Does my avocado have a disease - Ask Extension
I need help identifying what type disease my avocado plant has, and how to remove the disease or lessen the severity of the disease.
Knowledgebase
Does my avocado have a disease #844864
Asked August 09, 2023, 9:58 AM EDT
I need help identifying what type disease my avocado plant has, and how to remove the disease or lessen the severity of the disease.
Hamilton County Ohio
Expert Response
Can you identify this possible disease my avocado plant has? If it does have one how do i treat it? I just sent this to you guys but I accidentally sent it without pictures whoops.
Hello and thank you for letting me help you with your avacado. I’m going to need a bit more info from you since they are usually pretty healthy and easily grown
1 please send a couple different views of the entire tree
2 how old
3 did you do anything different like just move it outside or change soil or pot
4. Where is it located
5 How much/often do you water?
6 Do you see any white build up near where the soil hits the container
7. How much of tree is effected
8 how long has this been going on
Please hit respond with your answers
1 please send a couple different views of the entire tree
2 how old
3 did you do anything different like just move it outside or change soil or pot
4. Where is it located
5 How much/often do you water?
6 Do you see any white build up near where the soil hits the container
7. How much of tree is effected
8 how long has this been going on
Please hit respond with your answers
1. You will see pictures of the entire tree in the numerous photos I am about to send.
2. we got it around 2018 to 2019
3. We did bring it out after winter, but that should not be an issue as long as we follow temperature requirements. There is also we sprayed sevin on it but made sure it was not in the sun so the chemical does not burn the leaves.
4. Location: it gets good sun with light shade. I am in cincinnati ohio more precisely madison place near madisonville
5. every other day, maybe every day if really hot
6. I am not
7. A large majority the pictures will tell you
8. Month and a half
You need to add your photos by using the blue box on this site. The way you put them in, they are not showing up
Ok I will do that
These are the far away pictures that show a wider view of the plant. I will have to send pics in threes since it looks like I cannot send all of them.
next ones
next
next
next
next
next these are the last ones
Hello again,
Sorry for the later response today, we were tied up all of yesterday after lunch. After looking at your pictures and noticing the greenish yellow fading and browning, I am going to diagnose you with chlorosis. It is not something one thinks about with avocado, because most of the growing is done outside and they are pretty tolerant of bad soils.
I asked you above if you had just changed the soil in the container and you said no. Have you ever changed it in the last 4 years? Do you fertilize ? Container plants tend to loose their nutrients quite easily.
You could have a soil test, but the cure would be what I recommend. Get a larger pot, and make sure it has a drainage hole, and has been sterilized in a week 10% Clorox solution before use. use new, fresh potting soil (for edibles if you are hoping to eat an avocado that may be produced. If not any good potting soil) and then fertilize on a regular schedule starting after about 6 weeks. You can purchase liquid, water soluble, granular or plant stakes. It should be a balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10. Again if you trying to get and eat fruit, use some that is safe for consumption.
I ruled out root rot, fungus disease and insects. The stems you showed in the early pictures are fine, they are just getting ‘woody’ like the trunk of a tree. You will see this in other plants, for example, and older stem of Christmas Cactus.
Below please find some fact sheets to look at:
http://www.avocadosource.com/Journals/AvoResearch/avoresearch_2006_winter.pdf
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/avocado/indoor-avocado-plant-care.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/avocado/repotting-an-avocado.htm
Hope this helps!
Sorry for the later response today, we were tied up all of yesterday after lunch. After looking at your pictures and noticing the greenish yellow fading and browning, I am going to diagnose you with chlorosis. It is not something one thinks about with avocado, because most of the growing is done outside and they are pretty tolerant of bad soils.
I asked you above if you had just changed the soil in the container and you said no. Have you ever changed it in the last 4 years? Do you fertilize ? Container plants tend to loose their nutrients quite easily.
You could have a soil test, but the cure would be what I recommend. Get a larger pot, and make sure it has a drainage hole, and has been sterilized in a week 10% Clorox solution before use. use new, fresh potting soil (for edibles if you are hoping to eat an avocado that may be produced. If not any good potting soil) and then fertilize on a regular schedule starting after about 6 weeks. You can purchase liquid, water soluble, granular or plant stakes. It should be a balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10. Again if you trying to get and eat fruit, use some that is safe for consumption.
I ruled out root rot, fungus disease and insects. The stems you showed in the early pictures are fine, they are just getting ‘woody’ like the trunk of a tree. You will see this in other plants, for example, and older stem of Christmas Cactus.
Below please find some fact sheets to look at:
http://www.avocadosource.com/Journals/AvoResearch/avoresearch_2006_winter.pdf
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/avocado/indoor-avocado-plant-care.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/avocado/repotting-an-avocado.htm
Hope this helps!
To be completely honest with you the avocado plant showed up one day, and my boss said start taking care of it. So if or when it was transplanted I have no idea to tell you the truth. I fertilize it with superthrive, citrus nutritional spray, iron and zinc then foliage pro during the spring/summer month on a monthly basis. I will look into transplanting it tomorrow at some point since I will have some extra time. And I will make sure to give it new soil.
I definitely think the repotting is a good idea! I would only fertilize with the balanced fertilizer.
