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fireduck

Avocado Forum!!!

fireduck
9 years ago

Since I was the one to request Houzz to provide this forum...I suppose I should comment first! haha. I have 20 avo trees and 16 avo varieties. I have learned some valuable lessons over the years. Here in SoCal...we are doing our raindance to no avail. Several of my tree are not looking that great. Drip irrigation is just not the same as rain. I look forward to exchanging information and experiences with you in the future. Thanks to Houzz for opening this forum. Ed of Somis

Comments (147)

  • sunshine (zone 6a, Ontario,Canada)
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Did the branches get burned in the sun over the summer? It is not a close up picture of the problem areas (can't see it clear on my phone). If it's scale, spray the tree all over, under leaves, branches, trunk and even the soil with horticultural oil. You will have to do several treatments. Scale is difficult to get rid of, but it can be done.

  • sunshine (zone 6a, Ontario,Canada)
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    One other thing is that when trees' trunks and branches mature they grow brown bark, which is called lignified tissue.

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  • Brooke Turner
    5 years ago

    Thank you for the reply! I kept the plant in partial shade, so I don't think it's a sunburn. I did try to get a closer picture for you, if that might help?



  • sunshine (zone 6a, Ontario,Canada)
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    That is scale damage and very bad one unfortunately. You can also spray it with 50/50 mixture of rubbing alcohol and water and after a day or two try to remove all that buildup by hand gently, without damaging the bark. Spray the tree all over every 6- 7 days until the pest is gone.

  • HU-802444644
    5 years ago




    Hi guys does anyone know what cause be causing this and what it actually is?


    its about 6 months old and growing in a pot.

    been raining a bit lately.

    not sure the growing zone- nairobi, Kenya.


    Thanks

  • sunshine (zone 6a, Ontario,Canada)
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Avocados are prone to having browning leaves when they are grown in containers. Make sure you container has holes in the bottom, the water should drain fast, the roots don't like sitting in soggy soil. Also on hot sunny days shade your young trees, they can easily get scorched by the sun. The brown spots on leaves also can be salt built up from fertilizer in the container soil.

  • HU-802444644
    5 years ago

    Thanks sunshine! Appreciate it.

  • HU-802444644
    5 years ago

    @sunshine- would you reccomend pruning the leaves that have these brown spots and leaves that look wilted ?


  • sunshine (zone 6a, Ontario,Canada)
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Do not cut the whole leaf, just the damaged half of it, leaves feed your plant ( they use the sunlight to make food), so never trim green leaves. Can you post picture of your tree with the container?

  • HU-802444644
    5 years ago

    Ok thanks.

    ive moved it back inside as was worried the direct sunlight mixed with the rains were causing it.




  • sunshine (zone 6a, Ontario,Canada)
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Now, another question :) Does the container have holes in the bottom? Your tree will grow stronger outside. Leave it outside and place a shade cloth over it (make a dome with long sticks on four side and shade cloth), because it is young and also having lots of holes in the bottom of the container is important, so the roots don't rot. Or you can place it in a shade of a larger tree. Here is an idea, picture from Google

    What are your daytime and night time temperatures outside right now?

  • HU-802444644
    5 years ago

    The container has one hole in the bottom- perhaps I need to create some others or alternatively move it to a different pot.


    thanks for the shading idea- I will need To get creative to put something together.


    current daytime temperatures are high 28 low 14 ( celcius) with night time temps around 14-17 degrees

  • Chris Pettersson
    5 years ago

    What is wrong with my indooravocados?


  • Rick
    5 years ago

    I'm hoping someone can help. I purchased 3 GEM avocado trees and will be planting in about 2 - 3 weeks. I plan on importing loam to plant the trees in because my soil is all clay and rock, and I choose not to dig it up at all. I will be using raised beds. My question is this: typical loam is defined as 40% sand, 40% silt, 20% clay. This provides a balance between water retention, drainage and nutrients. Is this type of loam best for baby avocado tree? If not any advice would be appreciated. Also should I see any nutrients (nitrogen for example) at the time of planting?


