How to Take Care of an Avocado Tree

In order for your avocado tree to keep producing deliciously creamy fruit, you need to take care of it! Fortunately, taking care of an avocado tree is actually really easy to do. Make sure you water it frequently and allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings to keep the roots from rotting and to prevent harmful bacteria and organisms from growing. Use mulch to help control the moisture levels, and add a nitrogen-rich fertilizer if your soil needs it. When it comes to pruning, avoid it if possible, but make sure your tree is healthy and balanced so it won’t topple over.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Watering Your Avocado Tree

1. Check the soil to make sure it’s dry before you add water. Scrape away a small section of mulch or compost and press your hand into the soil around the base of your avocado tree. If your hand leaves an impression, then the soil is damp and doesn’t need any additional water.^[1]
   
   • It’s important that you allow the soil to dry out slightly between waterings so the soggy ground doesn’t breed phytophthora, a harmful organism that can kill your avocado tree.^[2]
2. Add about of water once or twice a week for adult trees. Use a bucket or a watering hose to soak the soil around the trunk of the tree. In the summer or growing season, you may need to water them more frequently. Make sure the soil is fully saturated when you water your tree.^[3]
   
   • If of water isn’t enough to soak the soil at least deep, use more!
   • Mature avocado trees don’t seek out water from their environment, so they need lots of water brought directly to them.
3. Use enough water to saturate the soil deep for seedlings. Spray a hose or use a bucket to soak the soil near the trunk of the tree so it’s saturated deep enough down. Newly planted seedlings will need less water than adult trees, but they may need to be watered more frequently to keep them from drying out. Add enough water to fully saturate the soil so it’s damp enough to leave an impression when you press your hand into it. This will probably be about .^[4]
   
4. Avoid using automatic waterers or sprinklers in the winter. Avocados are highly susceptible to the cold, so water them by hand in the wintertime so you can make sure the soil won’t freeze. If you’re expecting cold weather, don’t add fresh water to your avocado trees or the cold could shock the tree or kill the roots.^[5]
   
   • An avocado tree can survive a cold shock, but it may not produce any fruit for a few years.

[Edit]Mulching and Fertilizing Avocado Trees

1. Spread of gypsum on top of the soil beneath the tree. Gypsum, or calcium sulfate, is a natural mineral that makes soil more porous and helps air, water, and nutrients to penetrate the soil. Create a thin layer of gypsum under the entire canopy to form a circle that is between in circumference around the trunk of your avocado tree. Pat the gypsum down into the soil with your hands to press it into the surface of the ground.^[6]
   
   • Gypsum also has the added benefits of removing excess sodium, which is harmful to avocado trees, and adding calcium, which helps them grow.
2. Add a layer of wood chips on top of the gypsum. Use an organic wood chip mulch to help control the moisture levels in the soil around your avocado tree and to prevent the formation of harmful bacteria and organisms. Spread an even layer of the mulch under the canopy of the tree to cover the layer of gypsum, leaving a space of about from the trunk.^[7]
   
   • Because the roots of avocado trees grow very close to the surface, a layer of mulch add an additional layer of protection from too much heat or cold.
   • A layer of wood chip mulch also protects and feeds worms and microbial organisms in the soil below, which protect and feed the roots of your tree!
   • Look for wood chip mulch at garden supply stores, home improvement stores, and online.
3. Wait approximately 1 year before fertilizing a newly-planted avocado tree. The new roots of your avocado tree are susceptible to being burned by fertilizers, so don’t add any to your soil for at least a year after you first plant them. Allow your tree to establish its root system in the ground on its own.^[8]
   
4. Use a soil testing kit to test your soil’s nitrogen levels. Pick up a soil testing kit from your local nursery, garden supply store, or order one online and use it to test the soil beneath your avocado tree. Collect a spoonful of dirt from beneath the tree and spread it out in a thin layer over a sheet of newspaper or paper towels so it can dry out. Then, mix the soil with distilled water and fill both chambers of the containers included in your soil testing kit. Add the testing powder and check the color keys to determine your nitrogen levels.^[9]
   
   • If your soil doesn’t have a nitrogen or zinc deficiency, don’t add any fertilizer to it.
   • Having adequate nitrogen is critical for your avocado tree’s health and fruit production.^[10]
   • If you don’t have a soil testing kit, look for signs of nitrogen deficiency such as pale green or yellow leaves and stunted growth.
   • If the zinc levels
5. Add a citrus tree fertilizer to raise the nitrogen levels if necessary. Add a fertilizer formulated for citrus trees if your soil has nitrogen deficiency to help your tree grow. Read the directions on the packaging and add the recommended amount the next time you water your avocado tree.^[11]
   
