https://www.dropbox.com/s/wg4jwdt3reip5bl/IMG_20200603_075303.jpg?dl=0. The California avocado industry was founded in the early 1870s when trees in Santa Barbara, which had been imported from Mexico, began to bear fruit. https://www.flickr.com/photos/192133730@N08/albums/72157718199866481/with/50919168353/. They are in soil. Any ideas? I consulted my copy of Elvin McDonald’s “World Book of House Plants” to see what was wrong with it, but found no answer. My lamb is perfect, no signs of anything. I told you how my last Lamb Hass restarted 3 times before it died, each time the new leaves would start showing damage and drop off. are most commercially bought avos grafted? I planted in Oct 2020, there’s a mark on the stick a week after. What do you think might be the issue? https://lh3.google.com/u/0/d/1NZSTIQbof8XjhXQGR2lfLjdBR0lrJdEN=w603-h450-p-k-nu-iv1, https://lh3.google.com/u/0/d/1Nti7qGV1QGfQhsEdzGosdnQEnc_QTbLG=w603-h450-p-k-nu-iv1, https://lh3.google.com/u/0/d/1km0pDYrtfMZrDInus0mhVPzXxsrk8qUs=w603-h450-p-k-nu-iv1, https://lh3.google.com/u/0/d/119L1Sy4fuoJUsMvTcwxGVS0aC561-kkD=w603-h450-p-k-nu-iv1, https://lh3.google.com/u/0/d/1WoJq1tg9jYmMxrL-tCJZJlrnqYEOHvs6=w603-h450-p-k-nu-iv1. As for Hass and Fuerte specifically, the easiest way to tell them apart is by looking at the young stems. Good day I need some advice. Try that and see if the tree shapes up. Thanks. It is already growing fruit so I’m not sure on how old it is. Some leaves have developed strange brown blotches that seem to be spreading on other leaves. This might be partly because their water quality varies. Hi Greg – Another great post, thank you. This is that time of year. I just uploaded a new picture today that shows the brown spot has enlarged and torn. I see absolutely nothing wrong with it. Some varieties do this excessively. The worm is at the bottom right of the leaf, not left, sorry. I would definitely strip all fruitlets off of this little tree. I currently have a wind protection for it which normally blows insistently from north. We have a young avacado and has lost all it’s leaves but three. Baby grasshoppers? The information in our articles is NOT intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. I get some seedlings that are slow or have chlorosis or other problems and I just give up on them. Thanks for all the great info and advice. It could be a temporary condition during flowering, as some trees shed many leaves and look very stressed during bloom. I have (had) a very healthy Sharwil. The pink seedling is a few months old. Sometimes it’s that another nearby tree or plant has grown roots into the avocado tree’s root zone and is “stealing” some of the water. According to a study performed at the National University of Singapore, the avocado seed offers more antioxidant activity than some more commonly eaten fruit parts. (, Now, where does the avocado seed come into all this? Some of the leaves have a slight wave to the margins, but most are rather flat. So I’d expect some new leaves emerging on your tree within the next few weeks. I’ve seen lots of Persea mite nests on most of my avocado tree leaves. But if I don’t water it, it perks up anyway once the air temperature cools in the late afternoon. Trees can do this if they’re infected with root rot, it’s true, but that is certainly not always the case. I’ll monitor the trees and water them once per week and hope that I can somehow nurse them back to health. Is that making lemonade out of lemons? And then they certainly will set fruit also, but the fruit won’t be Fuerte. . According to the Leung’s Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients, the avocado seed contains biscatechin, a condensed flavanol. The university also indicated that “the safety of the various extracts of the avocado seeds must be assessed in order to more fully estimate the usefulness of this resource.”, 9 Signs of a Protein Deficiency + How to Fix, Sucralose: 5 Reasons to Avoid This Artificial Sweetener, Use Antiviral Herbs to Boost Immune System and Fight Viruses. I don’t see anything wrong with it. Lately the Hass has had droopy leaves in the afternoon. Is there anything you can do to combat the water here? You describe it as chloride damage..but I only use well water, is there something else that also causes the browning tips? Any suggestions? Additionally, constipation and diarrhea, and arthritis — not to mention its, antifungal properties, collagen benefits, cholesterol-lowering effects and more —. Now the most of the top leaves, healthy otherwise are drooping but the very bottom leaves are spry and standing out but contrast. The California avocado industry was founded in the early 1870s when trees in Santa Barbara, which had been imported from Mexico, began to bear fruit. I’ve found that the trees are stouter and with denser foliage when grown in strong sunlight. It takes a couple months for the roots of a new avocado tree to grow and reach a couple inches into the dirt around the hole you planted it in, so it’s unlikely that lots of water being applied to a nearby vegetable garden affected it at all. The risk of harming them from fertilizers is big. Among the polyphenols are catechin, epicatechin, and chlorogenic and protocatechuic acid. I also mixed in some wood chips from a chopped down city trees, idk if that matters. In some places (Israel, for example), avocados have been grown well on