Suffering Avocado

15 years ago

I just recently moved to Southern California, and in my excitement at being in an always warm and sunny climate I purchased several plants I could never have grown in the cold and dark Northeast --- including a potted avocado which stands between 4 and 5 ft tall.

Although I got a great deal on it ($15!) I might not have purchased it at all had I known what a sensitive plant it is. Although it is rather leggy and straggly, what concerns me most is the leaf burn on older growth and the rather sallow, weak new leaves it has been putting out since I bought it. You can see both symptoms, as well as the general droopiness of the tree, in the attached photos.

When purchased: it was in a too-small pot (root bound) with black, sandy, loose soil. Many of the older leaves were curled and crisp on the edges (salt burn? sun burn) but still firmly attached to the tree.

Transplant: I moved it into a much larger container about 3 weeks ago, with a mixture of sandy cactus mix and orchid bark. It drains very well. I may have been too rough with the roots in transplant - because it was so root bound I did my best to loosen the ball and snipped in a few places to untagle it. Perhaps this was my downfall?

Currently: Since transplant I've watered it only 3 times but very heavily (30-45 qts each time) The soil remains moist, but not wet, in between waterings, but the surface (mostly bark) does not.

Exposure: The avocado has been on the southeast side of the house, getting direct sun for about 8-10 hours each day; the only other option would give it only 4-5 hours of direct sun per day, which might not be enough. I know filtered light is best but right now I don't have it.

I know it's normal for plants to be stressed after transplant, and the fact that I've seen some new growth can't be bad...but it just looks so wilty and weak and I can't figure out what to do to fix it.

I could hold off on watering for a bit to make sure I'm not over-saturating the soil, but with the loose mix I feel like that isn't likely. I wondered if salt was the problem - perhaps the soil choices (or my tap water) are too salt-heavy for the plant?

Anyone with any avocado experience that can help me out?

Thanks

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Comments (4)

michael_ames
Original Author
15 years ago
Sorry, forgot to include the link above:

https://picasaweb.google.com/michael.ames.brigham/Avocado?authuser=0amp;authkey=Gv1sRgCI_9v--YhffIhAE&feat=directlink

Here is a link that might be useful: Avocado photos
ohiojay
15 years ago
Old leaves can look like crap. You have no idea what the plant may have been thru previously. What's important is how the new growth continues to look once those leaves mature. The older leaves on mine have the same look. Any new growth is going to look weak like that and it is perfectly normal. The plant may be a little sun stressed. The first thing I would do is to prune back all of the branches making a more compact and stronger plant. This will also rejuvenate the plant. Those branches are real thin and scraggley barely able to support their own weight. 30-45 qts at one time? I'm betting 90% goes right out the bottom. With that kind of mix, I don't believe that amount of water is necessary. I would water much more frequently and with much less water. Might want to put the plant somewhere it gets dappled sunlight, nothing full on for those amount of hours...at least until the plant is on track. There is lots of info out on the web on avocado growing. Don't mess with it now but I would look at using a different soil mix the next time around.

Good luck and don't despair. I think the tree looks fine. It just needs some fine tuning.
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punacoast
15 years ago
Avocado root system is very sensitive, it doesn't like to be disturbed, especially when the tree is young. From the symptoms you described, your tree is in shock from your pruning of its roots during transplant. Here in Hawaii, we transplant young avocado tree by cutting off the bottom of the pot and plant the whole thing in the ground without messing with the root ball. Avocado is a strong grower, it will send out tap roots straight into the ground once it "feels" there is no barrier, i.e. bottom of the pot.
But don't worry, your tree will come out of its shock and bounce back happily since you're taking very good care of it. New growth is a good sign. But you should give it some shade from the sun now to prevent more wilting and leaf burning (not enough moisture to support the tree as its root system is not working properly yet) until it is fully recovered.
As touchy and cranky as it is when young, avocado is extremely resilient and fast grower when it becomes established. Good luck.
michael_ames
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you both for your speedy responses.
Perhaps my soil choice was a bit extreme! I killed a few plants early on by giving them too heavy soils, but that was of course indoors in a cooler climate and obviously less of a concern here in CA.

Since the mix is quite loose I might add-in something a little more water-retentive but only if I can do it without disturbing the roots.

I might prune a bit and stake the plant too; I would have done so earlier but felt a little gun shy with the clippers.

So...I'll watch the new growth and see if it thrives? And water a bit more?

Thanks again,

Michael