All photo credits for this article go to Ashley Ariane Vasquez and Zachary Dripps
Written by Eva Monheim
Written by Eva Monheim
An Avocado Tree Gets a New Lease on Life from Attentive Homeowners
One of the numerous things I do for my horticultural business is garden coaching. My coaching provides many rewards for clients including empowering them to increase their gardening skills and increase their problem solving abilities in the garden. Coaching has a cascading effect that helps homeowners to be more observant and more sensitive to their garden spaces.
My work includes in-person visits or Zoom visits. Each visit is documented with photographs, videos, and notes which includes the intent of the space, the number of family members using the space, the age of children if there are any, if there are pets, and so on.
Notes, videos, and photographs are taken by me and/or my clients.
Remote clients photograph their progress so that I can see what they have completed and for their own records of success.
About a year ago, I was introduced to a couple in Los Angeles. They had just moved into their new home and were walking around their garden with their friends when they noticed their avocado tree was looking wilted.
The leaves looked wilted and they were spotted which is another issue that I write to them about in my report.
It just so happened that one of their friends that evening, was my son. Andrew told his friends that his mom does remote garden coaching, and she may be able to help them with the tree problem. Andrew gave them my contact information and we set up a time to do a recorded Zoom conference call.
During the call Ashley and Zachary were able to walk around the garden and show me their tree and the rest of their property. We discussed the issues with the avocado tree, and we discussed future uses for the garden areas as they walked around. I sent them a copy of the video session for their records along with a report.
On careful inspection of the tree, I noticed at the base of the tree a sprinkler head and a wet spot. It looked like the tree was wilting from too much water. In California, especially in LA, few trees suffer from root rot because of the dry climate – unless there is a sprinkler issue.
I asked Zachary and Ashley to do some careful excavation around the tree roots to see what was happening.
Within a day I found out that the tree was sitting in water with a thick landscape fabric beneath the soil.
I asked them to remove the sandy soil on top the cloth and then remove the cloth. (Photo left)
Evidently, when the couple started removing the cloth, they discovered that the cloth was under the entire garden.
Landscape fabric is less than ideal for any garden. I have seen my fair share of serious issues with the use of landscape fabric. (I will tell you more about this in another post.)
I had Ashley and Zachary shut off the irrigation nozzle at the base of the tree. They were able to do this manually to let the tree dry out.
I asked Zachary and Ashley to do some careful excavation around the tree roots to see what was happening.
Within a day I found out that the tree was sitting in water with a thick landscape fabric beneath the soil.
I asked them to remove the sandy soil on top the cloth and then remove the cloth. (Photo left)
Evidently, when the couple started removing the cloth, they discovered that the cloth was under the entire garden.
Landscape fabric is less than ideal for any garden. I have seen my fair share of serious issues with the use of landscape fabric. (I will tell you more about this in another post.)
I had Ashley and Zachary shut off the irrigation nozzle at the base of the tree. They were able to do this manually to let the tree dry out.
What most people don’t realize about the symptoms of overwatering is their similar visual symptoms as plants that don’t have enough water – a visual called flagging. Flagging means the leaves are no longer standing out from the branches but are hanging limp on the tree – very much like a flag hanging down a flagpole on a calm day.
Before the house was purchased there was a complete redo of the home. Landscape fabric was put on the entire property under a level layer of hard sand. The sand was rolled like one would roll asphalt or clay on a road or tennis court. This reduces oxygen in the soil and compresses the roots.
In the picture to the right you can see how compressed the soil is - as if the soil is a paving material.
Before the house was purchased there was a complete redo of the home. Landscape fabric was put on the entire property under a level layer of hard sand. The sand was rolled like one would roll asphalt or clay on a road or tennis court. This reduces oxygen in the soil and compresses the roots.
In the picture to the right you can see how compressed the soil is - as if the soil is a paving material.
Once the fabric was ripped up under the tree, I asked Ashley and Zachary to get a large garden drill bit and drill holes approximately two feet apart in a grid pattern under the entire tree. (See photo to the left)
As the drill bit was pulling the soil out of the ground, I asked them to put the soil in a bucket. The holes were allowing air to penetrate the soil.
Once this chore was done, I asked Ashley and Zachary to mix the soil and take out one cup of soil and dry it out to send it in for soil testing. I reviewed the soil test documents with them and then had Zachary and Ashley send the forms out to the University of Massachusetts’ soil laboratory. I explained that the soil test will determine pH and what nutrients the soil might be lacking or nutrients that may be in excess.
Zachary and Ashley did a great job taking the soil test and did additional soil tests around the rest of the garden to find out if there were any huge differences in soil nutrients and pH from one area to the next.
As the drill bit was pulling the soil out of the ground, I asked them to put the soil in a bucket. The holes were allowing air to penetrate the soil.
