Avocados are so delicious, so it can be disappointing when your tree fails to grow and produce fruit. The three species of avocados that are commercially grown are Persea nubigena var. guatamalensis, Persea americana var. drymifolia and Persea americana var. americana, all hardy in USDA zones 10 through 11.
There are a few mistakes people make that cause avocado tree growing failure. The good news is that you can fix them.
1. Poor drainage
First, avocado trees need perfect soil and perfect drainage. Anything less than that is not good enough for the avocado trees. The best soil mix for avocados is sandy lome mixed with lots of organic matter.
You will need to prepare the mound of soil on site before you plant the tree. This helps and encourage the avocado tree to create a lot of surface roots which is really important for the overall success. After you prepared the soil plant the tree.
2. You don’t mulch
After you’ve planted the tree, you will need to mulch around the tree. Use organic mulch. The best type of mulch for avocados is lucerne hay mulch because it breaks down quickly and it adds nutrients into the soil. Also, lucerne mulch retains the moisture.
3. Irregular watering
When growing avocado trees the goal is to get a shallow root system all over the mound of soil. In order to do that you should keep the soil moist at all times with regular watering. The soil under the mulch should be kept with an even level of moisture in it. That means regular watering.
You can also add Gypsum clay breaker. Soil particles are brought together into clumps, thus enabling better water penetration. As the soil brakes, add more organic matter and more mulch to the mound.
4. Lack of protection from sunburn
The young, light green stems are prone to sunburn. So, until the leaves are grown enough to provide protection, it is up to you to construct some kind of shade around the tree to protect it from the sun.
5. Lack of protection from frost
Frost is another thing to be mindful of. You should also cover the tree to protect it from frost (even if there are leaves on the stems.)
Avocado trees require some more TLC until they become hardy enough and grow in size of about 6 feet tree. It is really important to protect it from sunburn and frost.
So, if you give the tree all the things it needs, you will enjoy its fruits in about three years.
Source: daleysfr YouTube Channel
