I just wanted to say, thank you. I really appreciate your videos because as a novice in the avocado world, you go into it knowing nothing. I look on You Tube si I can learn about the ones I’m interested in, and the difference between what I want and what’s out there. So, thanks a lot for taking the time to make these, and you do a fabulous job.
Your videos are awesome!! Thanks so much for taking the time to do these. Very insightful and fascinating. We'd love to get your thoughts/profiles on the trees as well. :)
Hi Jofel, So many good ones. Just for eating? Fuerte and Sharwil sure are delicious, as is Edranol. But there are others that are more reliably productive (Bacon, Zutano, Ettinger, for instance).
For me production trumps taste, so my young Fuerte is now 1/3 Ettinger and 1/3Lamb, grafts have taken well and tree is growing like a 🚀. Feel fortunate the nursery recommended Bacon 6 years ago as it gives us fruit every year. Just top grafted young Sir Prize to GEM for same reason.
I'm amazed you don't have the Mexicola, with the edible black skin. I have one and it's doing extremely well. I find the seed in the Gem to be stupidly big. I picked the Pinkerton because it's supposed to be "The Sharwill" of Florida, whereas the Hawaiian Sharwill won't grow here. They've tried and failed for 20 years. Like you, I love Hass but, I WISH there was one better which would grow in Florida. What's up with the GEM tree?
I just bought 2 GEM trees in plastic sleeves (they're small) from Golden Gate Palms out of Richmond. Gary Gragg who has videos on TH-cam runs the nursery. But yeah there were probably 6-10 left after I snagged two. I informed someone on another TH-cam comments section to check out the nursery to find the extremely hard to find GEM and all she did was complain it was $85. I mean yeah they're expensive, and for good reason. Between Brokaw having exclusive licensing and high demand from commercial growers they don't even have anything ready until 2021. I actually debated getting a shipment of 20 trees and sell the rest. They only would go as far north as about an hour south of Monterey. The cost would have been about $1k which averages to $50. So yeah I'll take it on the chin and happily pay $170 for two small GEMs within an hour driving distance and not having to wait 2 years for a new batch. If you decide to buy let me know how it goes!
I live on the central coast by monterey and travel to socal once a month and know where I can get any avocado varieties for around 85 bucks in a 15 gallon maybe 7 ft tall with a 3/4”-1” trunk.... I should probably start hauling some back after my trips lol
@@liarzdice Sorry for the late reply. I did end up buying a gem avocado from Gary at Golden Gate nursery for $85. Fast forward today my Gem avocado Is 4' tall And Flowering. Most likely I will take off all the flowers and let it grow some more. I plan to graft my seedlings with gem and sell them later.
Hi, Greg I hope you get this question. I have a small back yard. I’m worried about planting my Zutano, which so far is shooting straight up, in the ground because I’ve heard the roots are real aggressive and can literally break asphalt. How close can I plant this tree to my house?
Worry not about that. Avocados have the wimpiest roots of any tree I know. I've seen avocado trees that are 75 years old growing within a couple feet of sidewalks and streets without any buckling.
I have a swimming pool surrounded by a cement deck.. how are the roots to the GEM? I am looking to plant the Gem in an area 10 feet from the concert deck. Do you think this will be enough clearance space?
For sure. Commercial farmers often plant their GEM trees less than ten feet apart. GEM avocado trees don't spread very wide compared to other avocado trees.
Hi Greg. I am curious if you are now able to taste the difference between GEM and Hass. I have had enough GEM (including some in South Africa) to identify subtle taste differences that are unique to GEM. It's more the aftertaste. Honestly, I am not sure it is my favorite flavor. I also fear the variety will have challenges in the commercial market, as it can be hard to tell when it is ripe since the thick skin stays so hard. I have had multiple GEM now that were by no means way overripe, but had rancidity issues near the skin in parts. I guess time will tell.
