Now that it is very hot, you should know which temperatures are ideal for establishing your Hass avocado orchard.
Temperature and attitude
For optimum growth and yield, Robert Mugamba, the Chief Executive Officer of NileCado Ltd, during the Harvest Money Expo at Namboole recently revealed that the temperature should be between 15 to 25 degrees.
Mugamba says that when you set your orchard below seven degrees, it is a disaster.
He adds that the Hass avocado orchard is best adapted to an attitude between 1000m and 2500m.
“Prolonged exposure to temperatures above 25 to 40 degrees Celsius combined with low relative humidity will damage the fruits and leaves through sunburn, resulting in stress and reduced productivity,” Mugamba explained.
Rainfall
Mugamba says the Hass avocado orchard needs an average of 1,000-1.600mm per annum and well-distributed throughout the year, with a minimum of 750mm being essential for a reasonable crop development.
If the rain is not enough, Mugamba advises farmers to resort to irrigation.
“An avocado needs at least 25mm of water every week during periods of insufficient rainfall,” he says.
Soil
If you want to put up an orchard for Hass avocados, you should not worry about the soil.
Mugamba says that the fruit grows successfully in a wide range of soils.
He urges that deep, fertile and well-aerated, particularly sand or alluvial loams with neutral or slight acid pH values (pH 5.5 to 6.5) are desirable.
On the other hand, soils with a high water table are unsuitable and should be avoided.
Mugamba observed that under these conditions, trees are highly susceptible to root infection by Phytophthora as well as nutrient deficiency symptoms, particularly zinc and iron.
