Save the Trees!
Several years ago, a neighbor gave me a Christmas gift, which was a little glass vase, used to ‘force bulbs‘. It came with some rocks to hold the bulb, and a bulb for a pretty flower, whose name I know not. Anyway, I forced the bulb, enjoyed it, and put it in the ground after the flower had died off. But I still had the little vase and rocks. Perhaps a year after that, I was slicing an avocado for our salad, and it occurred to me that I could perhaps use the vase to grow a little avocado plant. So I popped it in there, added some water, and watched as it got all moldy. I threw it away. And I tried again. And again. After several tries, I finally got a seed to split, pop out a tiny root, and then a shoot, and eventually, a small plant. Hurray! Well, that small plant has grown into a small tree, which is looking kind of puny these days, and by puny, I mean unwell. I have several theories as to what the problem might be, but I have no idea if any of them are correct. So I thought I might post a few pictures of my tree, and you, wonderful internets, might be able to tell me what is wrong. (Maybe Eric, especially)
First photo. See the brown on the leaves? This is what is concerning me. That just doesn’t look good, does it?
Second photo. Here you can see the tiny pot that this tree lives in. I have been reticent to plant the tree in the ground, because we used to have a gopher that was eating the roots of some of our plants. I haven’t seen any sign of the gopher in years, though, so I’m thinking it’s probably safe to plant the tree in the ground, if that’s what it needs. I’m thinking this pot may not only be too small, but the tree has probably leached all of the nutrients out of the soil, so it’s becoming malnourished.
Last picture. This is the hopeful picture, because you can see here that the tree is making new leaves, and clearly is not dead or anything like that.
So, wonderful internets, what is wrong with my little tree?
- Is it that I don’t give it enough water? I try…but I’m bad at that, which is why our rose bush usually gives us perhaps one or two pathetic roses a year. (Plus I don’t prune it or give it nutrients, so yeah, I shouldn’t be allowed to have plants.)
- Is it that it has outgrown its little pot, and would do better in the ground? I fully intended to donate this tree to Maya’s old school, but as it gets bigger and bigger, that becomes less and less likely, so I’m more inclined to dig a hole in our yard and plant it, if it will help.
- Could it be that when the workers were here, staining our fence and shingles, the stain got on the plant and harmed it somehow? If so, should I just remove the older, dying leaves, and leave the fresh young ones to get all of the nutrients and water?
Any advice would be much appreciated. I’ve become quite fond of this little tree. I have another avocado seed in my window sill, just starting to sprout, so maybe someday, this tree can have a friend. Or, maybe I’ll finally get around to donating a tree to the school. We’ll see. For now, I just want to figure out what to do with this poor thing.
8 Comments
Autumn's Mom
unfortunately, I am of no help what so ever. I have to wonder though, if the brown spots do have something to do with the staining going on as the plant is right near the fence. I hope your tree lives 🙂
Chrissy
Wow, J! That is amazing! I am an avid gardener and love plants, but have never been successful at growing an avocado plant from seed. It frustrates me to no end. I’ve tried countless times!
I bet Eric can help you with your avocado tree. I asked Cherry to ask him for advice for my blueberry plants and they are thriving now. The guy is a genius!!
J
Hey Chrissy, it’s not easy…I’ve tried for many years, and have only gotten two to sprout into actual plants. One is the tree in the picture. The other grew enough that I put it in a little pot in the yard, and the squirrels killed it. They kill many small, fragile type potted plants that are near the fence, because they dig them up while hiding their peanuts and so forth. Grr. Stupid squirrels.
I can’t tell you how many I’ve put in the water to grow, and they just get slimy. Or they sprout a root, and then a bit of a green shoot, and then die and turn slimy. I’ve been doing this for maybe 5 years now (6 even?), and have lost many a seed. Sigh.
So don’t give up! But with your climate, you might want to try it as an indoor plant, if you ever get one to grow. 😉
Nance
Sigh. I hear you about trying to keep trees alive. For years, I had a beautiful bay leaf tree. I summered it outdoors and then wintered it indoors, using its leaves for cooking. Suddenly, it got brownleaf disease. I had no clue why. I tried everything, but lost it. And then, it seems I totally lost it entirely with every bay leaf tree I tried to grow indoors. I am trying AGAIN this year, but am holding out no hope. Good Luck, J.
Ted
I noticed it was looking better after a good soaking, but maybe all the hot days we’ve been having are taking a toll on the poor thing. Some of our plants out front clearly got some leaves fried, but they are generally okay. And yeah, I’m no help on this. 🙂
Cherry
I have alerted Eric of your post. He said Avocados are troublesome trees, and growing them from seed are even more tricky. Especially since the Hass Avocados we eat, are grown from grafts not from seed because the tree that’ll come from a Hass pit will not be a Hass. Plant Genetics and stuff…
Chrissy
Oh, wow! I was just reading Cherry’s comment. That is really interesting! J, I’m still amazed that you were able to grow that avocado tree that big!!! Like you said, most of my seeds end up getting slimy and I end up having to toss them into the compost. If I’m lucky, they’ll start to root, but end up slimy anyway.
I do love the foliage of the avocado tree and have often thought of just buying an already grown plant…but there’s nothing more exciting than growing something yourself and watching it grow!
Eric
Hi J,
As Cherry mentioned, avocados are temperamental trees. They are extremely sensitive to drainage issues in particular. It sounds as though your tree might have root rot, which is the leading cause of avocado death. Take a look at this photo of a diseased tree:
The symptoms look very similar to those of your tree.
Once a tree has been contaminated, the only way that I know to save it is the application of a systemic fungicide called Aliette. A small amount costs about $22. Here is a link to a supplier:
In any case, it would be a good idea to pot the tree into a larger container with a fast-draining potting mix and top it with an inch or two of compost.
Good Luck!