A fun and exciting growing our own avocado trees can be growers have to stay vigilant over their avocado trees for signs of dreaded diseases and pests. Unfortunately, avocado trees can be very susceptible to a number of diseases and pests that can harm its growth and spread to other home garden plants, trees, and produce. The good news is, if a vigilant gardener detects diseases and pests early enough there are plenty of ways of prevention and treatment through products and techniques. We will go over the symptoms and ways to treat your tree and through these we can work together to keep your avocado trees happy and healthy.
Main Avocado Tree Diseases
As you grow your young avocado tree there are many diseases you should be on the lookout for as they can stunt the growth of your tree or spoil the development and taste of your tree or spoil the development and taste of your avocados.
Sunblotch
Avocado trees infected with sunblotch often show stunting, discolored twigs, and fruit. Even in situations where the tree doesn’t show a lot of symptoms, it is not unusual for the annual yield to drop dramatically.
Treatment Options: Although there is no known cure for sunblotch, tree owners can treat it by continuing to practice good pruning hygiene. Be sure to sanitize your pruning tools with bleach if they’ve been used on a sunblotch-infected area. If possible, use separate and uncontaminated tools for healthy trees.
Cankers
Trees infected with cankers often take a sunken appearance with sap and gum often dripping from the exposed areas. The effect of cankers can range from merely being unsightly if just the branches and trees are affected, or potentially killing your tree when cankers develop in the trunk.
Treatment Options: Pruning and removing dead and dying branches below the area that’s been infected is a good start along with being careful to seal the pruning cuts. To address the bacteria causing the cankers, fungicides are often highly recommended.
Fruit Rot
Fruit rot happens as a result of unsanitary conditions and sometimes even from fruit that hasn’t been harvested quickly enough. An infected tree will show wrinkling fruit with brown spots.
Treatment Options: To salvage an avocado tree that is infected with fruit rot, it’s recommended that tree owners remove the infected areas of the tree as soon as possible.
Pests
Tasty as avocados are, we humans are not the only ones who love an avocado tree. Avocado trees deal with many pests and insects, most prominently mites and thrips.
Mites
Mites are small pests that feed on plants and drain them of valuable nutrients and chlorophyll and can go as far as to kill your plants.
Thrips
Thrips are slender insects with wings that feed on plants by puncturing and sucking up the contents.
Products We Recommend
To best counter and prevent diseases and pests we recommend these products:
For mites, thrips, and aphids, Pest Out is a natural miticide and insecticide that uses unique modes of action to control difficult pests. Made of essential oils. Pest Outs is safe to use in your home garden near children and pets but effective on harmful pests.
For treatment and prevention of the diseases we discussed here as well as Downey Mildew, Phytophthora, and Pythium; Fosphite is a US EPA approved reduced risk pesticide.
Final Thoughts
Pest and diseases may seem overwhelming but here at SaferGro we are always available to answer questions and find solutions to help you grow your best avocados and other home garden produce. Reach out to us on our Facebook or Instagram and we’ll help you with recommendations and helpful tips.
