Avocado trees are dense evergreens that bear oil-rich fruit.
Avocados resemble vegetables, but are actually a fruit. Also referred to as an alligator pear, the avocado grows from an evergreen tree with dense leaves that shed in early spring. The fruit, like the olive, is high in oil content and can help reduce cholesterol. According to Urban Harvest, avocado trees often die within the first year of planting because of poor drainage, insufficient irrigation and sunburn. To grow and maintain a healthy avocado tree, it is important to pay special attention during these first 12 months.
Instructions
Planting
1. Purchase a grafted avocado tree from a nursery. Planting an avocado tree from a seed is possible, but the tree will not produce fruit.
2. Determine a location in your yard for the avocado tree. California Rare Fruit Growers recommends an area with at least 20 feet of space --- avocado roots often choke surrounding plant life --- with full sunlight. Avocado trees grow best in raised areas; low areas or stream beds are unsuitable.
3. Dig a deep bowl into the raised area large enough to contain the grafted tree. Place the tree into the bowl and cover with enough soil so that the graft, which looks like a lump or line in the trunk, is above the soil line at the bottom of the bowl.
4. Slowly add soil, loose, decomposed granite or sandy loam, to the bowl over the course of 18 months to three years, until the graft is underground. This protects the tree from freezing during the cold months.
Care
5. Dig a small hole about 9 inches deep around the tree and squeeze the soil with your fingers. If the soil sticks together, no irrigation is needed; if the soil is dry or loose, water the tree. Make sure the soil is not wet just before the first winter freeze.
6. Mix together equal parts white latex paint with water to create whitewash. Paint the branches and trunk of the avocado tree for the first year or two to protect the branches from sunburn. Once the leaves become dense after the first one or two years, whitewashing is not necessary.
7. Apply a balanced fertilizer to the area around your tree after the first year. Continue this four times a year immediately after blooming.
8. Wrap the tree trunk with a protective tin trunk wrap to discourage rats and squirrels from eating the fruit.
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