clay soils by using drip irrigation that runs very frequently — daily in the summer. Store in a sealed container in your refrigerator. I live in Bogotá, Colombia at 2600 meters over sea levels so I don’t know if it is that the sun here is too harsh for my tree. and I keep little seedlings like that in full sun all day unless it’s around 100 degrees or more. Am I looking at mild root rot? These pics are after two days. Thanks for your help. They are both about 2 ft tall, and for a while have been kept in my house’s main second-floor hallway with a lot of indirect sunlight. But avocado leaves also get different patterns of leaf burn from other water-related causes. After taking my tree indoors for the winter, I went outside every now and then to check on the tree in the ground. There’s a lot involved! Our team includes licensed nutritionists and dietitians, certified health education specialists, as well as certified strength and conditioning specialists, personal trainers and corrective exercise specialists. Do keep in mind that avocado leaves can look slightly different according to how much sunlight they get, how old they are, and which kind of avocado they are. Do you find any bugs or bug poop near those tips? The good news is that my Bacon is happy and growing really well, so I am at least 1 for 2 on avocado trees this year. The Haas is about 5 years old and doing fine! I remember seeing it, but must have forgotten that I didn’t reply. If new leaves don’t grow to shade the bark at the top of the drooping branches by about late April, then be sure to paint them. A safe, peace of mind source that I can trust is a blessing. Interesting observations. Here’s additional info. Just keep an eye on it. They droop all the time. Please help, thank you. I originally dialed in my irrigation based on your recommendation of 3 gals every 4 days once established. Note that the numbers in parentheses (1, 2, etc.) If your tree was planted last year and went through a full summer, then it is acclimated and there’s no need to protect it from the sun except possibly during heat waves near or above 100 degrees F / 38 degrees C. I’ve never seen sunburn on leaves of healthy trees in lower temperatures than that. It looks like there is new growth coming in, but the rate of the leaf loss is alarming. Different fertilizers become accessible to plant roots at different rates, and it also depends on the time of year, among other factors. If I do give up on this one, should I get the new one in the ground in the next few weeks before it gets too hot to plant? I decided not to try to save the trees. If you’re growing an avocado in a pot it’s best to use a fast-draining soil/mix. You know my neighbor has a problem with gophers but I haven’t seen any holes around my area unless they are tunneling from his property which is below mine so there’s an embankment. The other, which is somehow about the same age (I guess I just didn’t notice it) is still in the compost. Most people count the age of a tree from the time they planted it, but this can still be confusing because you can plant a tree after it has grown in a container for six months or four years. The lace bugs themselves can also be black or more tan or white colored. That place is also a great place for kids to visit if anyone is interested and they have a decent farmers market on Sunday’s…. i live in Perth, WA so solid climate, but some of my leaves- predominantly their tips have turned black and are crunchy. Your leaves are probably senescent. Looking at your other trees illustrates this so well. You’ve made my day. It was already big for its little pot so I repotted it in a bigger, clay pot that sits out in my garden. What do you recommend I do to treat this? Your tree looks great! Originally from the Midwest, so still getting used to the California climate for growing. I’ve never had to stake a seedling avocado tree, and I’ve always found them gratifyingly upright and strong, which makes me wonder if you’re growing yours in very different conditions, perhaps indoors where there’s lower light and no wind. A couple of exceptions are if there’s a late heatwave and if the tree is planted near a south-facing wall. I recently attended a lecture where an agronomist who has been working with Southern California soils for decades talked about this issue. It gets the same water as the reed. It has gotten about 5 new leaves and they are all turning brown, some of them look like they have holes in the tips… kinda like a bug might be eating them?? Thanks for the good photo. See the link about controlling persea mites in the post above. That will make you feel good, and it’s something to look forward to. Hi Greg, thanks for all the great info you’ve posted. I have a relatively well established avocado tree which is budding well and showing small fruits- circa 1cm. