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| Location: | Avocado trees should be planted in a location with full sun exposure, or as much sun as possible. Young trees especially need protection from elements such as strong winds, or temperatures below freezing. |
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| Site: | Plant your avocado in a hole that is at least twice the size of the established root ball. Do not set plants any deeper than original soil level in the container. Backfill soil should be amended with a well-composted redwood, or good quality garden compost - no manure. Work in at least 1/3 compost, with 2/3 of your native soil. Above all, your avocado tree requires good draining soil; with heavier soils, add about 1/3 sand to the mixture. |
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| Watering: | Immediately after planting, your tree should be irrigated. Irrigate several times during the first 72 hours to insure that the soil becomes saturated. Following irrigations should be deep and thorough, allowing time for the soil to go slightly dry in between. |
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| Feeding: | Feedings should be done lightly and frequently, approximately every 60 days during the growing season - February through September. Feed with a good commercial brand of citrus and avocado food, available at most retail nurseries. It is also a good idea to leave a ground mulch of old avocado leaves or a well-composted redwood bark, as this provides nutrients to the surface roots of the tree. |
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| Pruning: | Avocados mostly hold a good form on their own. However, if pruning is desired, it should be done in the late spring or early summer. |
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| Sunburn: | Young avocado trees are especially susceptible to sunburn, and their trunks should be whitewashed with a commercial whitewash or a water-based paint. |
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| Fruit Set: | Although many avocado trees will have small fruit set on them direct from the nursery, it should be expected that fruit production will begin again in one to three years after planting. For the benefit of the young tree, all fruit should be removed from the tree during the first year in the ground. This will allow the tree to produce a more stable root system, and a larger canopy, capable of holding more fruit in the future. |