  • HU-167477665
    5 years ago


    my avocado tree has some pretty signifixant scale (i think) damage. Is it saveable?

  • HU-710183603
    5 years ago



    My 3yrold avocado tree, Frank, is struggling! A couple weeks ago we moved him to a bigger pot and expected some transplant shock. Today I noticed the younger growth getting brown and black, crumbling, dying, etc. It doesn't seem like transplant shock I dont think. My concern is it's the younger new growth that seems to be affected and not the older leaves. Any idea what's going on here?

  • Rick
    5 years ago

    I recently purchased 3 GEM avocado trees which have been in the ground about 2 months (babies about 15 inches tall). I have been advised to remove the new flowers; these are the first flowers. I assume this is to allow tree to grow stronger roots, ect? Sounds like this will delay fruits but will produce a better tree in the long run? Can anyone comment on this practice?

  • Arne Weiland
    5 years ago

    My Hass Avocado started flowering this year for the first time but hasn’t produced any fruit. Do grafted trees still bear fruit on their own or do we need a ‘type b’ tree nearby? The nursery said a second tree would boost my chances but not necessary.

  • HU-525834927
    5 years ago

    Hi! I hope somebody can help me. I have an avocado tree in my backyard. I don't know the variety at all. I've had fruit every year, but this year I have this strange white spots on the fruit (not the leaves). Can somebody tell me what it is and how to prevent/treat it? It looks like some type of fungus...



  • tucsonken
    5 years ago

    You will likely get more helpful responses if you join a facebook group such as California Rare Fruit Growers or one of the other active forums like Tropical Fruit Forum or OurFigss.com under the Fruits, Nuts, Blueberries, Backyard Orchards and Gardens tab. Participation in this group seems to be on the wane.

  • HU-525834927
    5 years ago

    Thank you very much for the feedback. I will try your suggestions.

  • Diana
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Hello all!

    I have two avocado trees in a pot and I’m in need for help! They are both around 2 and a half years old. After putting them inside for winter, now that the weather is good I put them out in the garden again. I live in Belgium, so not exactly avocado plant climate. Last summer they seemed quite healthy outside. Now one of them has really yellow leaves with brown spots with black edges. I found out one dropped today. There were a bit of brown spots from earlier but in the last 4-5 days, since it’s out they grew dramatically. It was sunny, so do you think it’s possible that it’s sunburn? It grows new leaves though.

    The other avocado seems to be weakened - the leaves are kind of dropping down, before they were standing more straight up. I found one leave which seemed to be kind of mush on the outside end (I attach photos).







    I read that there is a pest that can do this kind of damage on the leaves, does anyone have any experience with that?





    (I’m sorry some of the photos are turned 90 degrees, I don’t know how to fix that)

    I’m quite lost so any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance,

    Diana

  • Liz Chamberlain
    4 years ago

    One block of trees with avo seedlings, almost a year in the ground, is having sporadic deaths at random locations, not all clustered together. It happens quite quickly, from a healthy tree to a dead one. All the leaves droop and turn rustic then eventually completely brown and the whole tree dies. It’s just occurring on this one block. Is this a symptom of root rot or could it be something else. Maybe cold damage but they‘re not all in the same location. Thanks

  • dorisflame
    4 years ago

    Hello all,


    I am in desperate need of some help with my avocado tree. It is about 3.5 years old and I just planted in the ground from a big pot about 6 months. The first picture was taken end of May right after it recovered from the transplant shock. The second picture is how it looks now. I live in Dubai where the summer gets really hot and humid. Temperatures can reach 115 deg. I was really worried it wouldn’t survive the heat but it was doing quite well up to a couple weeks ago just as the temperatures started going down... Any idea what’s wrong with it? This tree is my baby, I planted it from seed and I’m really worried i might lose it.


    Please help!






  • SW (Sydney, USDA 10b)
    4 years ago

    I don’t know, sorry. Is it getting hit with a lot of sun? Whats the soil like? It kind of looks like it isn‘t drawing up water properly.