Once this chore was done, I asked Ashley and Zachary to mix the soil and take out one cup of soil and dry it out to send it in for soil testing. I reviewed the soil test documents with them and then had Zachary and Ashley send the forms out to the University of Massachusetts’ soil laboratory. I explained that the soil test will determine pH and what nutrients the soil might be lacking or nutrients that may be in excess.
Zachary and Ashley did a great job taking the soil test and did additional soil tests around the rest of the garden to find out if there were any huge differences in soil nutrients and pH from one area to the next.
While they were waiting for the soil test to come back, I then told them to go to the local garden center and buy numerous bags of Bumper Crop Organic Soil Builder. I looked up all the garden centers in their area and found one store that carried the product.
I then instructed them to use the Bumper Crop to fill in the holes that they dug with the drill bit and put the remaining product on the top of the soil.
(See photo to the left.)
The Bumper Crop adds valuable nitrogen found in cow manure and also contains endo and ecto mycorrhizae to help nutrient uptake for the tree's roots.
During this same time period, LA received numerous torrential rain storms which helped the Bump Crop to settle in. I recommended watering the tree by hand once a week during the drier spells.
When the soil test came back, I reviewed the results with Zachary and Ashley and sent them an eight page report explaining that the soil was excessively high in potassium and phosphorus and very low in nitrogen so instead of using a nitrogen fertilizer in addition to the Bumper Crop, I recommended seeding the area under the tree with white clover a nitrogen fixing plant to help slowly add nitrogen to the soil. The clover would not only fill in the area but will also keep the tree roots cool.
I then instructed them to use the Bumper Crop to fill in the holes that they dug with the drill bit and put the remaining product on the top of the soil.
(See photo to the left.)
The Bumper Crop adds valuable nitrogen found in cow manure and also contains endo and ecto mycorrhizae to help nutrient uptake for the tree's roots.
During this same time period, LA received numerous torrential rain storms which helped the Bump Crop to settle in. I recommended watering the tree by hand once a week during the drier spells.
When the soil test came back, I reviewed the results with Zachary and Ashley and sent them an eight page report explaining that the soil was excessively high in potassium and phosphorus and very low in nitrogen so instead of using a nitrogen fertilizer in addition to the Bumper Crop, I recommended seeding the area under the tree with white clover a nitrogen fixing plant to help slowly add nitrogen to the soil. The clover would not only fill in the area but will also keep the tree roots cool.
In less than a year of the processes carried out, the avocado tree has sprung back dramatically. The leaves are now more turgid (standing more upright). The tree has a ton of blooms for a future crop of avocados.
The photo to the left shows what the tree looked like in March, 2023 - six months after the original treatments. New leaves were beginning to emerge along with the flower buds.
The photo to the left shows what the tree looked like in March, 2023 - six months after the original treatments. New leaves were beginning to emerge along with the flower buds.
Here is what the tree looks like now September, 2023. No more flagging leaves and there are a ton of avocados on the tree.
The success of Zachary and Ashley’s work has given them confidence to do other projects around their garden. I can't wait to work with them again to see what they do next!
The success of Zachary and Ashley’s work has given them confidence to do other projects around their garden. I can't wait to work with them again to see what they do next!
Here are Zachary, Marlee - their darling dog, and Ashley holding a cocktail.
Cheers for a job well done!
If you are interested in finding out more about garden coaching, I can be reached at [email protected].
Cheers for a job well done!
If you are interested in finding out more about garden coaching, I can be reached at [email protected].
Sources
Bumper Crop Soil Builder
https://coastofmaine.com/product/bumpercrop/
Bumper Crop Soil Builder - Master Nursery
www.masternursery.com/product/bumper-crop-soil-builder-2/#prettyPhoto
California Avocados
https://californiaavocado.com/how-to/how-to-grow-your-own-avocado-tree/
E.B. Stone
www.ebstone.org/
Fruit Growers Supply
Avocado Diseases You Need to Know About
https://fruitgrowers.com/avocado-diseases-you-need-to-know-about/
Homestead and Chill
https://homesteadandchill.com/how-to-grow-avocados/
Power Planter®
https://powerplanter.com/drills-and-augers/gardening-augers/
Sego Nursery
https://tinyurl.com/4fbassve
Texas A & M AgriLife Extension
Texas Plant Disease Handbook
Avocado
https://plantdiseasehandbook.tamu.edu/food-crops/fruit-crops/avocado/
University of Massachusetts Soil Laboratory
https://ag.umass.edu/services/soil-plant-nutrient-testing-laboratory
https://ag.umass.edu/soil-plant-nutrient-testing-laboratory/fact-sheets/sampling-instructions-for-routine-soil-analysis
https://ag.umass.edu/services/soil-plant-nutrient-testing-laboratory/lab-services