Re: Bark damage on an avocado

Bob F <bobnospam@gmail.com> wrote:

On 5/14/2025 6:57 PM, bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

Leon Fisk <lfiskgr@gmail.invalid> wrote:

On Wed, 14 May 2025 14:32:20 -0000 (UTC)
bp@www.zefox.net wrote:
>
<snip>

It does explain the anomalous flowering, however. Still, it doesn't seem
like a good practice for general cultivation. It's effectively starving
the roots.

>
In case you didn't read all the way to the comments... I found them
interesting, voicing some of your concerns too.
>
Seems girdling would only be done on some branches, not the whole tree.
It would insure the grower that part of their tree would likely have
fruit this harvest season.
>

After thinking it over, maybe shortening the life of the tree, at
least in a commercial context, makes sense. I've noticed that the
nut tree orchards near me are getting pulled out and replaced with
presumably more profitable crops. Sometimes with newer varieties
of the same tree. It seems odd, but industrial agriculture is the
model of rational action.

 
Some nut crops are very high in water demand, which may be why they are
changing.

AFAIK the goal isn't to reduce water usage, it's to maximize profit.
The most common species swap I see is almonds replacing walnuts. Both
use about the same amount of water per pound of yield, but the price
for almonds has historically been higher than for walnuts. 

As a gardener I'm tempted to keep established trees for as long as they
yield a normal crop. An industrial gardener has motivations that change
much faster than the life of a tree.

bob prohaska