Help!! My Avocado Trees are Dying
groworganicfood
8 years ago
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Comments (6)
groworganicfood
8 years agoRelated Discussions
help! my avocado tree is dying!
Comments (1)Hey, Nate! I'm in northern California, too, about 35 miles north-east of Sacramento, in the Sierra Nevada foothills. My temperature range matches yours, although we do see several weeks with overnight lows in the 20°F's. Anyhow, my sister has two avocados in containers. During the winter, she brings them inside, and leaves them in a sunny room. Interestingly, her neighbor has an avocado that she keeps on her front deck, under the porch. I am surprised that the avocado hasn't suffered ill effects from the cold. As we learned last year, avocados respond favorably to pruning - in that they seem to branch and back-bud readily! At the moment, many small leaflets are emerging from the trunk, while some of the large, upper leaves have browned. Does your tree have any new growth? Is your tree actually planted in the ground? Josh...See MoreMy small avocado tree dying!
Comments (3)Possible problems that don't include disease or insects: 1. graft failure - I don't think that there is a solution for this, if this is the problem. 2. air pocket around roots caused be shifting soil or decaying organic matter - add sand/fine soil around roots and water in vigorously. Stamp on wet soil. Check periodically for recurrence of problem. hope this helps, Avalon...See MoreHelp! I think my avocado tree is dying
Comments (8)If you fertilized using that Fantastik Heavy Duty well that could be a problem! :-P It might be too early to fertilize anyway, a young avocado still gets its nutrients from the pit while it's attached. I don't have much experience with grow lights, so I can't say if the avo is getting enough proper lighting... so the yellowing on the leaves would point towards a watering problem. The soil is not the best (esp for drying quick enough--which is essential for preventing root rot), but you might work with it by careful watering. Simply, I'd mix in more perlite. Also, I do not see a tray for that pot, or the size of the holes (if any) and I'd be worried about not having enough drainage, but hard to tell from just photo. As a guideline, water when the leaves start to droop noticeably, and only then use like two shotglasses of water to that soil you're currently using. Also, to me the plant looks like it's planted shallow, I cannot imagine there is enough room for roots to develop and that could be stunting its growth. If you're going to raise it up to repot then that would be a good time to mix some better soil, perhaps sift out some of the black powdery stuff. But maybe hold off on anything drastic since you just repotted it. In the meantime find out more about good soil, and start looking to acquire the neccessary ingredients without spending too much cash. DIY avocados shouldn't really cost anything otherwise it defeats the whole purpose! ...your plant will live regardless, but you want it to also thrive!...See MoreI think my Avocado Tree is dying
Comments (7)First, is that a seed-grown avocado, or a grafted avocado? If it's seed-grown, the nematodes have probably killed it. If it's grafted, it could be two things: 1) root rot - in which case there is not much you can do or 2) it was too dry for too long and the soil isn't holding water. Sometimes, even when it pours for days after being dry for so long, the water just runs off the soil and doesn't soak in. Dig out a little of the soil a few inches down at the drip line (end of the limbs) and see if it's dry. Also, look for pests in the soil while you're at it, because during drought, lawn grubs will eat roots to get water. If it's dry, put the hose at the base of the tree about a foot out and let it trickle all day to really water the plant. If it's too wet, then I'm afraid you probably have root rot. Look for signs of fungus in the soil, like white mycelium (white stringy stuff or clods of white dirt). Unfortunately, root rot that has gone this far is probably untreatable. You can try, though, by cutting the tree back by 1/2 and drenching the soil weekly with a lawn fungicide. Not much else you can do, really. The cutting back is so the plant doesn't have to put energy into supporting leaves and can spend its energy to heal. Also, a cup of epsom salts around the bottom might encourage new root growth. To know for sure if it's root rot, you have to dig up the tree and look at the roots. Sorry, that's all I've got....See MoreHumsi
8 years agotim45z10
8 years agoakarinz
8 years agogregbradley
8 years ago
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