If I were tasting Hass and GEM blind, maybe I could guess which is which, but I'm really not sure. I'm not saying Hass and GEM taste the same. I'm just evaluating my own abilities. I do a lot of side by side tastings of avocados, just for fun, by myself and with friends and family. Just this afternoon I was tasting Hass and Gwen side by side and the Hass had a smokiness to it that I'd never noticed before. Was it just that single fruit? Was it because the taste of Gwen revealed it? A couple weeks ago I was eating a Gwen and gushing, This is the best avocado I've ever eaten! And then today, the Hass I had was amazing and better than the Gwen I was eating beside it. I'm confused. Maybe I just like avocados so much that whichever one I'm eating at the moment gets extra marks. As for GEM though, I think you're right about it being a shade inferior in a few areas. I can't remember noticing an aftertaste with GEM. I'll try to look out for that next time I eat one. But to me, GEM has a nuttiness like Gwen that is very nice and that is usually stronger than Hass; it's similar to the Fuerte flavor sometimes. I agree with your prognosis on the GEM commercial future. People insist on selling them labelled as Hass, mostly, which will make it even more difficult for consumers to tell when to cut them open because they don't look or feel the same as Hass when they're ripe. Same problem is there for Lamb. It's insulting to avocado eaters and it may bite the growers and marketers in the butt in the long run. Thanks for sharing the interesting comments and stimulating me to pay closer attention to some things.
In California commercial growers follow a chart from the state that can change each year. It lists a date and which size of avocado to pick for some listed varieties. If the green flesh near the skin has a rancid smell you should have cleared all fruit from that type of tree a month earlier.
Do you have an experience or opinions on the Oro Negro variety of avocado? I recently purchased a small grafted tree. I plan on growing it in a container because the zone i'm in is too cold.
Sorry, I know nothing firsthand about Oro Negro. It's not normally grown in my area. But I always trust what a commercial grower in Florida named Carlos has to say about avocado varieties, and he has trialled Oro Negro. Here are his notes: www.myavocadotrees.com/oro-negro-avocado.html
I really like your videos about Avocado trees. I live in Los Angeles area. Do you know where I can buy a GEM avocado tree in the southern CA area? Thanks
@@gregalderdotcom Yeah I'm thinking about top working my Sir Prize tree to GEM next year. I don't love the thin-skinned Sir Prize as they are a nightmare to scoop and peel and when they finally start tasting good, it seems like they rot on the tree a few weeks later.
It depends on what you mean by West Indian types. It's better to talk specifically about varieties. But yes, there are some varieties that some people call West Indian (or West Indian hybrids) that grow acceptably here in California; one example is the variety from Florida called Day.
@@gregalderdotcom Thanks for the urgent reply, but I hear about the dwarf avocados, how long would they take to bear fruit? and would you recommend them anyway?
Greg, I really enjoy your videos. You forgot to make a video about this tree. My local nursery currently has a lot of quantities of different varieties in 15gal including Gem, Reed, Lamb, Sir Prize, etc… I currently have Lamb planted, just got a reed but want to decide on my last avocado. I know you like hass based on your videos. Would you recommend Gem or Sir Prize over hass? I have seen many hass trees in my area that are huge 50’+ so I’m not so interested in hass because of the size.
Hi Fernando, Here's a detailed written profile of the GEM tree with lots of photos: gregalder.com/yardposts/the-gem-avocado-tree-a-profile/ Here's a profile of the Hass tree: gregalder.com/yardposts/the-hass-avocado-tree-a-profile/ I would grow Hass or GEM over Sir-Prize.
GEM and Gwen trees are similar in that neither is very big and spreading, as far as the young ones in my yard go as well as the older ones I've seen in other locations. Both are also very fruitful. I don't have enough experience growing both to say which one I would prefer if I could only have one. I really like both trees though, and I would hate to give up either. As I said, both fruit well, and the fruit of both is top quality in my opinion.
I bought one about six weeks ago from Golden Gate Palms in Richmond, California. I drove about five hours and paid $155 for it. I think it was worth it because she is growing like a champ. Hopefully in two years I will have a tree full of avocados.
Very nice video. An educated comparison. If I were to disagree with anything I would say it peals much better than Hass. GEM has a slightly thicker peal than Hass and you can scoop out or eat the flesh in the peal, and you would have a hard time putting your spoon through it. Also would have liked a green peace of fruit to really see the gold speckling. This from a commercial GEM grower.
Thanks for this, Salvador. This video is a few years old and I've thought of doing another one that includes, among other things, showing the gold speckling. It's so attractive that you really can't get a full sense of GEM without seeing it. You're right on that. In this post on my website I do at least have a good photo of the GEM speckling though: gregalder.com/yardposts/the-gem-avocado-tree-a-profile/
@@gregalderdotcom A correction on your website. GEM can not be sold as Hass, they can be sold as an Avocado, but if the store receipt says Hass and you actually have a GEM then the store is liable. I speak with personal knowledge, I am on some comities that regulate these things. Also most of us in the industry believe that one of the GEM's attributes is that it can peal much easier than the Hass, and that the think peal allows for in the shell kind of eating that you may not be able to do with the Hass as easily. I recommend you look at some of the advertising from Index Fresh. On a personal note the California Avocado Commission made a video of my ranch on their meet the grower series. Last weekend I planted the last 1506 trees I had room for on my ranch. I know have 18,560 GEM trees and about 16,000 Hass.
