Hi Tui, our avocado tree is about three years old. I have watered it regularly during the hot dry weather and the leaves have begun to turn yellow. Am I watering it too much. Thanks.

Hi Richard, avocados need well drained soil to thrive, they do no enjoy "wet feet" and are susceptible to a root fungal disease called phytophthora if drainage is poor. This shows up as leaves yellowing, there could be brown spots on the leaves and the tree won't thrive. If it is planted into heavy clay soil you could be over-watering the tree and there will be insufficient drainage. Also, clay soils bake hard over the summer months which also affects plant growth. The best thing to do if you have clay soil is to plant your avocado in a raised garden bed, this will improve drainage. If your soil is free draining, then adjust your watering depending upon the weather and water every 2-3 days, apply mulch around the tree to help conserve soil moisture and feed your tree with an all purpose fertiliser such as Tui General Garden fertiliser in spring and autumn to help stimulate growth. Remove the yellow leaves and dispose of in the rubbish, don't be too concerned if it is a few older leaves that are yellowing, keep an eye on how it goes with reduced watering, fertilising and maybe consider improving the drainage if it is planted in clay soil. The Tui Team.