If you believe that every plant is a living organism then you'd also believe you could talk to them, do you? I do.
I usually sweet talk all of my plants specially the berries to encourage them to fruit a lot and trust me, they do.
If only, a translating engine that speaks for plants has already been invented so we could hear them talk, I'd definitely buy one. However, I'd probably freak out if a plant or two inside my house would suddenly scream out of pain or whine because I came short at providing them something or actually overdid it.
Unfortunately, plants can't talk and they could only do their own sign language.
Among the dozen of avocado plants I'm growing inside my house, this one's the one I talk to the most and the oldest. It has always looked so healthy, radiant and its leaves have never had any problem compared to the rest which would brown every time the temperature drops till I went on the thermal bath escapade with hubby.
Since we slept in the hotel during those days, we turned the heating off so I let it sit under the glass ceiling in the kitchen where the sun could peer hoping it would be warm enough. The rest just sat on their usual place. I came back home and found this with scorched leaf tips .
At first, I thought it's because it had been sunny that day and the glass must have burned it but a week later more leaves got scorched and it's not just their tip but I woke up to a leaf or two - burned to crispiness of the ash of a vampire that's been exposed to the sun.
I asked whether I should water it more because I only give it water every four days since it's winter and I actually moved it to a nook far from direct sunlight but bright enough so its chefs could still cook enough food for itself but the scorched tips seem to continue and two of its leaves have started getting brown spots, too.
The other younger avocado plants are also suffering from the usual browning spots of the leaves but they're just shedding those leaves off and bearing healthy looking - new sprouts the moment they fall off them.
This one's case is different because I just wake up to one of the new sprouts looking all crispy scorched the next day as if something has burned it overnight.
What could I be doing wrong? .. or not doing at all that should actually be done to help it get off its agony? Should I put some fertilizer on it? Which one?
I already plucked 5 of its leaves off just incase its any viral infection am not aware of but it still seems to continue and I'm getting worried because I really want this one to grow healthy be it fruit or not just because I already got attached to it like I used to back then, to all the pets I had before.
Unfortunately, I don't speak avocado so no amount of asking it about what could be wrong on a daily basis - would ever give me an answer so I've decided to ask you instead.
Do you speak avocado? Could you please play doctor for my dear plant and help me salvage it for whatever is tormenting it silently? ... and I thank you already ^ __ ^ .
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hello dear friend @ englishtchrivy how are you
You know that these are not indoor plants, because they require a lot of light, they can be indoors only in the winter, so I recommend that you change it and place it closer to the window or a door to receive direct light. , another thing you can do is add some more compost and finally make the test and give with mineral water without chlorine, maybe your water has a lot of chlorine.
estero that these three councils serve much
I wish you a beautiful weekend
you're so right @jlufer
they're not
I can't add compost in its pot not with the risk of bugs in the house
as for our water here, I think only in The Netherlands can you actually drink pure water from the tap
it's perfectly clean
I don't think we have chlorine in our drinking water and this one only gets tap water
or old tea but after this happened I haven't given it any tea drink
btw, the tea drink is always given to it cold :D
thank you for the suggestion though
@jlufer:
maybe im stoned but huh?
How can they be indoor in the winter (When here in the winter there is even less light)When you say they require a lot of light??
No offence though i just like to understand what im reading :)
Hi guys! I don't really know if avocado trees can hibernate during winter (It's a tropical plant), so the correct explanation is that you are going to have a hard time during winter either you can get it indoors or if you leave it outside! The correct term for plants "powering up" isn't just sunlight, it's also heat. So, if you decide to move or not the plant indoors, the approach has to be to keep it warm and moisted enough (if you can do so) in order to allow the plant to keep growing without entering an hibernation mode*. I will try to elaborate better (english isn't my first language) in a comment below. I do "speak avocado" a lot, and I've been studying and learning how they grow at least for 5 years now. Cheers!
*I don't know, if someone actually states that avocado trees can indeed hibernate.
I have a bunch of very young avocado plants with many leaves as big as my head, and I use a special trick or a couple in order to obtain that result. Growing them into pots, and a special method I'm currently developing by myself. It involves the correct understanding of how sunlight, humidity, air and soil are involved in a plant's growth.
hi @steamdan, thank you for all your comments
they're quite a lot !
I think I agree that it's the draining capacity of the soil indeed
We had avocado trees in my granpa's house and it even survived days of floods after huge tropical storm so perhaps it's not the watering. Anyhow, I'm letting it thirst as I poked the soil and it seems harder after apr. 20cm so it must be solid at the bottom therefore, it needs getting its soil replaced
good luck with all your avocados and I hope you take good care of them and they fruit eventually. This one's almost 6 years old if I calculated right.
Thank you! I hope the avocado adventures never end! Same to you, hopefully we all will be able to grow stronger after rough times. You also taked about something quite important, the usefulness of communication, and even with a plant you can share not only opinions but empathic thoughts and emotions. So, kudos to you for bringing people together to share, learn and to help!
