Need help with baby Avocado tree!

[ravengirl09]

Hello, I am new here, and need some help with my first baby avocado tree! It is about 3 1/2 months old, 9 inches tall, has 9 big beautiful leaves, and was transfered from water to soil 12 days ago. He (because we call him "Mr. Avocado") has been doing wonderful until 2 days ago. I noticed some small brown spots on the leaves, hardly noticeable, except when you are looking close. And by today, it's leaves are looking just a hint of yellow.

This is my first plant I've grown inside form a seed, he is very special to me. Can anyone help with what might be wrong?

-He's in... I'm not sure, potting soil? But as far as I know, plain potting soil.
-I've been watering him every 3-4 days, or when the top part of the soil begins to feel dry.
-he's in a southern facing windowseal that gets, 5 hours of direct sunlight, and the rest of the day with indirect sunlight. (Just the way our house is layed out.)

[applestar]

The plant is in transition from water roots to soil roots and may not have sufficient soil roots to support the number of leaves. It may benefit from a humidity tent or humidity tray to minimize moisture loss via transpiration. (on second though, stick with humidity tray -- the location is too sunny for a humidy tent). At the very least heavily mist until dripping with filtered/unchlorinated water every morning.

Avocado needs well draining soil. I usualy add about 1/4 to 1/3 sand. Avocado is sensitive to overwatering, especially during winter. You may want to wait test by pushing your finger into the soil to first knuckle. If testing just the surface, wait until all hint of moisture is gone -- I.e. soil does not stick to your finger. This depends on the kind of container and number/size of drain holes as well.

If the plant is on the windowsill, are the leaves touching the glass? It can get too cold that way, Especialy if you are pulling window covering over the plant and trapping the cold air.

Oh, one more -- has Mr. Avocado always lived in this window? If not, the sudden transition from somewhat shadier location may have been too much, especially since winter sun is pretty direct into the window. Avocado sunburns easily and needs to be gradually acclimated (especially in spring when you take it outside for summer-long vacation )

[ElizabethB]

I hope that you look at growing an avacodo as an interesting hobby. You can not expect to grow your plant to fruit production size. I save and grow my avocado seeds just for the joy of watching them gorw. Even in south Louisiana I can not expect my avocado plants to grow to the production stage. I grow them on my patio and when winter hits I say goodby and start over. Plant your seeds in a pot as soon as you see root production. Keep you plant eveningly moist - not soggy, not dry. You need a very bright window. If it does not do for you over winter try again in the spring when you can grow outside.

[applestar]

Well... A different point of view
I can't seem to keep from planting avocado seeds and have several that have seen quite a number of years. I just took some pictures:

This one I'm experimenting with a three branched canopy style:


I'm not going to show you the whole tree, but here's one that has soil level caliper (trunk diameter) of about 1" growing 19-1/4" long leaves. (leaves get bigger as they get older):


Here are some more in my subtropical jungle (avocados, mangos, and roselle -- big trunk one in the middle is a mango. That tomato plant in the back is a Donomator, Gixx, if gou've reading this...1st one to bloom ):


And I have another handful of avocado plants not pictured
No, none of them have fruited let alone bloomed, but it's fun to grow them.
I do want fruiting trees eventually though, so this year, Santa is bringing me a grafted 'Day' avocado which will become source of scionwood to graft onto my old timers.

[ravengirl09]

The plant is in transition from water roots to soil roots and may not have sufficient soil roots to support the number of leaves. It may benefit from a humidity tent or humidity tray to minimize moisture loss via transpiration. (on second though, stick with humidity tray -- the location is too sunny for a humidy tent). At the very least heavily mist until dripping with filtered/unchlorinated water every morning.

Avocado needs well draining soil. I usualy add about 1/4 to 1/3 sand. Avocado is sensitive to overwatering, especially during winter. You may want to wait test by pushing your finger into the soil to first knuckle. If testing just the surface, wait until all hint of moisture is gone -- I.e. soil does not stick to your finger. This depends on the kind of container and number/size of drain holes as well.

If the plant is on the windowsill, are the leaves touching the glass? It can get too cold that way, Especialy if you are pulling window covering over the plant and trapping the cold air.

Oh, one more -- has Mr. Avocado always lived in this window? If not, the sudden transition from somewhat shadier location may have been too much, especially since winter sun is pretty direct into the window. Avocado sunburns easily and needs to be gradually acclimated (especially in spring when you take it outside for summer-long vacation )

Thank you guys for your help! "Mr. Avocado" (yes, only grown for the enjoyment of growing him!) is in a black, plastic 8 inch deep, with a 7 inch diameter, pot, that has 16 drain holes (all on the under side) that are big enough to fit my pointer finger.

Yes, he is in the same window seal he was started in, and at night, when the sun goes down, we move him to the middle of the table, where the room stays 65* F at night. (we've done this since he was rooting in water.)

He does not touch the glass of the window. It is winter though, perhaps I'm over watering him and not giving the lower part of the pot enough time to drain/dry, as to not make him sick!!!

I last watered him 2 days ago, I will wait until the first knuckle deep dirt is dryer, and not moist.

Oh, and the 2 weeks before he was transfered to dirt, we added his soil to his glass jar he was in, one tsp at a time until there was almost 2 inches of dirt at the bottom that his roots were touching.

And his roots were big, thick, and they were just about 5 inches long..... If this helps any more.

[evtubbergh]

Do everything as advised above then if you still lose leaves, don't worry. My avo stood outside all winter and I actually thought is was a gonner as it lost all its 5 leaves. I pulled it out to toss it and realised that it had developed a full set of roots so I quickly replanted it.

Then when summer temperatures hit 30˚C it suddenly came back to life and produced piles of new leaves and is very happy. It even has full sun and is not getting sunburned.

This is because it it probably a Hass avocado - the most commonly sold avo. Was your avo a dark rough skinned variety? The Hass is cold tolerant so a great choice for places with proper winter.

I water it every day because it is very hot here but it actually needs heat. They usually grow here in humid, warm areas that don't experience winter but there are also plenty where I live in a dry winter area with periods of dry hot summer. So if you keep it alive and it reaches that critical size you may even have an avo tree in about 6 years!