Thanks for correcting me on this. I edited my website's profile. I've seen GEMs in Hass bins in grocery stores a few times in years past; I think that's what contributed to my mistake. I'm so glad that it has its own PLU and that Index is promoting it as a unique variety. I watched your video. I only wish it were longer! Looks like a beautiful ranch. Santa Clara River Valley? Hope I run into you someday. Love to hear your thoughts on rootstocks for GEM etc. If you comment on my website, we can email.
I just wanted to say, thank you. I really appreciate your videos because as a novice in the avocado world, you go into it knowing nothing. I look on You Tube si I can learn about the ones I’m interested in, and the difference between what I want and what’s out there. So, thanks a lot for taking the time to make these, and you do a fabulous job.
thanks for all these videos, awesome comparision. helps me set my targets on which varieties to target, just got my 1st sharwil this week
Your videos are awesome!! Thanks so much for taking the time to do these. Very insightful and fascinating. We'd love to get your thoughts/profiles on the trees as well. :)
See my profile of GEM tree here: gregalder.com/yardposts/the-gem-avocado-tree-a-profile/
i guess I'm kinda randomly asking but does anybody know of a good place to stream new movies online ?
@Langston Nash flixportal =)
@Briggs Lawson thanks, I went there and it seems like they got a lot of movies there :) I appreciate it!
@Langston Nash happy to help =)
Great GEM avocado video 👍
Whats your favorite type B avocado?
Hi Jofel, So many good ones. Just for eating? Fuerte and Sharwil sure are delicious, as is Edranol. But there are others that are more reliably productive (Bacon, Zutano, Ettinger, for instance).
For me production trumps taste, so my young Fuerte is now 1/3 Ettinger and 1/3Lamb, grafts have taken well and tree is growing like a 🚀. Feel fortunate the nursery recommended Bacon 6 years ago as it gives us fruit every year. Just top grafted young Sir Prize to GEM for same reason.
I'm amazed you don't have the Mexicola, with the edible black skin. I have one and it's doing extremely well. I find the seed in the Gem to be stupidly big. I picked the Pinkerton because it's supposed to be "The Sharwill" of Florida, whereas the Hawaiian Sharwill won't grow here. They've tried and failed for 20 years. Like you, I love Hass but, I WISH there was one better which would grow in Florida. What's up with the GEM tree?
Where could I buy a GEM Avocado tree? They are hard to come by here in NorCal Sfbayarea.
I just bought 2 GEM trees in plastic sleeves (they're small) from Golden Gate Palms out of Richmond. Gary Gragg who has videos on TH-cam runs the nursery. But yeah there were probably 6-10 left after I snagged two.
I informed someone on another TH-cam comments section to check out the nursery to find the extremely hard to find GEM and all she did was complain it was $85. I mean yeah they're expensive, and for good reason. Between Brokaw having exclusive licensing and high demand from commercial growers they don't even have anything ready until 2021. I actually debated getting a shipment of 20 trees and sell the rest. They only would go as far north as about an hour south of Monterey. The cost would have been about $1k which averages to $50. So yeah I'll take it on the chin and happily pay $170 for two small GEMs within an hour driving distance and not having to wait 2 years for a new batch.
If you decide to buy let me know how it goes!
I live on the central coast by monterey and travel to socal once a month and know where I can get any avocado varieties for around 85 bucks in a 15 gallon maybe 7 ft tall with a 3/4”-1” trunk.... I should probably start hauling some back after my trips lol
@@MARTINLOCZ would you mind sharing what nursery you are referencing?
@@liarzdice Sorry for the late reply. I did end up buying a gem avocado from Gary at Golden Gate nursery for $85. Fast forward today my Gem avocado Is 4' tall And Flowering. Most likely I will take off all the flowers and let it grow some more. I plan to graft my seedlings with gem and sell them later.
@@gardengainzz9191 awesome! Pinching flowers I think is a good call. Glad they're doing well. Keep me posted 🙂
Hi, Greg I hope you get this question. I have a small back yard. I’m worried about planting my Zutano, which so far is shooting straight up, in the ground because I’ve heard the roots are real aggressive and can literally break asphalt. How close can I plant this tree to my house?