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated. I’ve never seen upward curled avocado leaves indicating any problem. I hosed it also. I live in the PNW and have potted my avocado plant that I sprouted from water. Look at the underside of such a leaf and you’ll likely find black specks. Here is the link: . They have a pretty heavy ivy that is ground cover beneath them. These are commonly labelled “West Indian” types. And Sir-Prize leaves are somewhat weepy and with wavy leaf margins. I’ve never tried a garlic spray on avocado leaves (or anything else) so I’m not sure. The trees may have been insufficiently watered during late summer or early fall at the nursery. The Saatva Loom & Leaf Mattress makes its debut at No. The seed should come right out. These have been the first trees I have ever grown. So glad you made that because it is worth 10,000 words. I’ve tried putting cinnamon on it in case it was some kind of fungal infection. You might try that. To control the root rot disease, apply metalaxyl by mixing with soil just before planting the seedlings. To dry it out, put it in the oven for a couple of hours at around 250 degrees. But also, in general, Fuerte trees are tougher than Hass trees. Please see this page from the University of California about this pest and ways to manage it: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/r8301411.html, Also check out photos of the avocado lace bug and its damage here: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/C008/m008bplacebug.html, Greg, I planted a 15 gallon has Avocado tree in March. I started growing an avocado tree last year from the seed. And because the milk of the avocado seed turns a bit red when exposed to air, it can be used as a topical ointment or rubefacient — to redden the cheeks by causing dilation of the capillaries and an increase in blood circulation. The branches look like they are being damaged too. Those are just old leaves that are dropping naturally this time of year. No new growth has been shown in these last two years either. When you pulled that tree out, was the soil at the bottom of the planting hole / root ball soggy? And I do not see any sign of gophers. All of the spots are along the edge of the leaves. Do the top leaves droop all the time or only during the heat of the day? I was away from home the past three weeks and I set my irrigation system to water my young trees twice a week while I was gone, just to be safe. I’ve re-potted it twice and is now about 2 feet tall. Would a diluted garlic spray deter? Then, give it a little twist. 7 years ago, the old trees still fruited. And a year ago I dug down 24″ 6 feet from the center and added ton’s of compost. You might find that a couple weeks of this can give the tree a rest to recover from whatever is going on — or you may need to do it for the whole summer. I just hope I’m not making things worse. I’ve had this happen in my yard before. It is a Hass avocado tree, and it currently lives in Charlotte, NC. Can you start vegetable seeds in compost? The ingredients come together for a familiar and favorite taste sensation that makes you wonder why you ever ate burgers on a bun! (1), On the other hand, research is being conducted. I like a challenge. See more about it here: https://www2.ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/avocado/avocado-brown-mite/. I explain the quick drying out with the fact that the trees are planted on the edge of one of those typical San Diego canyons. Now the leafs are dropping although most of the lower branches are putting new leafs. Transplanted it at the end of March. Do you know the rootstock the Hass was grafted onto? My sir prize is overwatered (leaves have never looked perky even when i bought it a few months ago(others at nursery looked the same) and of course it didn’t change when I thought it was underwatered and added more. This leaf-burning from inadequate water also happens readily on newly planted trees which have small, vulnerable root systems. A vegetable is a plant's edible stem, root, tuber, leaf or flower. What you might be seeing in the Sir-Prize is the natural look of that variety’s foliage, which is more weeping compared to Hass or Lamb. Any chance you could link to some in reply to this comment thread? New growth all year long. You seem like you’ve seen a thing or two when it comes to avocadoes. However, we want it to become an outdoor tree eventually, but we have found that whenever we take it outside to get some sunshine, the leaves go soft and down. The only green it’s ever had was a small leathery patch on a single leaf one time. I have moved the lilies into the shadier part of my yard that still receives sunlight. It is making a lot of new leaves on other branches though. Greg, hoping to get a reply from you on my initial post. In fact, the study shares that the seeds may actually contain more than 70 percent of the antioxidants found in the entire fruit. All are slightly taco shaped, but others are kind of flat too. Based on your description, I’d recommend planting a new tree instead of trying to save this one. You can see since then, above the mark the leaves have sprouted but are very tiny. While the debate is still out about whether eating ground avocado seed is a good choice, it has been compared to the extraction process of the phenolic compounds from strawberries, apple pulp and the residues of chestnuts. I can’t see anything like it in the pictures on this post. I have a small 3ft avocado tree that I bought 3 months ago. But I’ve maintained a 6″ layer of mulch. Maybe nothing to worry about. Also, some varieties have deep green leaves (Bacon) while others have almost lime green leaves (“West Indian” varieties), not to mention that the color of the leaves can change throughout the year. In fact, the study shares that the seeds may actually contain more than 70 percent of the antioxidants found in the entire fruit. A little drooping