the GEM is less alternate-bearing than a Hass, but still alternate-bearing, do you think culling some of the developing fruit one year will allow for even less alternate-bearing the next? Love the videos - keep em’ coming. Do you have videos of Esther, Kahaluu, Magoon, Knowles, Koala? You’re getting a great archive going. 👍

[@gregalderdotcom]

Hi Neal, Yes, if you remove some fruit while it is still very small (the fruit) you should reduce the alt. bearing. This has been studied on Hass in particular and found effective. I don't have videos of those varieties yet, but I hope to add them at some point. It will be a few years though. I only make a video if I have several years of personal experience growing a variety. I don't even have an Esther or Magoon tree in my yard as of today.

[@JordanaWhite-nz7fr]

I really like your wooden signs that you've made to label your avocado trees. How do you add the large nails to the back of the wood sign?

[@gregalderdotcom]

I drill two holes and then screw them in; they are threaded bars.

[@sheens9193]

Greg, would you plant a Pinkerton, Reed and GEM east to west in that order? I’ve got three raised mounds, 10’ apart on center, set up ready for planting. Pink and Reed are on the larger side 5 gallon sleeves and the GEM is a 15 gallon on the small side (barely any bigger than the other two). I’m concerned about the Reed maybe shading out the others. I think I heard (maybe from you) that Pinkerton may prefer a little afternoon shade so considering putting it on the west side. Maybe Reed in the middle and GEM on east. Any advice? Thanks for all you share, I’ve learned a lot.

[@gregalderdotcom]

Hi Sheen, I'd probably go from west to east: GEM, Reed, Pinkerton.

[@sheens9193]

@@gregalderdotcom I’ll give it go, thanks again for all you do and share with the community!

[@MakePeace123]

Greg what spacing are the commercial growers planting Gem orchards if you happen to know, Great Profile

[@gregalderdotcom]

Thank you. Most plant at 7-10 feet apart.

[@SVmathfarmer]

Finally🙏! I’ve been waiting for this one. Still waiting for the Nabal written profile 😬.

[@gregalderdotcom]

Thanks for the reminder, Pat. Got to get a Nabal profile written soon!

[@slsly1176]

Hi there Greg, Thanks for sharing this variety with us all. I'm wondering why the second example was planted against a chain link fence. Is it to give the young tree support for it's fuit load? Is there a plan to try to espalier the tree? As a child my neighbor used to always plant tomatoes along our chain link fence... to share with us. That's what I usually think of when I see a plant close to chain link. Can I come an pick the fruit from the other side of the fence in a year or so?🤔😉

[@gregalderdotcom]

Yeah, I figured I'd try espaliering the tree on the chain link fence. We'll see what happens. If there's fruit on the other side in a few years, they're all yours!

[@TheElsinoreGardener]

I’ve noticed also that they like to set fruit very low on the tree, most everything on mine is 1 ft or lower

[@frankyancy1347]

Mine too

[@sophied4727]

Hi, Greg, I’m thinking getting a semi-dwarf avocado tree for my yard. A nursery near me in SoCal told me the GEM variety grew to 30 feet tall, which to me sounded not so dwarf-like. Do you know how tall a GEM tree will grow? Thanks so much. Enjoy your wonderful videos.

[@gregalderdotcom]

I can't say exactly how tall a GEM will grow eventually, but I can say that I visited a grove in Ventura County where there was an old GEM planting (planted in the 1990s) and the trees were spaced 18 feet apart and there was still some space between the trees without any pruning. That's about 25 years and still only a spread of less than 18 feet. But I think that the most important thing is to select a variety that you like to eat and that makes a lot of fruit, and then you can prune it to almost any size necessary.

[@sdyoda]

Hi Greg Do you recommend removing flowers for the first year or two to promote root/leaf growth?

[@gregalderdotcom]

Check this out: gregalder.com/yardposts/should-you-remove-avocados-from-a-small-tree/

[@kcwize]

Hi, Greg. I am so envy that you have so much gem avocado. I got one last year from a nursery. Recently my house got a salt water filter tank so we water the avocados some salt filter water, it’s dying. Is there any advice that can help it grow again? Or too late. Also we have clay soil on my backyard.

[@frankyancy1347]

I've found once an avo declines....it's very difficult and slow to bring it back, so better to get a new tree. Be sure to plant on a mound for clay soil....dig whole 4x4x2 feet deep, mix the dug out clay soil with equal amt sand so the mound is 2 feet above soil level, plant tree and mulch with 6 inches of chipped wood. Water often but shallow. Best of luck. I've killed a lot of avos by improper planting/watering etc.

