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Avocados have enjoyed considerable popularity as houseplants in recent years, as they are relatively easy to grow from seed. But in its natural habitat, the avocado has the appearance of a huge tree and is not particularly enthusiastic about living in a room. Therefore, many lovers of growing tropical trees are faced with the fact that avocado leaves dry or ugly spots are found on them, and soon the plants may even be left with a bare stem. All possible causes of this phenomenon, as well as ways to eliminate them, will be listed below.
Why do avocado leaves dry?
At home, avocado leaves dry and turn black due to many different reasons. And the most basic and common reason is the discrepancy between the conditions for keeping avocado plants and what they need for normal growth and development. It often happens that people spread their own stereotypes and thoughts on plants about how and what needs to be done with them so that they feel good. But this does not always correspond to the true needs of the plant itself.
Finally, all plants, like people, are also susceptible to disease and parasite attacks. And those of them whose immunity has been weakened by inappropriate care, even more than others.
Therefore, it is most important to try to initially create the most suitable conditions for avocados and carry out various preventive measures than to deal with the consequences in the form of diseases and ailments.
Unsuitable growing conditions
The main problem when trying to grow tropical or subtropical plants at home is the mismatch between natural and indoor conditions. Indeed, in nature, these plants are adapted to a very specific combination of temperature, humidity and the amount of sunlight. In addition, avocados, being quite large trees, form a considerable root system, which requires very capacious containers. Not every home has room for large and deep pots. Avocados, on the other hand, are also distinguished by intensive growth rates, especially in the early years. This must also be taken into account when growing this tropical exotic.
So, the first and most common reason why avocados dry, blacken and fall leaves is an unsuitable container for planting. The pot may not be too large in width, but it must be deep, like for palm trees. After all, the root of an avocado from the very first months of life begins to purposefully grow down. The main stem also quickly begins to develop upwards. As soon as the root reaches the bottom of the pot, it will have nowhere to develop, it will begin to bend to the sides. As a result, the leaves will begin to dry and fall off. In principle, there is nothing to worry about, because in their place, with appropriate care, new leaves will immediately begin to form. But you have to come to terms with the fact that for some time the avocado will not look quite decorative.
Therefore, when transplanting in the first year, it is better to prepare a narrow but deep pot. And subsequently increase its depth every year by 10-15 cm.
Avocados do not like extreme heat or frost. The optimal conditions for growth are about + 18-20 °C. In winter, it is desirable to reduce the temperature while increasing daylight hours and its intensity. After all, avocado leaves dry along the edges, mainly due to low air humidity combined with high temperatures around. It is necessary to either increase the humidity of the air, or lower its temperature.
And from a lack of light, which is not uncommon in winter, avocado leaves can turn pale, lose their bright and juicy color, and brown spots may even appear on them. Moreover, under natural conditions, avocados grow in the bright sun, and they need at least a few hours a day to soak up its rays.
Improper care
For avocados, not only timely and suitable watering in terms of volume is very important, but also the quality of the water used in this case. Water for irrigation should be taken purified (filtered) without excess salts and only at temperatures above room temperature. From watering with cold water, the leaves can dry and turn black. And the amount of water used for irrigation is highly dependent on lighting and ambient temperature. In summer, at high temperatures, the soil in a pot of avocados should practically not dry out. Only the topmost layer of 2-3 cm can dry out. But in winter, when kept at low temperatures, watering can be significantly reduced. But, if it is not possible to reduce the temperature of the content in winter, then watering should be quite plentiful, slightly less than in summer. But if you still overdo it with watering, then the leaves of the avocado also turn black. Indeed, in winter, much less light falls on them, which means that the need for water also decreases.
In winter, it is better to pay more attention to increasing the humidity of the surrounding air, and not the soil in the pot. To do this, you can spray the crown with warm water several times a day or place sphagnum moss in a pan, constantly moistening it. A good option is to place a group of plants with similar moisture requirements together and close to the humidifier.
