How Long Does It Take an Avocado Tree to Bear Fruit?

Great on toast, in salads, or mashed to make guacamole, avocados are one of the most popular fruits today. Some people love them so much they’ve taken to growing their own. It doesn’t take much time for the pit to sprout into a small plant, but once it does, you’re left wondering, "How long does it take an avocado tree to bear fruit?"

You may be disappointed if you’re just starting out with a young avocado tree grown from seed. Growing an avocado tree from seed will take 10 to 15 years before it starts bearing fruit.

Of course, a few other factors can affect how long it takes your tree to bear fruit. Learn more about avocado growth cycles here and a few tips on raising your own.

Table of Contents

• When Do Avocados Grow?
• How Long Before Avocados Ripen?
• Growing an Avocado Tree
• Frequently Asked Questions

When Do Avocados Grow?

When your avocado tree bears fruit depends on your geography. Most of the avocados in the United States are grown in California. The trees blossom in March or April and bear fruit all through the summer.

Of course, avocados are grown all around the world. So, you can purchase them at stores year-round.

How Long Before Avocados Ripen?

When you find an avocado in the store, it can be up to a week away from being fully ripe. You can tell how close they are by checking their firmness. If the flesh has a bit of give when you touch it, your fruit is ready to eat. The same trick works when picking an avocado from the tree.

If you want to speed up the ripening process of a picked avocado, try putting it in a plastic bag. Then, check it again after a day; it should be much softer.

Growing an Avocado Tree

Compared to other fruit trees, avocado trees are a bit temperamental. Even fully mature avocado trees may not bear fruit if the conditions aren’t just right. Check these factors if you aren’t getting the crop you were hoping for.

Soil

Avocados are native to dry climates and grow best in coarse, sandy soil. However, this isn’t a hard and fast rule as they can also grow in other soil types as long as they are not over-watered. One crucial factor to keep in mind is iron levels, which must be kept high.

Watering

Proper watering may be the most crucial factor when maximizing your avocado crop. The biggest danger with avocados is over-watering them. 

When watering, your goal should be to get the soil wet enough, so it’s damp to the touch but not so much that it sets and crumbles. Ensuring proper drainage is key when maintaining the right moisture levels.

Placement

Avocado trees need plenty of sunlight to produce fruit. The tree itself can still live in shady areas, though they will likely offer a much smaller yield. Ensure you plant your trees apart from other plants, buildings, and obstructions.

Climate

To maximize your avocado production, plant your trees in a place where there's a constant temperature between 70 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Even when the temperature drops as low as sixty degrees, the cold won’t hurt them, but it can lower your yield.

Fertilizer

Fertilize your avocado trees the first three years after planting them, six times a year between April to August. You can often find specially-formulated avocado fertilizers in stores, but if not, you can also use a fertilizer designed for citrus trees.

Pollination

Unlike some fruit-bearing trees, you only need a single avocado tree to grow fruit. However, planting two trees near each other will help cross-pollinate and produce better results.

Frequently Asked Questions