Worry not about that. Avocados have the wimpiest roots of any tree I know. I've seen avocado trees that are 75 years old growing within a couple feet of sidewalks and streets without any buckling.
I have a swimming pool surrounded by a cement deck.. how are the roots to the GEM? I am looking to plant the Gem in an area 10 feet from the concert deck. Do you think this will be enough clearance space?
For sure. Commercial farmers often plant their GEM trees less than ten feet apart. GEM avocado trees don't spread very wide compared to other avocado trees.
Gem will likely replace Hass as the number 1 biggest commercial crop over the years.
Hi Greg. I am curious if you are now able to taste the difference between GEM and Hass. I have had enough GEM (including some in South Africa) to identify subtle taste differences that are unique to GEM. It's more the aftertaste. Honestly, I am not sure it is my favorite flavor. I also fear the variety will have challenges in the commercial market, as it can be hard to tell when it is ripe since the thick skin stays so hard. I have had multiple GEM now that were by no means way overripe, but had rancidity issues near the skin in parts. I guess time will tell.
If I were tasting Hass and GEM blind, maybe I could guess which is which, but I'm really not sure. I'm not saying Hass and GEM taste the same. I'm just evaluating my own abilities.
I do a lot of side by side tastings of avocados, just for fun, by myself and with friends and family. Just this afternoon I was tasting Hass and Gwen side by side and the Hass had a smokiness to it that I'd never noticed before. Was it just that single fruit? Was it because the taste of Gwen revealed it?
A couple weeks ago I was eating a Gwen and gushing, This is the best avocado I've ever eaten! And then today, the Hass I had was amazing and better than the Gwen I was eating beside it.
I'm confused. Maybe I just like avocados so much that whichever one I'm eating at the moment gets extra marks.
As for GEM though, I think you're right about it being a shade inferior in a few areas. I can't remember noticing an aftertaste with GEM. I'll try to look out for that next time I eat one. But to me, GEM has a nuttiness like Gwen that is very nice and that is usually stronger than Hass; it's similar to the Fuerte flavor sometimes.
I agree with your prognosis on the GEM commercial future. People insist on selling them labelled as Hass, mostly, which will make it even more difficult for consumers to tell when to cut them open because they don't look or feel the same as Hass when they're ripe. Same problem is there for Lamb. It's insulting to avocado eaters and it may bite the growers and marketers in the butt in the long run.
Thanks for sharing the interesting comments and stimulating me to pay closer attention to some things.
@@gregalderdotcom Thanks for such a detailed and insightful reply. You should have your family do a blind tasting on you ; )
@@prijicrw Great idea! I'll post my success or failure when I do it.
In California commercial growers follow a chart from the state that can change each year. It lists a date and which size of avocado to pick for some listed varieties. If the green flesh near the skin has a rancid smell you should have cleared all fruit from that type of tree a month earlier.
Do you have an experience or opinions on the Oro Negro variety of avocado? I recently purchased a small grafted tree. I plan on growing it in a container because the zone i'm in is too cold.
Sorry, I know nothing firsthand about Oro Negro. It's not normally grown in my area. But I always trust what a commercial grower in Florida named Carlos has to say about avocado varieties, and he has trialled Oro Negro. Here are his notes: www.myavocadotrees.com/oro-negro-avocado.html
I really like your videos about Avocado trees. I live in Los Angeles area. Do you know where I can buy a GEM avocado tree in the southern CA area? Thanks
Thanks. Check out this page: gregalder.com/yardposts/where-to-buy-an-avocado-tree/
Hey Greg, I’d be interested in that profile of the GEM tree.
See my profile of GEM tree here: gregalder.com/yardposts/the-gem-avocado-tree-a-profile/
@@gregalderdotcom nice!
@@gregalderdotcom Yeah I'm thinking about top working my Sir Prize tree to GEM next year. I don't love the thin-skinned Sir Prize as they are a nightmare to scoop and peel and when they finally start tasting good, it seems like they rot on the tree a few weeks later.
Does the Gem produce more than the hass?
Not overall, but on the same size tree, yes. See details here: gregalder.com/yardposts/the-gem-avocado-tree-a-profile/
Can we grow West Indian type avocados in California? Thanks!
It depends on what you mean by West Indian types. It's better to talk specifically about varieties. But yes, there are some varieties that some people call West Indian (or West Indian hybrids) that grow acceptably here in California; one example is the variety from Florida called Day.