I took another reading at your post, just in case I left out anything you said, and I think I can give you one more trick. Get vaseline and a small/medium size brush and apply it carefully, painting with a thin layer everything from the trunk, branches and leaves (only the upside part), the more you do a good job around the sprouts the better. Make sure it doesn't get too sticky though, just an even and thin layer will do the trick. You will notice inmediately how everything painted will look brighter and brought to life, and that helps the plant against its dehydration. After giving it a little more thought I think that besides the soil, you also need to understand how humidity functions around a plant. In the case of an avocado, everything has to be moisted enough (even the air), and the vaseline will help with everything above the soil, it will be now up to you to figure how to fix the soil, remember that an avocado root system is super fragile and if you stress it enough the plant will die, so you shouldn't make any aocado plant strive too long for water, just keep the humidity levels at a friendly zone for them (Here I try to water them even twice or three times a day, and where you have this one may be as dry as my climate). I only recommend for an avocado to be transplanted when your going to a much bigger pot or space in the ground. but without damaging or pressing in any way its roots! You have to be very careful about that, I have lost many avocado plants because of that lack of humidity and a concrete-like pressed soil. The vaseline will help to make the plant a lot stronger from the ground up, but the roots are another story, so, the best of luck with that. Hope you can do this trick and if you need some asistance I can maybe record a clip and post it, or upload a couple of more pics. Take care and happy growing!
you should make a research about your plant diseases. I am sorry to see it.
hi @englishtchrivy,,,
in the habit, the cause of yellow, withered, or like the burning of plant leaves, it is caused by several things.
wow that's a load of info
thank you
I suspect the #4
I got an organic fertilizer with animal manure and urine in it
perhaps I should give it a drink
I give it a drink so perhaps I should let it thirst for some time but how long? then maybe I could give it the fertilizer
I don't think there's a pest attack on it
I'm worried it caught phytophthora though cause its in the kitchen and I sometimes have tomatoes around for cooking but am not sure if avocado can catch that, too
thanks anyway
you will know your crop of excess water by putting your hands into the soil and you feel the temperature in the soil is rather hot and humid. therefore your plant means excess water. if the temperature is cold then your plant normal to water.
@boyasyie
i have my doubts about putting your hands in the soil.. Not really a good indicator. (imo)
If you put your finger in soil, it will be most likely always be cool.... If not your plants are in deep sh*t.. okay maybe I exaggerate.
However I always compare to nature; Even in the dessert a few cm deeper are much cooler then the surface.. That doesnt mean that plants dont need water there at that moment.
What you can do is:
Try to use a scale... You simply measure the weight before and after or whatever you prefer. The advantage is the scale wont lie.
Or buy a tensio meter a device you put in your soil and then measures the "root pressure" and will give you a nr/level. Then according to the nr you gave an amount of water. https://www.blumat.nl/blumat-digitaal-tensiometer/
When i was growing Cannabis outdoor it was pretty easy, when the leaves started to hang. then needed water.. If i waited till my soild was dry, i would be too late.
almost forgot..
Give your plants from under water.. Not from above. The roots will absorb exactly the amount of water they need! In just a few minutes..
Or maybe you al ready knew this.
Yes, you are right. the techniques you describe are more effective. hopefully @englisthchrivy can consider it. thanks so much my friend. i like you
Cheers guys. There are two things I think you two kind of correctly indicated but are also lacking a bit of a better understanding to it (The measurement in the scale is a pretty good idea though).
1.- The vermicompost or solid nutrients always have to go over the soil and using a little portion. Even an avocado plant can have a problem growing if the nutrients are too much or if it has the incorrect ph. Little by little you can test if a root hormone product, or one for a straight growth for vegetables will do the trick, but remember to not over put nutrients on them.
2.- This is my first trick, and I will try to explain it the best that I can: You can cut or take off almost every leave of an avocado plant (going full throttle could also make our plant to dry), and I would recommend to chop the top of the plant as well, the upper part will grow stronger and you will have a quicker development on the plant. Remember to learn about your soil, how it drains and how it's composed, because that's where you will find what is going on with your plants.
I believe that I can help you, maybe I don't have enough photos right now but I can assure you that I can be of help. I currently have more than 40 avocado trees and I have an opposite problem; the heat is too strong and the humidity isn't enough. But I still make it work and my older trees are going to turn 4-5 years old this 2018. So, I will help you, at least to the point where you can understand exactly what is going on. That is the first step to really solve the problem!
oh wow
that's new!
okay then I'll go check thanks again!
Yes, you are welcome
Alas, this is a familiar sight - and not the same as the more common problem of brown edges. It could be a fungal infection, often related to root-rot. Or it has to be if you are able to rule out all environmental stressors (incl a plastic pot). Stressful situations (temperature drops, erratic watering, dry, central-heating air, less light in winter, but also absence of its favorite carer!) weaken the plant’s resistance. The spores of moulds come in through open windows or on your clothes etc. They also hibernate during the winter, and may have been picked up by the plant itself during its stay outdoors in summer; now spring is (sometimes!) in the air, in your neck of the woods, these moulds are reactivated. If you find out what else it could be let me know!
