Bay of Plenty
November
Q.
Hi Tui, last season our 4 x 20 year old avo trees looked really sad - drooping and losing leaves. They did still set a lot of very small fruit in spite of looking like they were dying. We have some new growth on some of the trees but they still look bad and parts of them died off. Should we putting citrus fertilizer on them?
Ted
A.
Hi Ted
Avocados respond to hard pruning and that might be what you need to do to reinvigorate the trees. Losing leaves and drooping leaves does sound like a root rot disorder called phytophthora, once that gets into the soil it is very hard to fix and plants do not usually recover. It is caused by poor drainage or the trees drying out due to drought and then receiving a lot of water. This causes the root cells to burst and the soil fungus enters the plant through the roots. It can also spread to other healthy plants.
Use Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic on the trees at a rate of 70-100ml per 9L watering can. Being such well established trees a watering can may not be sufficient. If you want to feed your avocados use Tui Novatec Premium, it is used by commercial tree growers and orchardists.
Thanks, Tui Team.
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Why are my avocado trees are drooping and loosing leaves? Comments
Hi Tui, I grew an avocado tree sapling from a seed this summer. It looks great but now the leaves are starting to droop. Should I repot it, and add more soil and water it thoroughly? Thanks.
Helen Fanelli
The Tui Team
Hi Helen, if your avocado seedling is inside, it is probably time to move it outside so that it can get some natural light, the leaves may be drooping due to lack of light. Avocados have along tap root which is important when planted out so that the tree doesn't fall over, it is important the tap root isn't damaged. Can the tree be planted into the garden? If so, and it has been growing indoors, it will need to be hardened off before planting out. Place the tree outside during the day, and bring it in overnight, do this for several days before planting in the garden, it gets the tree used to natural sunlight and temperatures. Make sure you have a frost free spot for it and space for the tree to grow. Drooping leaves can be caused by underwatering, overwatering, poor drainage and soil borne diseases that avocados are susceptible to. If you are repotting it into a pot, make sure the pot is deep enough for the tree, and use a quality potting mix such as Tui Citrus and Fruit mix, and take care to protect the long tap root. Check for insect pests such as mites, they are tiny insects that suck the sap of the tree, there will be a 'dust' or webbing on the underside of the leaf, and speckling on the top side of the leaves. If you suspect insect pests, spray with a plant spraying oil or talk to your local garden centre for suitable control.