from momentary thirst is no big deal. I also noticed a few of my Fuerte leaves had random holes. What exists are small. The edges are a very light green almost a yellow and within the lighter color there is brown spots. Then the next 3 grow. The stems look alive still. I appreciate your support so much. Even if you water perfectly for the next month, the leaf margins may still get progressively brown because of accumulated stress. https://ibb.co/r6csPKY I updated the links and they should be accessible now. Sometimes a tree can be given enough water but still not get enough water. Maybe, but since there is not enough substantial evidence to prove this, I recommend having small amounts or avoiding altogether. But I’ve been watering it when it looks like that and it perks up. I treated the condition with Liquidnox Iron & zinc soil and leaf application rates per directions and the leaves returned to normal. Doesn’t sound like a serious problem. Cracking bark makes me think of sunburn. Hey Greg thanks for all the information. Hi Greg! The leaves are rather thin and not really glossy. You can see the worm at the bottom left of the leaf in this picture. I have a situation that I did not see exactly described after reading your post and I am wondering if you can shed some light on it. These leaves on a Reed avocado tree are farther along in the aging process. Be well . Should I pinch back the bigger leaves that are all brown and hope that the new ones coming in will no longer be brown? Hope all continues. Combined with the dropped leaves, and stalled new growth (tiny leaves, see images below) made me suspect root rot. I’ve done this kind of thing before successfully in my yard. Any advice is appreciated. I moved the pot under a bigger tree where it doesn’t get direct sunshine or maybe just in the early morning. Can sucker branches have flowers, cause these branches do? Pretty area. Nitrogen issue? I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to find a post online! I potted it after about 6 months and now the leaves have yellow spots with brown spots in it. Young leaves on several different Avocado trees are curling up at the tips, and when I run my fingers over them, they come out wet and with little black specks, Until now, I hadn’t found a bug there, but I just went and took a closer look and found a little worm/bug there. This Dr. Axe content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure factually accurate information. For example, do you see the black spots appear and then soon after those same branches start dying back? That’s a relief. Since I last messaged you, I had to say goodbye to one of my trees unfortunately. My best guess is that something chewed on those leaves and now the damaged areas are drying and looking burned. This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by our trained editorial staff. It even sits in the storage tank a while before it gets to me. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hjW7_iZlAyIDbYcRHk8yEWgmqU0QcS0L?usp=sharing. To dry it out, put it in the oven for a couple of hours at around 250 degrees. The whole story, however, is that this could be combined with the salts building up in the container soil such that the tree’s roots are having a harder time pulling up the water. The light green leaves could just be natural or due to the plant being indoors. I read the post and tried to compare the images, but at this point I’m not sure if it’s due to chloride in the water (I’m using water filtered using brita filters) or not watering enough. My question for you today is in regards to her current appearance and what exactly is wrong. For a little more about this issue, see my post “Avocado leaves turning brown? That’s just the way they grow (even in the wild). In fact, artificial food dyes have been banned in the U.K. (10), The residue of the seed of the avocado is rich in polyphenols, making the seeds powerful antioxidants and antimicrobials. I’m not sure how it’s actually done better in the cooler environment without direct sunlight, but it’s grown faster and stronger here than it did outside. This little Fuerte tree has been watered too much too often, and because of that its leaves are showing this sign: pale green leaves. I am so paranoid about it being root fungus! (, Did you know that the avocado seed is a great, National University of Singapore, the avocado seed offers more antioxidant activity than some more commonly eaten fruit parts. These are classic symptoms of a tree that is growing in heavy soil and that is watered too much too often. I have three plants growing in the same pot (one – 1 year old, and two – 2 months old (since stem growth). Here’s why and what to do.”, Shade can certainly help. I couldn’t see the photos because it said that I have to be signed in. Does the tree drop all its tiny fruit or just a portion? I will hold off on fertilizer and water more often. Unfortunately, since then the new growth has been decimated by June bugs and I am almost certain it has been overwatered since it is is drooping, weak, and some branches are turning black and dying off. My location is Big Basin Park on a ridge. Insufficient watering was my initial suspicion, so I verified my micro-sprinklers are providing the right amount of water for evapotranspiration zone 4, a ~3ft canopy diameter and a Kc of 0.85 (which translates to about 3 gallons every 4 