Many of us love growing Avocado indoors (especially for the first few months or even years). A common problem that you can face is green leaves are drying out and getting brown. In this article, I will explain why avocado green leaves turn brown and dry out and how to fix that. You can also say it is almost like burning due to the heavy heat nearby.
Why do avocado green leaves turn brown, dry, or crunchy?
You must be aware of this: Multiple reasons can cause the same symptom. ( A single symptom can be caused by multiple reasons)
If I start telling you all the possible reasons, determining the possible cause of your avocado's leaf drying will be more challenging. So I will start with the reason that I witnessed.
- Over-fertilizing (Or any chemical damage aka, phytotoxicity)
- Sudden cold ( mostly happens when winter is approaching )
- Watering Issue
- Wind damage ( Less chance unless you are living in a stormy area )
- After repotting to a pot having no holes for water drainage.
Even the newly grown leaves may fall off like this:
How to cure your Avocado plant from green leaves drying out before they mature
If you are using chemical fertilizer, stop that for the next 1 and a half months. If you have already given more than necessary then it will be difficult for you to revive the Avocado plant.
Tip: If you have recently fertilized your Avocado and started to see the dry leaves, water your plant thoroughly. It will dilute the fertilizer. But if you give a small amount of water, it will help the fertilizer to release faster. You need to wash it away. (Make sure the soil drainage system is good)
Another solution is to bring it indoors after three consecutive nights of dropping temperatures as winter approaches. (If it is due to the sudden cold)
If you see the symptoms just after heavy storms you can follow my guidelines on this: Wind Burn - What to do
If your plant is not fertilized for the last 30 days or there have been no heavy storms, suspect the watering issue. Avocado does not need frequent water. So it can only happen if you forget to water your avocado for a long time. (Like 20 days)
Check the drainage system in the soil if it is alright or not. For potted plants, just check if there are holes at the bottom of your pot. (Water can still accumulate at the bottom of the pot, even with drainage holes)
Make sure the drainage system is working properly.
Bonus tip: Avocado grows in volcano sand-type soil in the forest. It's not possible for us to create the exact same soil in the pot but still, we can try to prepare sandy soil with a great water drainage system.
