Harvesting Avocados – How Important Is It To Cut The Fruit Off Vs Pull It Off?

Question

Have read instructions to cut stem above fruit. Will something detrimental happen if we pull it off instead? Does this apply to all fruit in general?

Answer 1

As long as the fruit is close to ripe, it should not give you much trouble pulling them off. If they are not quite ripe and you want them to ripen off of the tree, then cutting them with CLEAN shears will prevent extraneous tearing of the bark. Tearing too much of the stem can introduce infection, as can dirty shears!

I prefer the twist and pull method, for the most part. As long as you are careful, it is very safe to do so.

This collection of articles will give you more information on avocados:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/avocado