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Fruit & Orchards

Fertilizing my HAAS avocado tree?

12 years ago

Hi All,

I just transplanted my HAAS avocado tree tree from the container to the ground about a week ago. It seems to be doing ok. I dont have any leaves falling, and they are relatively green, just bending a bit downwards. I dont know the age of the tree but i was wondering when is it too soon to give fertilizer to my tree? If i start fertilizing it now will it become dependent on the fertilizer? I want it to be a strong fruitful tree!

Thanks!

-Sean

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Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
i never fert any recent transplant.. they need time to settle in.. before such ...

and i would never fert in late fall or winter ...

and i would not fert as the sun is in decline ... as a plant going into the slow period of winter should not need a wake me up of fert ...

and i have never gardened in ... where are you .... a place where avacado is grown outdoors ... so i will defer ...

but my gut tells me to wait until your version of late winter ... when the tree is going from rest to active growth.. to start a fert regimen ... by which time it will be settled in ... full circle.. there ya go ...

ken
calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
12 years ago
SeanPez, I note you are a new member, welcome. It would help if you edit your post information so we know where you garden. If you are in California, you have planted your tree in the ground at the right time to take advantage of the rainy season to establish your tree in the native soil. I would hold off on the fertilizer until late winter/early spring. With the exception of citrus and avocado, I do not use synthetic fertilizer, only compost. For citrus and avocado I use Lily Miller as per directions, as it contains the minor nutrients essential for good health. Avocado are shallow rooted and benefit from regular additions of mulch, keeping it an inch or two clear of the trunk. Al
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I have absolutely no idea of what kind of benefit comfrey might have in increasing crop yields. However, as a general rule, one of the single most beneficial things you can do for your trees it to make sure that they are mulched in a large area...even past the drip line, but never piled up against the trunk. A 2 to 4 inch layer of some sort of bark, compost, leaf mould, etc. is enough to provide huge benefits to the soil/root system of your trees. A second important thing you can do, and this is especially important for fruit trees, is to remove (and keep removed) any competition from the root zone of your trees. Weeds, grass, and other plants can divert water and nutrient resources to THEIR plant bodies, instead of the avocado. Many, many plants also produce allelopathic chemicals that hinder the growth of other nearby plants. Comfrey is one just plant, though I do not know if it affects avocado or not. Something to think about and research, certainly.
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What you would need to do would be to keep the top growth small in proportion to the smaller root system. I recently went to a lecture by a guy from Dave Wilson (wholesaler of fruit trees) and he said you could do that--keep an avocado trimmed down to about 8-10'. Of course, you are going to be out there trimming it frequently. Having said that, you want as big a planter as you can possibly give it, like 24"x24" or bigger, and as Renee said, you need to figure out a way to keep the root system cool and moist, perhaps with an outer white pot to insulate the inner one. Long term, train the tree into an umbrella shape so that the top growth will shade the container. Of course you are not going to get the yield you would get from a large tree, but if a few Avocados is enough, well there you go. And if you can return it and get a Reed instead of a Hass...the Avocado growers have a saying: "Hass you sell, Reed you eat."
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Sometimes a plant will drop some older leaves when new growth is starting. I'm just guessing here but I think some older leaves drop because the new growth pushes out from where the old leaves were attached to the stem. If you do have new growth pushing out, you should be fine. I try Not to fertilize any tree that has been transplanted unless its with B1 or some other fertilizer made specifically for transplant shock. When you put a new tree into the ground, be sure to keep it well watered while it is adapting and sending out new roots but also be carefull that you don't drown it also. Good luck with your avocado!
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kat2001
12 years ago
If you are in California, I wouldn't add fertilizer until around March. I have a huge tree in the backyard and it produces a lot of fruit every year. Water seems to be more critical than anything else I can't say we have added fertilizer in years.. The size and quantity is affected by watering. Southern California is very arid, almost desert and we seem to forget that, so I be more concerned about the watering.

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