People often ask if they can grow avocados in central Florida. Although commercial production is all in south Florida, we can grow avocados here. In fact, there are some great cultivars that are cold hardy, but there are disease issues you should be aware of before you buy an avocado tree.
Laurel Wilt is a fungal disease spread by very small boring beetles. In an interesting symbiosis, the beetles carry the spores of the fungus on their bodies and when they start to bore into a tree, they introduce the fungus into the trunk. The fungus grows and the beetles eat the fungus, so it is like they farm the fungus. Unfortunately for us, the fungus causes the vascular system of the tree to become clogged and - within a few weeks of the infection - the tree will die because it cannot move water up into the leaves, hence the “wilt” in the name.
Star fruit, or carambola, is a unique tropical fruit we can grow here in central Florida. It may not survive very cold winters, but it will come back from the roots if it is killed back (if it is not a grafted tree). Star fruit are native to Southeast Asia, but older varieties have been grown in Florida for over 100 years. The newer cultivars are sweeter than the tart older ones, but they are all tasty in my opinion.
The trees are evergreen, although they may lose a few leaves in our cold during the winter. They can grow to 20-30 feet tall with single or multiple trunks, but regular pruning will keep them at picking height. The flowers are pink to lavender colored, but not that obvious. In 60 to 75 days you should have fruit from the flowers.