  • dorisflame
    4 years ago

    Thanks for responding SW. The weather is actually getting cooler. I added sweet soil 1.5x1.5x1.5m. I don’t let the water dry up too much before watering it again. The soil stays moist if u dig a few centimeters. I added perlite to help with drainage. I have been throwing in distilled water into the soil to help with the salinity (I live near the sea). Will be adding mulch next. And maybe investing in a shade. I’m just worried this might be a lost cause, I really hope it pulls through. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

  • SW (Sydney, USDA 10b)
    4 years ago

    Maybe it’s a nutrient issue? Are those buds at the top coming good or are they staying stunted? The distilled water thing is obviously good for reducing salinity, but it doesn’t have any of the trace elements that the tree would normally get from tap/rain water. If you keep using distilled water, maybe also try a fertiliser with additional trace elements?


    I’m no avocado expert, but since noone else has chimed in, I will just say that from my experience avocados are pretty hardy. If you know your drainage is good and the moisture levels are good too then it should bounce back. My potted avocados have occasionally looked a bit similar to this; especially when they’re flowering, the leaves droop and drop until there are none left. And to be honest, I never do anything to fix them, they just refresh themselves with all new leaves.

  • sunshine (zone 6a, Ontario,Canada)
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Doris, if it were my tree, I would have covered the soil under it with leaf mulch and/or fine organic matter, not bark mulch. Make a 3-4 inch border on the edges of the square, kind of a raised bed and fill it with fine mulch (leaves, grass) and fertilize it regularly in warm season. Don't let the mulch touch the trunk of the tree. Protect it from scorching sun with a shade cloth over it on very hot days. I have two house plants in two containers and did this experiment with them. I place all the leaves and organic matter that falls from my other container trees in those two containers and it decomposes naturally and gives the nutrients to those two house plants. I have not fertilized those two for years, just top up the organic matter for them and water them. It's kind of mimicking nature. You will have to fertilize your tree on top of adding fine mulch, because it is a fruit tree and it will flower and fruit for you, which requires lots of nutrients.

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    4 years ago

    It does look pretty ragged in those last images.

    I would assume that this is a soil/root issue from the compacted soil it is planted in. As Sunshine said, mulch the entire planting area and provide nutrients, such as fish emulsion regularly.


    My avocado has exhibited those symptoms when the roots dried out, or when sunburned.


    Josh

  • dorisflame
    4 years ago

    Hey guys, I’ve added a shade over it and a layer of mulch but still can’t see any improvement. @sunshine the mulch is pine bark but I make sure to throw in leaves from other trees as well. @SW the buds at the top are not coming in good, the tree keeps trying to create new leaves but they seem to be burning from something... I though it might be because of the sun so I put a shade up, but nothing changed. I guess it’s a good sign that the tree still tries to create new growth I just need to figure out what is killing that new growth. I found out that our landlord sent some people to clean our water tank which might have caused the initial damage. All my other trees (fig and mulberry) got affected as well. They all recovered except for my avocado tree :(

  • sunshine (zone 6a, Ontario,Canada)
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Check also for pests, insects, with a magnifying glass get close to those buds and under leaves and check. Give your tree a tea made of composted leaves, look up online on YouTube. Do you use softener for your water?

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    4 years ago

    Great question regarding the water softener.


    Josh

  • HU-936235449
    4 years ago

    Looking for advice! I would like to plant an avocado tree in my back yard however it is pretty small probably about 10 away from the house and 15 width and about 3/4 of that has concrete. Do you recommend any small avocado tree?

  • dorisflame
    4 years ago

    Hey sunshine

  • dorisflame
    4 years ago

    No I don’t use a water softener

  • Nick (9b) Modesto Area
    4 years ago

    HU the Lamb Haas or Reed which are also heavy producers

  • johnson robbins
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Hello need some help. My potted Avo seems to be flowering in a number of places. I'm guessing i need to remove them to help the tree stay strong? Just wanted to check with the experts before I pinch them off. Any harm in leaving just one or two to see if I can get an avocado? :)




  • Nick (9b) Modesto Area
    3 years ago

    just let it flower and if you get one you are lucky :)

  • JOSE PEREZ
    3 years ago

    hola enco0ntre una guia muy buena sobre elñ aguacate y queria compartirla en esta se plantea una forma de plantar aguacate en casa https://aguacateverde.net/ Guia sobre el aguacate

  • Eleni Psaradelli
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Hello

    I tried to make avocado plants from seeds.