@@gregalderdotcom To be specific; can Russell Avocado variety be grown in California? Thanks!
Hey Greg, how long does a grated avocado tree take to bear fruit?
Check this post I wrote about that: gregalder.com/yardposts/how-long-until-an-avocado-tree-fruits/
@@gregalderdotcom Thanks for the urgent reply, but I hear about the dwarf avocados, how long would they take to bear fruit? and would you recommend them anyway?
Greg, I really enjoy your videos. You forgot to make a video about this tree. My local nursery currently has a lot of quantities of different varieties in 15gal including Gem, Reed, Lamb, Sir Prize, etc… I currently have Lamb planted, just got a reed but want to decide on my last avocado. I know you like hass based on your videos. Would you recommend Gem or Sir Prize over hass? I have seen many hass trees in my area that are huge 50’+ so I’m not so interested in hass because of the size.
Hi Fernando, Here's a detailed written profile of the GEM tree with lots of photos: gregalder.com/yardposts/the-gem-avocado-tree-a-profile/
Here's a profile of the Hass tree: gregalder.com/yardposts/the-hass-avocado-tree-a-profile/
I would grow Hass or GEM over Sir-Prize.
Do a gem small compact tree just don't let it over produce when young
How would you compare the tree overall to a Gwen or which would you prefer
GEM and Gwen trees are similar in that neither is very big and spreading, as far as the young ones in my yard go as well as the older ones I've seen in other locations. Both are also very fruitful.
I don't have enough experience growing both to say which one I would prefer if I could only have one. I really like both trees though, and I would hate to give up either. As I said, both fruit well, and the fruit of both is top quality in my opinion.
What month do you harvest GEM and how many months are they ready to harvest?
In Southern California, GEM avocados are usually harvested from the beginning of spring into summer or even through the end of summer.
@@gregalderdotcom so I take it GEM needs at least 12-14 months to harvest? They're flowers from the previous spring, right?
@@nitni0002 Yeah, you got it. So if your tree blooms this spring of 2020, you'll start eating the fruit from those flowers in the spring of 2021.
I’m actually looking for a gem avocado tree or cuttings to graft for my personal trees. Anyone know where they sell and ship?
I bought one about six weeks ago from Golden Gate Palms in Richmond, California. I drove about five hours and paid $155 for it. I think it was worth it because she is growing like a champ. Hopefully in two years I will have a tree full of avocados.
Hello is the GEM type A or B? Thanks
A
Very nice video. An educated comparison. If I were to disagree with anything I would say it peals much better than Hass. GEM has a slightly thicker peal than Hass and you can scoop out or eat the flesh in the peal, and you would have a hard time putting your spoon through it. Also would have liked a green peace of fruit to really see the gold speckling. This from a commercial GEM grower.
Thanks for this, Salvador. This video is a few years old and I've thought of doing another one that includes, among other things, showing the gold speckling. It's so attractive that you really can't get a full sense of GEM without seeing it. You're right on that.
In this post on my website I do at least have a good photo of the GEM speckling though: gregalder.com/yardposts/the-gem-avocado-tree-a-profile/
@@gregalderdotcom A correction on your website. GEM can not be sold as Hass, they can be sold as an Avocado, but if the store receipt says Hass and you actually have a GEM then the store is liable. I speak with personal knowledge, I am on some comities that regulate these things. Also most of us in the industry believe that one of the GEM's attributes is that it can peal much easier than the Hass, and that the think peal allows for in the shell kind of eating that you may not be able to do with the Hass as easily. I recommend you look at some of the advertising from Index Fresh. On a personal note the California Avocado Commission made a video of my ranch on their meet the grower series. Last weekend I planted the last 1506 trees I had room for on my ranch. I know have 18,560 GEM trees and about 16,000 Hass.
Thanks for correcting me on this. I edited my website's profile. I've seen GEMs in Hass bins in grocery stores a few times in years past; I think that's what contributed to my mistake. I'm so glad that it has its own PLU and that Index is promoting it as a unique variety.
I watched your video. I only wish it were longer! Looks like a beautiful ranch. Santa Clara River Valley? Hope I run into you someday. Love to hear your thoughts on rootstocks for GEM etc. If you comment on my website, we can email.
Greg do you sell gem scions
Hi Paul, Sorry but I don't.
@Greg Alder thank you do u know anyone that sells them
Seed looks much bigger than flesh