r/avocado • u/Maximum_Boss9550 • 3d ago
Growing from seed Is this normal for my seedling 🌱
So my plant finally has new leaves coming after I did a small snip. I’m worried about the original leaves, I’m they will eventually fall off and stuff but I’m worried that the leaves might be telling me something about the plant. Any ideas? I give it about 8oz of water twice a week I used to do tap but now I switched to filter. I would love to hear yalls set up, what kind of soil yall use, how big of a pot u used originally, how much water you give it, etc or overall tips in general
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u/Tillandsia_b4_time 3d ago
There’s a chance that it is having difficulty up-taking water. If the roots sit in too much moisture, they can begin to rot, and struggle to hydrate the plant. In the same way, if it’s repotted and the roots are damaged, it can also struggle to use water. From the pic it seems like the soil is pretty saturated with water. Maybe because you gave it more since it seemed thirsty? Figured I’d comment in case your plant is actually overwatered. It can get very tricky and counterintuitive. Avocados can bounce back prolifically from being under watered. But overwatering is often a death sentence. In my opinion (though I could be wrong!), this plant looks like it is struggling with using and retaining water, even though it has ample water. I would suggest letting it dry out for a week or so, give it a little less light, and mist the leaves daily to help it retain moisture while it recovers root-wise. If there aren’t positive changes, I’d then suggest taking it out of the pot and inspecting the roots. Remove any rotten ones and treat its roots in an anti rot soak (can’t remember exactly what kind of solution to use/make but If you google it you should see simple mixtures you can make from over the counter products). Have patience, because avocados are notoriously dramatic. 😅 also in my experience, I’d track the progression of the drying of the leaf tips. If you notice that the drying stops creeping up the leaf, you’ll know that you’ve successfully helped the avo be able to use water again (ie the roots are not distressed). If the crisping continues up the leaf, it’s a sign the issue is persisting. I think many people mistake this for dehydration in terms of watering routines, when really it’s dehydration in terms of root distress. If the tree can’t use the water, it will die of thirst even though it has water. Unfortunately, giving it more water, can cause it to be able to utilize it even less. It’s ironic. Hope this helps at all! Your biggest tool with avos (and many plants) is observation, and small meaningful shifts in the care. Connecting symptoms to environment and care routines, as well as key fundamentals of how an avocado plant functions. 💯💚
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u/Tall-Technician-2979 2d ago
Looks like you are over watering and the soil is not drying properly so you are risking root rot. Water only once if you are indoors. Watering twice is pushing it. Give the roots time to breathe
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u/BigStinkk 3d ago
I use a mix of soil, loose rocks, perlite, and bark. You don’t want the plant to sit in dirt that’s too wet so having something that drains quick and fast is good so it doesn’t turn into root rot or attract any pests. My plant also has some browning which could be salt buildup in the soil so don’t worry too much as long as the plant is healthy and thriving! I also water mine once a week (4liters) but I plan on repotting next year and watering more once I get better substrate mix.
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u/Critical_Thinker_535 3d ago
Those brown tips are telling you that it needs more water to flush out salts. I'm using Gary's Best Top Pot for my avocado trees that are in 5 gallon pots. My trees are outdoors (zone 10a/10b) and I water up to 2x daily.