• These seem to be the options: phytophthora, sunblotch, anthracnose, verticillium wilt, stem-end rot, sooty blotch, asphyxiation, albinism, sectoral chimera and ring neck.
In cases of fungal or bacterial infections, the plant needs to reestablish its own healthy boundaries (against intruding pathogens) and learn to trust its own vigour. After removing affected leaves, I am treating my avocado with Bach Flowers: think of Rescue Remedy but possibly add Centaury (some prefer Agrimony), Chestnutbud, Crabapple, Walnut for fungus and bacteria.
To complicate matters fungus thrives on humidity and higher temperatures! So in that case, the solution is not as easy as recreating the avocado’s natural habitat! In any case, ventilate really well (moisutre must be able to evaporate rapidly).
Otherwise, if it is merely general wilting, due to a combination of dry air and insufficient thorough watering alternated by drying-out plus the shock of the cold. Too frequent watering could lead to root rot (also caused by a fungus). The Bach rememdy in this case is: (Rescue Remedy +) Olive, Gentian, Gorse, Mustard + Sweet Chestnut or Wild Rose, for general wilting (1dr each to 30 ml of water, sprayed and dripped on soil with loving care 2x a week for a couple of weeks.). More on such treatment here.
In either case, after checking the condition of the roots (as unintrusively as possible, preferably in spring) I would go easy on the fertiliser while the plant is recovering (won’t be able to metabolise the feed and it could burden it all the more). Soak 2x weekly then let dry out (best in clay pot). Humidify.
Another thing to consider, seeing as the two of you are so close, is whether your plant is picking up on your stress (ill health - eliminative processes; muscular lesions) - or problems assimilating; emotional tensions; mourning; or new electro-magnetic stress in the house?
Avocado wants to open the 3rd chakra (solar plexus). It does well around sunny dispositions and less well in overly rational places (not a good library or stuffy study room plant…).
hi @sukhasanasister, thank you for your very long comment
I think of all the paragraphs you threw me on your comment this gave me the most impact. I was brought up with the idea that pets absorb the tensions, stress and even the diseases of its owner but I have never thought that plants also do. It could be that, these days am starting to see signs of near being burned out as I tend to do too many things at the same time so I guess, it must have picked up on it.
On the other hand, am also planning to get it a ceramic pot is that a better option because it's actually time for it to get its soil replaced I checked. Right now, it's sitting in a plastic pot as I thought it would keep it warmer in winter. As for fungal infection, I will have to keep watch for the progress when I get to repot it. Am also going to buy it a water regulator and if it does have a fungal infection, I could just mix a bit of vinegar in the water which will be given to it in tiny dosages although am hesitating a bit and thinking of spraying it instead.
I don't know anything about chakras but I put it back in a brighter place. Thanks a lot for your advice
We just planted ours outside.... this reminded me to go pay it a visit and have a chat!
I also agree with you @englishtchivy, The trees can not talk, But by showing the changes on the englishtchivyleafthat is a way of telling us that he is ill.
Absolutely. They maybe cannot talk, but they are communicating something! It's up to us to understand the language. The leaves aren't the problem, the problem is within the soil. The relief is that an avocado plant can die in a couple of hours to 12, and that means that they want to live. They are also saying that. So, this time it isn't about us or @englishtchivy talking to a plant, but doing something different as learning a little more about them and gifting them a better treat! Cheers.
It's sad that something like this happened when you were relaxing on vacation. There are people on the Steemit platform which have intense gardening knowledge and hopefully they gonna find out what the problem could be. I personally think it was missing some light or water :/
Thank you for contributing to the Steemit Community.Keep up the great work and I'm looking forward to your next posts.
You are most correct about both sentences. I'm sure a little more learning to any of us will do certain better as well. From what I've seen it seems to be the problem that @englishtchivy wants to grow avocados indoor with indoor soil and without much bugs in their pots? Or do you have them planted straight into the ground?
I have a perfect solution for @englishtchivy; it involves a roof, a wall, and a great mindset. Cheers!
These are a couple of mine. I'm sorry about the messy mess, I've abandoned them enough and it's about time I put them all to produce some fruits!
Nature is one of the constant things that gives me positive energy. Whenever i do feel alone; i go to my garden and spend my time with hens, with flowers and plants. Yes, this thing gives me a motivation to live in a passionate way.
After looking at the condition of the leaves it feels that some type of attach happened by invisible insects on these leaves. So, in my point of view you should consult some experienced gardener to know the root cause of it.
Sorry to hear about you plant.You should go to your nearest Plant Nursery to check what is wrong with your favorite plant.
am not sure we have any of that nearby
nor that they also would know about avocado :(
but thanks for the suggestion
perhaps I should look it up when I find time
Hi @englishtchrivy.. Im Samantha, a newbie here. I just read your post about your plant. Im sorry about your plant. Here in our place (Philippines) we plant it outside the house or in our backyard, so that it catch the natural sunlight and grow taller. Followed you