Your love for avocados may have convinced you to plant an avocado tree, but maintenance is a different beast. You must ensure the tree is well cared for if you want fruit.
Of course, the chances of you getting fruit from indoor avocado plants are already slim.
Still, care is essential, which means regular pruning. Once you’ve had the tree for a while, you’ll notice it has dead or brown leaves. The answer is yes if you’re wondering whether you should cut the dead leaves off your avocado tree. The leaves are dead and serve no purpose since the tree can’t renew them. So, removal is the best option.
Regular pruning removes dead leaves and helps the tree grow. Avocado trees don’t branch well, so if you don’t cut them regularly, you’ll end up with a weak tree with just a few leaves. Let’s examine proper pruning techniques and why your leaves might be drying up.
Why Do the Leaves Turn Brown?
Avocado trees are evergreen, so they shouldn’t shed their leaves completely. A few dead leaves are okay, but if you see a ton of them drying up, it’s time to do something.
Here are a few reasons why your leaves might be wilting.
- Insufficient Water and Excess Sunlight
Avocado trees need a lot of water, especially when it’s hot. If they don’t get enough water, they’re more likely to get sunburnt, which will cause the leaves to dry up and fall off. Ideally, you should water the tree until the water gets two feet below the surface.
Using your fingers, you can check later to see if the tree needs more water. Stick your fingers into the dirt to see whether the top two to four inches are moist. Don’t overwater the tree, as that can cause fungal growth. Plus, make sure your plant doesn’t get too much direct sunlight.
- Excess Chloride
Avocado may need water, but it doesn’t need the accompanying salt. If you don’t water the plant properly (the water stays on the surface), the salt will build up in the soil.
Since chloride salts harm avocado plants, the leaves will start turning brown. Make sure the soil around the tree drains well.
- Pests and Disease
Pests and diseases can also harm the plant, causing the leaves to turn brown. Be on the lookout for fungal diseases, and ensure you don’t use the same tools for healthy and unhealthy plants.
That’s because using the same tools will spread the disease.
- Wrong Temperature and Humidity
Low temperatures can also cause the leaves to turn brown. If the damage isn’t too severe, the plant may be able to recover. Excess humidity also damages the leaves.
That’s because leaves take up way more water than they need, which wrecks the structure.
How to Prune An Avocado Tree?
The first step is to remove any dead leaves or branches. Afterwards, it depends on the tree’s age. If it’s a new plant, cut the top off so it can branch out more. You can keep doing this to encourage growth.
However, it would be best if you were careful about how much foliage you cut. If you want to keep a branch, don’t cut more than one-third of it.
When to Prune the Avocado Tree?
When you first get the plant, you’ll need to prune it twice a year. However, once it develops, you can reduce this ritual to once a year. We recommend waiting for warm (but not hot) temperatures before pruning.
January to May would be perfect as it gives the plant time to recover before winter. Avoid pruning the plant during the rainy season.
How to Take Care of the Tree after pruning?
You pruned the avocado tree to prompt healthy growth. However, you need to provide the necessary conditions for the plant to do that.
Some of these conditions are:
- Potting/ Repotting
You have to keep repotting the avocado so that the size of the plant matches the size of the pot. Choose a pot that’s bigger than the height of the plant to ensure it doesn’t get too heavy at the top.
The bigger pot helps the roots grow well and keeps the plant from falling over.
- Proper Soil Drainage
You must use soil that drains well to prevent the water from getting stagnant. We recommend mixing soil with a bit of sand to maintain aeration.
You can top all this off with mulch to help the soil retain moisture.
- Watering Schedule
Your avocado plant needs water, but you can overwater it. When watering the plant, do it slowly to ensure it penetrates the deeper layers. When it’s time to water the plant again, check for moisture in the soil by touching it.
Change the schedule depending on the temperature and humidity.
- Sunlight
Avocado plants need sunlight, but the light can’t be too strong. Avoid placing the plant in direct sunlight. Otherwise, it may burn.
Choose a spot that is sunny but has a shelter for the plant.
- Temperature and Humidity
Avocado thrives in warm temperatures with decent humidity. That’s because avocado plants are tropical.
If your area has cold temperatures, you’ll need to move the plant inside your house.
- Winter Care
Avocado plants can’t withstand cold temperatures, so you’ll need to bring the plant in during the winter. The ideal time to bring the plant in would be October. Once inside, you’ll need to maintain humidity levels.
You can buy a humidifier or put some water near the radiator. When the water evaporates, it adds to the air’s humidity levels. Some avocado plants lose a few leaves during the winter, but that’s okay.
Conclusion
Depending on the cause of the dead leaves, they may fall by themselves or you may need to prune the tree. We recommend pruning the tree regularly to ensure proper growth.
If you’re growing the plant from pure seeds, it may take ten years for there to be any avocados. You can buy a mature plant from the nursery if you want the fruit. To get the best growth, you need to prune and pay attention to the water, temperature, and humidity levels.