   • Test your soil again a few weeks after you add your fertilizer to see if the nitrogen levels are still too low. If they are, add more citrus tree fertilizer.
   • Look for citrus tree fertilizer at plant nurseries, garden supply stores, and online. If you can’t find a citrus tree fertilizer, use one formulated for fruit trees.
6. Sprinkle zinc sulfate over the soil if your tree’s leaves are mottled. Mottled or “frizzled” leaves are a sign of a zinc deficiency. Add zinc sulfate in a band on top of the soil around the base of the tree.^[12]
   
   • For adult trees, sprinkle up to of zinc sulfate on the ground around the trunk for severely damaged and mottled leaves.
   • You can find zinc sulfate at garden supply stores and online.
7. Spread a layer of horse manure to raise nitrogen levels for a natural alternative. Spread a thin layer of manure over the top of the soil beneath your mulch if your soil needs more nitrogen. The manure will continuously add nutrients to your soil and will help retain water.^[13]
   
   • Always check your soil to make sure it’s dry before you water it to avoid rotting the roots.
   • Check for horse manure at your local plant nursery or online. You can also visit a local horse stable and ask if you can have or purchase some manure from them!

[Edit]Pruning Your Avocado Tree

1. Use clean, sharp pruning shears to prune when the fruit are removed. Wait until you harvest or remove all of the fruit from your avocado tree before you prune it so it can regenerate new growth so it can bloom again in the future. Make sure your pruning shears are clean and don’t have rust on them and make sure they’re sharp so you can make clean cuts with them.^[14]
   
   • Avocado trees can fruit several times a year, so wait until you remove all of the ripened fruit from your tree.
2. Remove very low branches that get in the way when you add water. Cut away the lowest branches of the canopy that impede you or your sprinkler’s ability to water the soil beneath the tree where the branch connects to the trunk. Make a cut that is flush against the trunk so the branch is removed evenly and the trunk can heal more effectively.^[15]
   
   • Don’t yank or pull away branches or you could damage the trunk.
   • Add the removed branches to the mulch on top of the soil so it can break down and the nutrients can be reabsorbed.
3. Trim away thick branches that cause a tree to lean to 1 side. Trim away branches that are thicker than your finger where they connect to the trunk to balance your tree. Remove as few branches as possible to reduce the damage caused to your tree.^[16]
   
   • Heavy winds and storms can cause a leaning or unbalanced avocado tree to topple over, so the harm caused by pruning the tree to balance it is necessary.
4. Allow more light to reach inner sections by pruning obstructive branches. Use your pruning shears to cut away large outer branches that block sunlight from reading inner sections of branches so they can receive more sunlight. Cut them away where they connect to the trunk and make 1 clean cut so the tree heals better.^[17]
   
   • Inner branches that don’t get enough light may start to wither and die, which can harm your avocado tree.
5. Avoid pruning unless absolutely necessary. Pruning branches from the canopy of your avocado tree will expose the bark and trunk, which sunburn very easily, so don’t prune your tree unless you don’t have another choice. Allow your avocado tree to grow on its own so it stays healthy and protected from harmful UV radiation.^[18]
   
   • Avocado trees do not recover from damage and pruning quickly or easily, so avoid harming them if possible.

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://gregalder.com/yardposts/growing-avocados-in-southern-california/
2. ↑ https://www.latimes.com/home/la-xpm-2013-apr-21-la-lh-avocado-trees-20130418-story.html
3. ↑ http://ucavo.ucr.edu/General/Answers.html
4. ↑ http://ucavo.ucr.edu/General/Answers.html
5. ↑ https://gregalder.com/yardposts/how-much-and-how-often-to-water-avocado-trees-in-california/
6. ↑ https://www.californiaavocado.com/avocado101/your-own-avocado-tree#watering
7. ↑ https://www.latimes.com/home/la-xpm-2013-apr-21-la-lh-avocado-trees-20130418-story.html
8. ↑ https://www.latimes.com/home/la-xpm-2013-apr-21-la-lh-avocado-trees-20130418-story.html
9. ↑ https://getbusygardening.com/garden-soil-testing/
10. ↑ http://www.lusterleaf.com/img/instruction/1609_instruction.pdf
11. ↑ https://gregalder.com/yardposts/fertilizing-avocado-trees/
12. ↑ http://www.avocadosource.com/CAS_Yearbooks/CAS_50_1966/CAS_1966_PG_087_094.pdf
13. ↑ https://gregalder.com/yardposts/fertilizing-avocado-trees/
14. ↑ https://youtu.be/rwc_WeASo2E?t=7
15. ↑ https://gregalder.com/yardposts/growing-avocados-in-southern-california/
16. ↑ https://gregalder.com/yardposts/growing-avocados-in-southern-california/
17. ↑ https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/fruit-nut/files/2015/04/avocados_2015.pdf
18. ↑ https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/fruit-nut/files/2015/04/avocados_2015.pdf