Wisconsitom Your right that avocado trees don't need fertilizer. I just thought that some of the things we all know about avocado trees in California could help like leaving the leaf litter and getting use to the wildlife that keep each other in balance around the tree. We are always told not to remove fallen avocado leaves as they need them to be healthy. If he's removing leaves to avoid disease the tree won't get all the nutrition it needs to become a big. Also this tree is a wildlife magnet. The leaves remove toxicity from mammals. In turn creatures warm and fertilize. If they trap and remove the tree will be underfed. Aligater lizards living underneath surface roots aerate and fertilize. I love my alligater lizards. One baby followed me in the house and took me weeks to get him back in the yard. I thought he was a small alligator and embarrassed myself by calling animal control to come get him then telling them to leave Leroy alone once I found out he was safe. Leroy found a crack in the wall, went in there and ate every roach in the building to thank me for winter respite. Id catch him sunning in the window as I woke up. Hed go hide as soon as i got up. When i found out they also prey on baby rats Im determined to always have Whatever animals you have will discover this tree. No poison works on mammals that eat avocado leaves. Loins, hawks, coyote and dogs keep rodents numbers low. Pigeon eat the unwary lizards. One squirrel living in my next door neighbors avocado tree got so use to me that he started bringing his avocado lunch out to a lower branch to dine alfresco as I gathered mine. He would chirp to get my attention then move his little body like he was telling a story.

Hi Renee (if you're still there) Just wanted to let you know that I followed your advice throughout winter, and my little tree basically just hibernated. But since the days have started getting longer again, the tree is growing like crazy! It's a very happy little tree now! Thank you for the good advice :) Sarah

Karly: That is so NICE that you and Patty are caring for each other. Now that makes me smile. I am happy for the both of you. Now where are mines?!lol I am happy form you in your new place too. I know how that feels. I started with a clean slate too and planted everything unique and fragrant and just built a pond before I broke my heel Have fun with our favorite trees! You should have some real fun growing your trees in both. I can't wait to see the pictures. Patty: Congrats on your new finding and friend! :-))))) Buylady! Look at your Gardenia! Wowowowow. It looks awesome. I think I see a pest on it. I hope not. What is those little white things on top of the leaves? Your tree is small enough to take care of pest easily. Your plants are looking so nice my friend. I would help you out too if I lived closer, believe me on that! Anything I can do for you:-) Mike:-)

Bringing my old thread back up for an update on the tree and any opinions y'all might have about it. Last week i have noticed new leaves on the tree, not on the thin dead looking branches but where the branches are closer to the trunk and thick and barky. So the thing isn't dead. Is there something that would cause the branches of an vocado to die all at once? Once it become plain where this new grow is going to grow should the old dead stuff be trimmed all at once or slowly as to not shock the tree? I'm glad the neighbor is lazy and did not cut the tree down but i sure wish i knew what happened. My sister gifted me with a small avocado tree hopefully mine won't do what ever this one did.