Brown Leaves with Holes -- Indoor Potted Avacado Tree

[avacadolover]

My little avacado tree, now about 16" high, grown from a seed and kept in a pot outside is now having to adjust to being a houseplant. There is ample light from the kitchen window, and it was doing well for three weeks before developing dry brown blotches on the leaves, followed by holes in the leaves of varying size and shapes. At first I thought it might be some sort of insect, but that doesn't seem to be the problem.
One website suggested that the soil might be building up too much salt. Is this a likely culprit? If so, would distilled water help?
Going back on the porch isn't an option, since it will soon be relocating with me. I know it will never bear fruit, but the tree it came from certainly has. It was grown from a grocery store avacado, and over the course of thirty years, could have fed half the country. Would that I could take that beloved old tree with me, as well....
Any help at all saving the little one would be greatly appreciated.

[Rima]

Don't use distilled water (or anything from a bottle or filter), tap or rain water should be fine. Where would the salt come from that you're worried about - over fertilizing? It may be wanting more humidity though, but it's hard to say. I have one I grew last year and it's doing great inside, but our natural humidity's pretty good, though it does get thin brownish spots/blotching too, just not to the extent yours seems to have.

[avacadolover]

Thanks, Rima. I'll keep using tap water.
I've never used chemical fertilizers, but I'd assumed the salts they were talking about in the website were naturally occuring in the soil, or leached out from the incredibly hard water we have in this area.

[seabreeze0197]

I was excited to see a post for an avacado tree! I have an indoor lemon tree that is doing very well with several lemons each year but I've not heard of an indoor avacado tree. Can you tell me more about it? Does it produce fruit?

[Woodsprite]

I too have new avocado trees, 2 to be exact. However they are very leggy at a foot and a half. They have very tiny leaves at the top end of the skinny trunks. Any one have any ideas about how I should treat them?

[Rima]

Woodsprite, yours are obviously not getting nearly enough sun, or they'd stay shorter (somewhat), but the tiny leaves is a new one, as I'd think the leaves would be extra large in a sun-less situation. Don't know what to suggest except that maybe you got a funny pit?
Seabreeze - no fruit, and unlikely (unless it was growing outside in Calif.), but you never know. Remember though, they do get tall (even after cutting the tap root early on) and the leaves are big (mine, anyhow), and we get pretty good natural humidity here. Give it a try - just remember it can take 6+ wks before it sprouts.

[alk0800]

Originally Posted by Woodsprite

I too have new avocado trees, 2 to be exact. However they are very leggy at a foot and a half. They have very tiny leaves at the top end of the skinny trunks. Any one have any ideas about how I should treat them?

I've had two potted avacado trees (5 gallon) and have had absolutely no success. What I did learn, however, is that those tiny leaves at the top seem to be the key to the continued growth of the plant. Treat them with care. If mis-treated, they will be the first to go and the remainder of the tree will follow. My next tree will be a Leavens and it will go in the ground. When it produces, I intend to start several seeds in a jar and when of sufficient size, I will graft a similarly sized limb from the in-ground tree. My goal: 'to establish an avacado orchard indoors' After two years of research, I can't find anyone having success. I'm hoping someone on this web page can give me some pointers.

[Rima]

Are you using supplementary lighting of some kind, at least full spectrum fluorescents, if not metal halides, or halogens?