days). The newer leaves are on the periphery of the tree’s canopy where they are exposed to more sun and heat, and so they lose more water and need more water to keep themselves cooled and hydrated. It’s going to grow well for you. Too many avocados and too few new leaves and branches will mean sunburned avocados and a stunted young tree. So far its going pretty well. And the spring’s leaf flush has matured, but it hasn’t started a summer flush like my other avocado trees have. If you just use that bubbler right now, you might underwater the tree because the native soil will prevent much of it from soaking into the porous container mix of the rootball. Not sure. Hi Jan, For example, the link above shows photos of leaf burn caused by sodium in irrigation water. And if the stress isn’t too much, then they are the only leaves that get burned. It’s been that way since it initially sprouted. If your soil is heavy and doesn’t drain well on its own, the best thing you can do is build up a mound of soil to plant on. Flip a leaf over to find the mites underneath doing the chewing. Thanks again for an informative post. Thanks Greg, I’ll make sure to increase my watering frequency and keep it happy. Also there was dieback on two smaller branches which I trimmed off. and has lots of new growth. The sun is pretty darn strong here in Socal! Add to that the fact that the face of the canyon is south-facing, which probably significantly increases the heat load. Thanks for the feedback and suggestions. (Also see my post “Who is eating holes in your avocado leaves?”). . , Hi Greg, (One foot deep and wide hole, filled with water.). As much as I would have liked to take in both, this was a bit of an experiment and the one outside was my control group. Hi Megan, Whenever a tree’s leaves don’t perk up after being watered, the indication is that the roots are damaged and can’t support the leaves. A friend had a pretty bad infestation some years back and he got good results from buying and releasing predatory mites. This reminds me of a wilt disease, such as Verticilium wilt: https://www2.ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/avocado/verticillium-wilt/. Sorry for wasting your time Greg. Congratulations! And then when we bring it back in, it seems happy with that, and the leaves spring back up like an umbrella. I inspected the soil which turned out to be loamy/clay-y right in that location (and only that location – some wired clay pocket), so it retained water like there was no tomorrow. Notice that the leaves are few, and the leaves are pale green and small. We have been growing 4 varieties of avocado fairly successfully for the last 3 years and they are flowering heavily for the first time. Can you tell what variety I have by just the leaves? It’s in good soil and I’m only watering maybe once or twice a week. https://www.dropbox.com/s/3gjcz6nk7d80yyg/Avocado-Leaf.jpg?dl=0. My leaves are yellow with green veins on my entire Pinkerton avocado tree. In my observations, the risk of overwatering a young tree like yours is not big. Last Winter the older avocado tree burnt all its leaves. Sounds like a lot of things can be going on. It looks like a healthy avocado seedling that is growing indoors in low light. You can see his growth in the link at the bottom of this message! And poke around to see if you can find tunneling from a gopher. After a frost kill, they appear black and curled; they look burned, ironically. Another question is, do people count the age of the tree from the time of planting or since it sprouted from seed(or after a successful graft)? You should be able to gently twist the two halves apart. My own preferred method of gopher control is to trap them though. Those brown spots look like minor sunburn. Possibly, a gopher did damage to the Reed or for some reason the Reed didn’t get as much water as it needed last summer and fall. The photos are helpful. Sunburn sometimes appears that way. Remind me where you’re at again, please. If sunburn is mild, then it can appear spotty on the leaves, especially young leaves. Are you sure that the black spots are related to the shoots dying back? I don’t want to over-water it. Recently all the new growth seems to be browning and dying. My water source is pretty pure (Big Basin Water) comes from local springs and lakes. Or, it’s possible it’s just overwatering, in which case it would be an easy fix. You could let it fruit just to see what the fruit is like. Are you sure you don’t have an ant colony living under your tree? I’m not saying that I know that this is what is causing the symptoms on your leaves, but it’s possible, and it’s my best guess at this point. Keep doing what you’re doing. These are tiny, hard, black pellets the size of grains of salt on the underside of leaves that brush off easily, but there must be some spray or systemic treatment to eradicate it. Thanks. I know it’s grafted but do not know what was used for that. Leaf fall can be natural too, especially around the time that new leaves are growing to replace them. In the time since I took my tree inside, it’s gained a whole new layer of healthy, perky leaves. I’m confused about whether the growth in question is above or below the graft unions. After flooding I haven’t seen any new gopher activity. What about seedling leaves coming in really small after the plant was initially very healthy and growing strong?