    I pot two of them together but the plants seem sooo different.

    The left one has the usual leaf type.

    But what about the right one?



    Is this a different type?

    I couldn't find anything online.

    🙏🙏 Thank you!



  • Cecilia Gunvaldsen
    3 years ago

    My avocado plant is looking pretty good, it's about 20 centimeters, and has big, green leaves. It's about five months old, and I water it regulary. I usually just leave it in the shadow, and the leaves stay up, and healthy looking. Sometimes I try to put it in the sun, just for five minutes, and the leaves start to droop. When I search the internet it says that avocado plants want as much sun as possible, but that doesn't seem to be the case for my plant. Should do something different, or just leave it in the sun drooping? The roots are also growing out of the bottom, but for now, I can't change to pot. Should I just chop the roots, or wait til I can repot it?

  • Filip Weichert
    3 years ago

    Please help! Something is happening to my avocado tree...


  • HU-7239500
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    My avocado plant (from Caribbean avocado seed) died and come back to life while I was away on a vacation. It sprouted a new sprout out of the top of the dead plant. 😂 it’s growing pretty well now but I’m worried that it will get too top heavy and break. Should I bury the plant up to the point the new sprout came out of in a tall planter? Or would that rot the original shoot? Thank you!


  • Marius Marčiulaitis
    3 years ago

    Hello, dear avocado lovers. My indoor avocado tree is 1.5 year old and up till now was doing great. Recently we moved to new flat and then problems started. First of all, its leaves became "sad", looking downside. Second, almost all old leaves have a brown tip. At last, it started to loose its old leaves. Could you help me to find what has happened with my avocado tree? Some info regarding its environment - germinated from a seed in a glass of water, whole life has been growing in a pot without hole. Based in Lithuania, so it almost does not get direct sun light, but it was not a problem at least till now. Could the problems be caused by floor heating? Thank you in advance. Marius





  • Thomas Steiner
    3 years ago

    My cousin put together a small package for me with vegan sports drinks, vegan avocado liquor and coconut water, and that has now arrived :). The energy drink tastes great too, but I've tried it before, is taurine free, I can only recommend it. The liquor is something special, it's the Vegan Abacaty - Avocado Cream Liqueur. Tastes great and is 100% vegan, I can only recommend it. I recently tasted it with my friends, everyone liked it, enjoying something new for everyone.
    Almost 2 years ago I switched to a vegeterian diet for health reasons, and I am always happy to taste something new that suits me, and I am a great avocadu enthusiast, so the drink suits me very well. Can only recommend

  • Joey T
    last year

    I would like to plant another avocado tree, but the best location is where I have an old olive tree. The olive tree is over 35 years old and is slowly dying - just old I guess. If I remove the olive tree and most of the roots - would the soil and remaining decomposing roots be too harmful for growing an avocado tree?

  • Mikael Soukhoundian
    9 months ago

    Hey wondering if anyone can help. My gardner just replanted my avocado tree and added a drip system and mulch. However its been a few days and it looks like its dying leaves are pretty much crumpling when you touch them. Has adequate sunlight and water. I live in Los Angeles its pretty hot and sunny here right now. Grew this from a seed and its about 1.5 years old now. Would appreciate any info to help save it. My gardner keeps telling me to just wait it out but the dryness just doesnt seem right to me!

  • Hoda Emadipour
    9 months ago

    Provide some shade.

  • Josh Green
    9 months ago

    When you repot, they need shade and significant water. I repotted mine this Spring, and I keep it in a driptray so that it's always moist. Mine is also grown from seed and 15 years old. I prune it down several times a season.



  • HU-628680883
    last month



    would anyone know what’s on my Glenn. she looks healthy besides this…

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