I just joined

Hi to all! I just joined this site. I learned about it from treehelp.com. I live in Arizona. I don't know much about gardening but I'm trying. So far everything I've planted hasn't croaked. My newly planted Mexicola Avocado is struggling. I think that might be my first casualty. I'm not giving up on it. I have constructed a shade so it is always shaded. Still wilts during the day though. My dreams of homemade quacamole from my homegrown avocados isn't fading just yet. I'm sure It'll be a long long time before I get any avos from that tree. :)

Welcome Judy :) I don't know too much about your area of gardening, but if you pop into http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/welcome/

you'll get some great Arizona responses, I'm sure !

HI, and welcome to the family :).

Hi Judy,

Welcome to DG! You're gonna love it here!

Chat room is open tomorrow night 7-10 est - might want to log in then. We usually have lots of fun.

Marcia

Hi Judy
Welcome. You are gonna love it here. I've been here about 3 months, and you wouldn't believe the nice, caring generous people who are subscribers. Don't know if I have any seed that would do well in Arizona, but if you have any "wants" let me know and I will see if I have it.

Bonnie (defoecat)

Welcome to DG, Judy for the great state of Kansas. LOL

Good tip to step over to the Welcome Mat forum. Good place to get the hang of things and meet lots of members.

I don't know too much about growing avocados but I know Margiempv, one of our Uber gardeners, grows tons of gorgeous iris in Tucson. There's a forum here for about any kind of gardening and all the major plant genus.

Be sure to check out the Daves Garden Forum as that's the place to ask for help with the site or any other question about "how to". You'll also find info on new changes, suggestions for changes, and status of issues that may come up (slow down in response time for example).

http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/dg

Look forward to seeing you around the garden.
Brenda

Welcome to DG! I know nothing about growing things in your zone, but wanted to welcome you. Settle in, grab a cup of coffee and be prepared to stay. :)

Thank you!

I am heading to the Welcome Mat right after I post this. I think I'll have alot of fun here. Maybe I'll get lucky and find out about my avocado. Have a great evening everybody!

Judy

Welcome, Judy. Hopefully, your avocado will probably perk up as soon as its roots spread. If you planted it in full sun, you may want to relocate it (if possible) so it receives a lot of sun in the mornings and part of the afternoon and then filtered shade during the hottest part of the day. Most types of Avocado trees freeze here, but I have learned of a new variety bred near San Antonio that won't. I would love to try to grow it and hopefully be able to make guacamole using my own avocados too. The trick to growing avocados is using soil that has good drainage. Avocado trees prefer loose, decomposed granite or sandy loam. They will die in locations with poor drainage. You may want to make a wide basin around the base of the tree to assist with watering it. Keep the soil moist, but not sopping wet. You need to wrap the trunk with a tree protector to keep the tender bark from burning until the tree is established. Also, place about 4 inches of mulch around the root zone (at least 2 feet in all directions around the tree). Young trees should be fertilized every 2 months during the first year. Yellowing leaves may indicate iron deficiency. This can be corrected by using a chelated foliar spray of trace elements containing iron. If it isn't well branched, you will need to pinch it back so it has lots of branches and is full. Be sure to occassionally water it in the winter if you do not receive rain also. If a freeze is ever expected, be sure to soak it very well the night before. The tree will lose its leaves at 20 degrees. The branches exposed to sun are susceptible to sunburn. They will need to be coated with a a nursery tree whitewash. Whitewash can be thinned by 50 percent with water. Also, sunburn on young trees can cause permanent damage so you probably should whitewash the branches now if you haven't done so. I hope your tree settles in and propers.

Hi Judy, A great big welcome from the home of The Kentucky Derby. You will not find a larger, closer family than here at DG. A loving family. Any questions, ask almost anyone here...Enjoy and again, Welcome. :) Kathy

Thank you! I do believe I will enjoy it here.

htop, thank you so much for the info. Right now, the tree looks great! I have it in good drained soil which consists of good desert dirt(alluvial fan soil from the mountains) that has decomposed granite in it. I mixed the native soil with Miracle Gro Top Soil. There is a very wide basin around it with alfalfa as the mulch. I will enlarge the basin as it grows too. I have a shade cloth over the top of it with the west side hangin down almost to the ground. The sun filters thru the cloth but it still wilts at the hottest part of the day. When I bought this little guy(3 feet tall), the nurseryman told me it was well adapted to my area. I'm hoping that it will become stronger in time. I, too, want to indulge in my homegrown avocado guacamole. I love that stuff! If my efforts fail, at least I will have tried. Unfortunately I don't have alot of shade yet. The Cottonwood to the northwest of it(only by about 15 feet, isn't very big yet. In a couple years it will be. At least it will block part of the sun. Here's hoping! Thanks again!

Judy, after viewing your photo, I realize that you obviously already knew how to plant and protect your new avocado tree. Thanks for sharing it with us. You did a great job.

Thank you. I put that shade up yesterday in hopes that it would help. It doesn't wilt near as bad as it did. Hopefully the little guy will bust out some roots and grow. Guacamole here I come. lol

Oh my, would i love to grow fresh avocados. Actually a friend of mine took one of the seeds and planted it for the heck of it and got a beautiful plant. (here in KY). I don't know that it ever fruited.

I remember starting a seed when I was a kid along with a potato plant. I had that thing for years and it never even gave me a pit. lol I'm hoping I'll get some fruit. I'm not counting on it though. I've heard they are difficult to grow here even if the plant is adapted to Arizona. If I can manage to keep it alive until my Cottonwood grows tall enough to shade it, I'll be happy if I get even one avocado. I'm easily pleased. lol