All these attempts to correct the situation do not always lead to the desired result, and avocados may continue to dry and turn black leaves. Sometimes untimely and incorrect transplantation leads to such a result.
It is necessary to replant the plant very carefully, trying to completely preserve the earthen ball on the roots. The soil for adding to the pot is prepared from equal parts of humus, garden soil and sand, it is advisable to add sphagnum. Peat is not very desirable, as avocados do not tolerate acidic soils, and it is very easy to add an excess of it.
The procedure should be timed to the spring period, when all processes occur an order of magnitude faster. But it happens that everything is done correctly, but the leaves still could not be saved. If this happened as a result of a transplant, then do not despair. It is necessary to regularly (1-2 times a week) spray the bare trunk with Epin or another immunostimulant, and the leaves will soon reappear, greener and more beautiful than before.
In order for the avocado to gain strength for the formation and growth of new leaves, it must be additionally fed at such moments. But there may be some danger in feeding. Indeed, in a pot there is relatively little land for a voluminous root system of a tree and concentrated fertilizers can simply burn its thin young roots. Therefore, for top dressing, you can use any complex fertilizers for indoor or decorative foliage plants, but it is better to dilute them in half the concentration than indicated in the instructions. It is optimal to repeat the feeding procedure in a week or two.
Avocado diseases
Under favorable conditions, avocados are rarely affected by various diseases and parasites. But with a decrease in immunity when kept in conditions that are not the most suitable for it, the plant can be attacked by pests and diseases.
The most common diseases in indoor conditions, which arise primarily from improper watering, are various fungal infections.
Powdery mildew appears as a whitish coating on the leaves. Moreover, it is the lower leaves that dry first in avocados in a pot, turn yellow and fall off. And new leaves already initially climb with various kinds of deformations. The disease can quickly spread to neighboring plants, so the diseased specimen should be isolated from others as soon as possible.
To cope with powdery mildew, the leaves are completely removed and burned. The upper part of the soil is replaced with fresh soil, and the leaves and branches themselves are sprayed with a solution of soap and soda or potassium permanganate. You can also shed and spray the avocado with one of the fungicides: Strobi, Topaz, Thiovitjet.
An equally dangerous problem is the defeat of avocados by root rot and late blight. The first disease most often appears due to poor drainage and waterlogging of the soil. Phytophthora is easily tolerated with water, tools, clothing. Both of these diseases are reflected primarily in the condition of the leaves of the avocado. They dry, blacken, become covered with spots of different shades and configurations.
Double treatment of the soil and all green parts of the plant with fungicides Ridomil-Gold or Fitolavin will help to cope with diseases.
vermin
In room conditions, with increased dryness of the air, almost all plants can be attacked by a spider mite. If the tips of the leaves of the avocados dry and at first a barely noticeable mottling appears on them, then the first step is to check their reverse side with a magnifying glass for the presence of small black dots.
With a significant damage to plants on the leaves, you can see even the smallest cobweb, which covers their cuttings. If there are few pests, then simply washing the leaves with warm water and potassium soap will help to remove them. When a cobweb appears, avocados should be sprayed with Fitoverm, Vermitek or Actofit at least 2-3 times with an interval between treatments of 4-5 days.
Scale insects are a frequent guest on avocados. These tiny pests live mainly on the stems of plants or on the lower veins of leaves. They suck the juice from the green part of the avocado, and the leaves turn yellow and dry. Scale insects can be removed manually using a solution with tar soap.
Preventive measures
The most basic preventive measure for maintaining avocados in a healthy state is to place the plant in the most favorable conditions for its development. It:
- abundance of sunlight and 12-hour daylight hours;
- moderately warm temperatures throughout the year;
- moderately abundant watering with warm purified water;
- sufficient air humidity.
The latter conditions are especially important for the prevention of pests and diseases.
Conclusion
If the avocado leaves dry, do not immediately grab onto strong chemicals. It is better to first check the situation for compliance with all the basic requirements that an avocado makes for its content. Perhaps the plant just needs a transplant or more careful care.
