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From: bp@www.zefox.net
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Bark damage on an avocado
Date: Thu, 15 May 2025 03:25:43 -0000 (UTC)
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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