Photo shown of Mexican avocado tree. About 7 feet tall.
Was brouht home from the nursery about 3-4 weeks ago.
Leaves are now showing brown edges at ends.
Branches are drooping.
I just can't seem to win with avocado's. This one is in my garden on the CA coast (LA).
My last tree died from some sort of horrible disease where the outer bark turned from green to black. I think it was a fungus, but honestly I am not sure. This one is now showing distress with its leaves, and a few black areas on the back are starting to show. I just can't figure this out.
any thoughts? I am not winning here.
PLEASE click on the attached files below to see the leaves. Not sure why they did not show here.
thanks!
organicPete
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organicPete
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Avocado - Too Much Water or Too Little?
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evtubbergh
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Is it in the ground? If you have just planted it will be disturbed and go into shock. Give it enough water to keep moist but not too wet. Don't feed it but let it recover. When it has recovered you will see new leaves come out to replace the lost ones although first what you won't see is root growth. My avo lost every single last leaf but it did set up a really good network of roots so the next spring it came right back to life 
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organicPete
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thanks to evetubbergh for reply.
I managed to solve the problem for my avocado tree. it is newly-planted in the ground and is about 6-7 feet high. I decided to take action and give it a really good watering. that was a calculated risk - but it turned out to be the solution.
so if you have an avocado where the tips of the leaves are turning brown like mine - suspect underwatering as the cause.
in my case I simply dug a ring trench around my tree - maybe 6-8 inches deep. and soaked the tree by filling the ring with water. it recovered the next day and looks much more healthy!
cheers,
organicPete
I managed to solve the problem for my avocado tree. it is newly-planted in the ground and is about 6-7 feet high. I decided to take action and give it a really good watering. that was a calculated risk - but it turned out to be the solution.
so if you have an avocado where the tips of the leaves are turning brown like mine - suspect underwatering as the cause.
in my case I simply dug a ring trench around my tree - maybe 6-8 inches deep. and soaked the tree by filling the ring with water. it recovered the next day and looks much more healthy!
cheers,
organicPete
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organicPete
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- Posts: 11
- Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2013 8:33 pm
still having problems with this tree. and I still can't decide if the browning of the leaf tips is due to too much water or too little. ohhhh well. today I cut off the tips of all the leaves (that had turned brown) with scissors. I will keep trying. honestly - these avocado's are real primadonna's. moan moan, complain complain!
organicPete
organicPete
Avocados cannot live on the beach but are ok if you are at least a half a mile inland. It might just be acclimating. Usually if I get a new plant, I try to limit the stressors. I keep them in their original pots for at least a couple of weeks and acclimate them to the yard. While it is in the pot, it is easier to move them to different spots with more or less shade.
I actually would not have tried to plant a tree in August, I would have kept it in the pot for awhile and waited for cooler weather and more rain to keep the soil from drying out.
Did you score the root ball, tease it or just pop the plant in? Make sure that you did not bury the plant deeper than it was in the original pot.
I usually don't get much transplant shock if I water the plant well before I plant it. Dig the hole and mix in some compost and fertilizer and fill the hole with water. It tests how well the soil drains but also makes sure that the soil at the root level have enough moisture.
I will score the root ball if it looks pot bound, but If it isn't bad, I will not disturb it. You will need to give the area a good drink. Especially in August, the soil will soak up a lot of water, the top may be wet but the soil below may still be on the dry side.
The well watering works. It also helps to deep water the surrounding soil to build up moisture by putting down a soaker and running it at a very slow rate to keep the soil saturated without getting runoff. If the soil is deeply watered the plant will have less drought stress. You can stop the soaker once the soil is thoroughly moistened. It is also why it is better to wait until the rains are about to start since the surrounding soil won't be so dry.
I actually would not have tried to plant a tree in August, I would have kept it in the pot for awhile and waited for cooler weather and more rain to keep the soil from drying out.
Did you score the root ball, tease it or just pop the plant in? Make sure that you did not bury the plant deeper than it was in the original pot.
I usually don't get much transplant shock if I water the plant well before I plant it. Dig the hole and mix in some compost and fertilizer and fill the hole with water. It tests how well the soil drains but also makes sure that the soil at the root level have enough moisture.
I will score the root ball if it looks pot bound, but If it isn't bad, I will not disturb it. You will need to give the area a good drink. Especially in August, the soil will soak up a lot of water, the top may be wet but the soil below may still be on the dry side.
The well watering works. It also helps to deep water the surrounding soil to build up moisture by putting down a soaker and running it at a very slow rate to keep the soil saturated without getting runoff. If the soil is deeply watered the plant will have less drought stress. You can stop the soaker once the soil is thoroughly moistened. It is also why it is better to wait until the rains are about to start since the surrounding soil won't be so dry.