[@Alberto-Glez]

​@@frankyancy1347exactly my method. and it has worked so far

[@maegn]

Could you put like a giant tomato cage around it to keep it from drooping? Not for farming but for a home tree?

[@gregalderdotcom]

Yes! I've done that and it works very well. Some limbs get scarred from rubbing on the cage, but that's not a big problem.

[@kohortx]

Great profile video, really enjoy all the info you share! Curious if you have any advice on how to deter deer from eating/damaging Avocado trees?

[@gregalderdotcom]

Thanks! The only truly reliable deer protection I know of is proper fencing, either around individual trees or around a whole grove.

[@slametharyadi4894]

I Like GEM Avocado

[@EddyLiuIsm]

I have a Gem tree and a Reed, the Gem tree is droopy and needs to be staked, but my Reed tree is strong enough to stand on its own. Is this an expected behavior?

[@jordchiam]

Can the GEM avocado plant self-pollinate with just 1 plant? Thanks!

[@frankyancy1347]

Yes

[@MrEdwinhardesty]

Did you make the sign that says "GEM AVOCADO" yourself? I have 6 avocado trees I want to identify but don't know where to buy the plaques.

[@gregalderdotcom]

My brother made it with his laser cutter.

[@josamsantana1441]

Great video!! I just planted 40 gem avocado trees. I live in Valle Vista . The trees are about 4 feet tall and 8 feet apart. Super excited for my new venture. Do you have any advice for me?

[@gregalderdotcom]

Hi Josam, That's really exciting. Just keep those little guys watered. Best of luck.

[@josamsantana1441]

@@gregalderdotcom thank you brother. I just uploaded my first video . I think I'm gonna make more of them. Let me know what you think!!

[@paulortiz8939]

Were did u order them from I have a 1/2 acre I like to put them on I have a fuergo and a mexcola right now there about a 1 and 1/2 old so I need more lol

[@mariademirjian2869]

Hi 👋 I live in los angeles! Where do you recommend I could purchase a Gem Avocado tree!

[@gregalderdotcom]

Hi Maria, see here for options near L.A.: gregalder.com/yardposts/where-to-buy-an-avocado-tree/

[@marioflores7002]

I bought a Gem Avocado, about 4 years ago. It still looks pretty small. Maybe because ive been prunning it. I'm trying to compare it to your trees here and im having second doubts that it is. Is there any way to identify the tree? Any suggestions?

[@sereezyyy7068]

You have a gem. Gem stay short and have a lot of leaves at baby stage

[@jeremymassimino1176]

Hi Greg, can I purchase a GEM scion from you? Or any small tree sleeves available that can be shipped? Thanks Jeremy

[@gregalderdotcom]

Hi Jeremy, I don't sell scions at this time. I'm considering selling some this winter. I'll announce it on my website if I do. Are you in California? Maybe I can suggest places to find the trees you want.

[@jeremymassimino1176]

@@gregalderdotcom that would be awesome if you do! Nope, I’m a avocado enthusiast in Pittsburgh PA!

[@gregalderdotcom]

Very cool. I love the idea of you growing avocados in Pittsburgh. Hope I can help.

[@jcs1492]

👍

[@michellesin445]

Are those all yours?

[@alsar4180]

Hi hi Greg, is there such a thing as dwarf gem avocado? I saw a video on KZbin where guy does video on his gem avocado tree and says it’s dwarf.

[@gregalderdotcom]

I guess it depends how you define dwarf. There is only one GEM variety; there is not a dwarf version. The GEM variety is smaller than some other varieties. However, over time it will grow to well over 15 feet tall. I wouldn't call that dwarf. Some people used to say the same thing about GEM's mother, the Gwen. But I know Gwen trees that are 40 years old and so tall that I can't access their highest fruit while using an extended pole picker on a ladder.

[@irvinespi119]

Where could I buy a gem avacado?

[@gregalderdotcom]

Hi Irvin, If you're fast you can get a box with GEM in it from me here (before they're sold out): gregalder.com/yardposts/hass-and-gwen-and-gem-avocados-for-sale/

[@nitni0002]

For some reason my gem avocado is growing like a ground cover. All branches just flop over. The leaves look healthy and flower

[@narasimhamurthy6771]

Respected sir,Iam from Bangalore INDIA, sir is it possible to send me the Gem plants

[@MrSunergy]

Hey Greg, awesome videos and very informative! Where do you get those neat signs? do you make them yourself? I am wondering how I can get some or make some. Thanks!

[@gregalderdotcom]

Thanks! My brother makes them for me. He used to sell them but doesn't any longer, sorry.

[@manharpatel2182]

Hi Adam, Thank you for Gem Avocado. Info. I like to ask you that are you able to sale Gem Avocado Sicon. I wanted for personal use.