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Avocado tree help

Douglas Goldfein

4 years ago

Hello, I currently live in an apartment in San Jose, CA. I will move to a house in 1-2 yrs but I got these avocado trees from a nursery and they came in 5gal containers. I replanted them in much bigger containers and they seem to be doing fine.

Unfortunately, I was away for a month and there was a significant heat wave of 100+ for 3 days. I only had 1 tree at the time and my mother who was coming over to water my indoor and outdoor plants said that all the leaves were brown and/or had fallen off. I presumed the tree was dead and when I got back I bought a second one from the same nursery. When I went outside and took a closer look, I saw that the presumed dead tree still had some new buds on some branches.

So, here is the dilemma with both the trees.

First tree: This tree lost all its leaves but seems to be budding new leaves. The branch tips however are browning. Is this tree going to survive and if so, what should I do about the browning tips?

Second Tree: This tree I bought is full of leaves and life. When I bought it, it looked the healthiest but you can see where the tree split at a young age to grow a second healthier branch. The other branch/trunk looks likes it is dying. Should I and if so, how do I, trim that branch off?

Tree #1: Whole View

Tree #1: Brown Tips

Tree #1: Brown Tips/New Bud

Tree #2: Whole View

Tree #2: Split/Brown

Tree #2: Brown Branch

Tree #2: Brown Branch 3

Tree #2: Top healthy branch

Featured Answer

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

4 years ago

here is your post from a few days ago ... i see you added much more history ...

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5750001/avocado-tree-help#n=1

what is your potting media? ... it looks rather dry ...

did you just repot the new plant????

where are you... are they in full blinding sun all day??

plus answers from the other post ...

ken

Comments (6)

Douglas Goldfein
Original Author
4 years ago
They have direct sun until noonish. The soil is a mix of potting soil, chicken manure, and topped with brown mulch. It is mostly potting soil. I water once a week with about a 50oz watering can.
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If that was my tree I would spray it with a copper fungicide because from the picture it looks like a fungal disease. Avocado trees can be prone to this problem. Be sure to not over water the tree especially this time of year. I see that you are in 9b. You have the tree planted out in the open, not in a warm microclimate. At this size, avocado trees aren't very cold hardy. I also suspect that it got stressed from the cold snaps that we had in earlier in the winter. Check out my thread on cold protection with directions and pics on how to make a mini-greenhouse for your tree. It won't take much of a freeze to kill that young tree. You must protect it from freezes until it gets much older. If that is too much work, pot the tree up and bring it in the garage during freezes. Replant the tree in a more protected area. The best place is close to the southeast part of the house. Also, some of the remaining leaves have brown ends. Possible cause is over fertilizing. So next year, fertilize frequently but VERY LIGHTLY. It looks like the tree will recooperate if you give it the extra effort. Christine
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Hello everyone, I hope you can share some insight for me. We have a growing avocado dead which has a stem, roots and several leaves with 2 higher ones that are around 4 inches long on the top. There are several little sprouts in the middle. One of the little sprouts was accidentally touched and now seems wilted but still attached to the stem. Will this affect the overall plant? Will it continue to grow? And will this little piece grow back? Any feedback is appreciated.
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Ginger, it looks to me that the soil is too wet. If it is outside and with the daily showers, did not have a chance to dry out. One of the most common problems in avocados is root rot. Try to move the pot to a drier place and wait to water till the mix is dry. Probably the leaves will fall by themselves, the brown is all the way up. If it does not get better, it might be a fungal problem. Silvia
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The color on the leaves is from spider mites damage ( tiny insects sucking the life out of the leaves), spray the plant and leaves thoroughly, underside of the leaves as well with water and then spray again everything including the soil with horticultural oil spray. The brown spots are from too much water. Remove the stake, let the tree stand on it's own to get stronger.
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treebarb Z5 Denver
4 years ago
I've not grown avocado, but have a dozen potted trees, so will offer some speculation. I don't think that's enough water. Some of my potted trees in similar sized containers need daily watering this time of year.

I also wonder what % of chicken manure you added to the mix and was is aged or fresh? There is likely some fertilizer in the potting mix so am wondering if the one tree is frying from lack of water and too rich a soil mix.

Are there drainage holes in the pots?

If so, I'd soak them thoroughly, not just the 50 oz, but however much it takes until water runs out of the drainage holes and then check the moisture in the pots daily. When it feels dry it's time to water again. Get a feel for what the tree needs and when it needs it as opposed to a schedule.

Barb
viper75
4 years ago
Looks like 100% Kellog compost/wood chip mix. Soil should be mineral rich sandy loam with no compostable material below about 4" from the surface. My guess is the bottom of the pot is soaked and rotting.

Check out Laguna Hill's Nursery Youtubes on Avocado growing. Your environmental conditions and watering sounds great. Soil is the culprit IMO.
Douglas Goldfein
Original Author
4 years ago
The first tree was doing well in the same soil until that heat wave. It still seems to be budding. The second tree was bought with the one branch browning. I don't think we are talking root rot. But incase, is there a way to check for that without digging it up and repotting?
viper75
4 years ago
To be honest, after this coming heat, I would re-pot if it was me. I strongly urge you to watch the YouTube on Avocados Gary's Best at Laguna Hills Nursery. The soil that all avocados come in is not good long term. No wood/compost should be in the root zone. Most CA Avo trees are grown by Four Winds. It comes in all ground bark and wood. It rots with water, so you are always on the verge of drought or flood and it will develop root rot.

Avocados love sandy soil with lots of water.

If you want to keep it in the current pot, make sure it is in shade from noon on and ad a 1/4" gypsum over the top of the soil. Water it when the soil is dry 2-3 inches down.

But the best would be a half wine barrel, holes in the bottom, with the blend Gary recommends on the you tube stream.

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