SUSTAINABILITY
FIRST AND ALWAYS
For us, it’s never been a buzzword. It’s how we’ve always farmed for healthier trees and stronger harvests.
WATERING
SMARTER FOR
THRIVING
ORCHARDS
Traditional avocado farming irrigates every third week for 24 hours. But Salvador noticed a problem. Avocado tree roots only extend 9–14 inches into the soil, which means most of that water sinks far beyond where the trees can reach it.
Through careful testing, he shifted to a new rhythm: watering once a week for just 4–6 hours. That’s enough to fully soak the shallow root zone without wasting a drop.
This small change saves thousands of gallons of water, maintains healthier trees, and prevents water waste. Plus, it proves what we’ve seen time and again: listening to the land leads to stronger harvests while using less resources.
HIGH DENSITY FARMING:
GETTING MORE FROM LESS
High-density planting is common in other countries and crops like mandarins, but has rarely been applied to avocados. And Salvador saw an opportunity. He partnered with an agronomist from Chile, who shared how growers there successfully use high-density plantings.
Traditional avocado farming spaces trees about 18 by 18 feet, or roughly 136 trees per acre. In 2009, Salvador began planting at 12 by 15 feet, reaching about 245 trees per acre. Since then, the results have been eye-opening.
While the California average yield is around 6,000 pounds per acre, Salvador’s high-density blocks now average around 25,000 pounds per acre. It’s clear that this approach not only makes better use of limited land and water, it also produces stronger harvests with less resources.
Why GEMs Are the Future of Avocado Farming
BIGGER FRUIT,
BETTER YIELDS
While Hass remains the industry standard, GEM avocados are a more recent variation. Their unique advantages make them ideal for high-density farming. GEM trees grow upright, which allows them to be planted much closer together. How close? About 5 feet by 14 feet, or 600 trees per acre. Compare that to just 136 trees per acre for traditional Hass avocados.
That efficiency translates into dramatically higher yields. Salvador’s mature GEM avocado blocks now produce around 25,000 pounds per acre, compared to 6,000 with Hass. GEMs also deliver larger, more uniform fruit, leading to stronger market prices and better returns. For us, they represent the future of avocado farming: abundant harvests grown responsibly with less resources.