Avocado Tree

(Question)

Hi There,

Two weeks ago I had a large 80 year old Avocado tree moved from Montreal to Toronto. It was in a storage facility for several days.The leaves were all dead when they arrived, so the mover cut them off and said it would come back. It wept a brown fluid that smelled bad.

I had it downstairs near the window but it wasn’t thriving, so I moved it to my room upstairs which has a lot more light and is very similar to the spot it thrived in in montreal. But it’s not thriving, it’s getting smellier and the branches are mushy. Can I get it back or is it too far gone?

It was my grandmothers and I moved it to Toronto after my dad passed away.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

(Answer)

Unfortunately it sounds like your Avocado tree is too far gone for revival.  To be completely sure, cut off all of the mushy rotted material and discard.  Try to go down into the root to see if there are any “hard” bits left.  There may be some of the root that can be saved, but it does seem unlikely.  If there is any part of the plant that is not soft to the touch, try replanting in a new pot with new planting medium.  Avocados are very susceptible to rotting due to over watering and being in a container with inadequate drainage.

I have to say I am terribly impressed that you were able to keep this lovely tropical growing indoors for 80 years!  These trees thrive in full sun and hot weather – how it lived indoors that long is truly remarkable.  I am very interested to know, what size container did this tree grow in?  How often did you change the soil?  And what and how often did you fertilize?

It is sad that you have lost a tree with so much history, but perhaps you can start a new tradition by planting a brand new Avocado!  Good luck