Need help! Super Haas dying.

[Skitlett]

My Super Haas had branches going black. It started last April but it seems the spread rapidly started. It didn't even clear this year because the buds turned black.

I talked to my nursery and they suggested we planned it back into a pot with fresh soil, mulch, and root hormone.

I also have been spraying it with copper and phos fungicide, but it seems the spread is becoming more rapid.

I called fruitscapes but I think they're temporarily closed. I think it's a lost cause, but any suggestions on how to save it would be welcomed.

It fruited okay for the second year. I've had it three years.

[skhan]

How tall is the tree? It a little hard to get scale from the picture.
Also what size pot and soil?
Has the pot dried out recently?
Barring any watering mishaps, I would guess the most likely culprit is letting the tree fruit too early.
It's a good idea to let even in ground tree grow for 3 years without fruiting.
Growing in pots can be tricky because you likely want to control the size and letting it fruit is a good way to do that. But it can be hard to get right especially with trees with bigger fruits.

[JCorte]

Hi Skitlett,

To me it looks like overwatering and root rot issues.  Avocados like well draining soil, and when I plant in the ground I do not mix any compost or amendments in the soil.  If soil is not well draining better to plant on a mound.  Add compost and deep mulch on top of the soil.

Now that you've transplanted it into a pot, I would cut back your main trunk to live growth and cut all dead branches off.  Put in shady spot to recover and let soil dry in between watering.  Not sure what your root system looks like, but I would foliar spray with diluted food that contains micronutrients so the plant can absorb nutrients through the leaves until roots establish.

Avocados benefit from plenty of calcium for optimal health.  For in ground trees, regular applications of gypsum can be helpful.  Next time you want to plant avocado into the ground, maybe plant several seeds, pick the strongest grower and then graft the variety you'd like onto it.  Good luck with your tree.

Janet

[CTMIAMI]

Thow it out and get a new one. Trees like that will always struggle.

[sc4001992]

I agree with Carlos. It looks dead already. When you start cutting back the tree as mentioned above, you will probably see that there is no green/live part of the main tree on your plant. If you need to cut below the graft union to see green/live wood then you don't have a Hass anyways, and even though you have a small new leaf on the lowest small side branch, it looks like it will also die in a month. Good luck.

[johnb51]

You shouldn't have left in the pot so long.  Avocado trees need to develop a system of SHALLOW, SPREADING roots.  Just throw it out at this point.

[JCorte]

I thought the same as you guys, but poster seemed attached to the tree and wanted to try and save it.  Maybe since it's already at this point, you can use it as a learning experience to see what happens. 

Personally I learned a lot about how to improve as a gardener through plant losses.

Best of luck for your next tree.  I would still advise you to plant avocado seeds and graft after a year.

Janet

[Skitlett]

I thought root rot, too. Tree was 10'. I recently cut off the black parts so the tree is only about 5' tall now.

I'm more attached to it because it was my first big purchase in my new home. I followed IFAS guide and since I have hardclay soil, I put it on a mound.

I'm just bummed about the tree. Took off the fruit the first year, let one fruit grow the second year, then tree is dying the third year. 

Should I try to air layer the trunk or cut off the truck and try to root it? I feel it's still trying to grow!

Thanks everyone.

[Skitlett]

Photos from April, may, and August.

[Skitlett]

I thought the same as you guys, but poster seemed attached to the tree and wanted to try and save it.  Maybe since it's already at this point, you can use it as a learning experience to see what happens. 

Personally I learned a lot about how to improve as a gardener through plant losses.

Best of luck for your next tree.  I would still advise you to plant avocado seeds and graft after a year.

Janet

I have a tree since seed. It's about three years old and about two feet tall. This is doing well, but I think it'll fit in ten years?

[johnb51]

I thought root rot, too. Tree was 10'. I recently cut off the black parts so the tree is only about 5' tall now.

I'm more attached to it because it was my first big purchase in my new home. I followed IFAS guide and since I have hardclay soil, I put it on a mound.

I'm just bummed about the tree. Took off the fruit the first year, let one fruit grow the second year, then tree is dying the third year. 

Should I try to air layer the trunk or cut off the truck and try to root it? I feel it's still trying to grow!

Thanks everyone.

Try to move on.  I love my trees like their my children, but I've had to learn to just move on when a tree doesn't work out, and it's happened more than once.  Right now I've got a Day avocado tree that has to go.  (I would recommend that you never plant a Day avocado.)

[JCorte]

Skitlett,

Seedlings can grow really fast once they establish good roots.  What about grafting from your tree before you lose it onto your seedling?  If it's still trying to grow you can use the time to get scions from it. 

Agree with everyone else that the tree will likely always struggle and probably not worth saving for the long term. 

Janet

[sc4001992]

I wouldn't cut that small new leaf branch trying to grow onto a seedling. It will just die since the only green part of his tree is ready to go anyways.

Skitlett, I suggest you learn to graft, not that hard to graft avocados. Then just buy a nice named variety from our forum members ($5 a scionwood) and graft onto your 3yr old seedling. This is the best option you have.

If you don't know how to graft or don't feel comfortable doing it after watching many YouTube videos, then I can help you out. Tell me what variety you want grafted and I will graft one on my seedling and sell it to you for a reasonable cost. Shipping will cost as much as the grafted plant.

[JCorte]

Kaz, I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said, but seems Skitlett has an attachment to the original tree.  Something I can relate to.  I don’t think there’s any loss in trying to graft from this tree.  I’ve saved plenty of plants that didn’t look like they were going to make it.  If it doesn’t work, I’m happy to share scions from my orchard as well.

Skitlett, I don’t mean to presume what you are thinking, just wish you the best of luck in growing your avocado tree.  Message me if or when you need scions.

Janet

[sc4001992]

Janet, yes it doesn't hurt to try to graft it, the tree will eventually die so might as well try grafting any live portion of a small branch if you know how to do it. But if that is the only small branch that may grow out, you might end up killing the rest of that tree sooner since i don't see any other parts of the tree with fresh/live branch, and the plant will probably not send up any more new growth from the roots.