{"id":3483,"date":"2018-05-04T06:58:41","date_gmt":"2018-05-04T13:58:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/?p=3483"},"modified":"2025-12-26T12:43:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T20:43:19","slug":"how-to-plant-and-stake-an-avocado-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/how-to-plant-and-stake-an-avocado-tree\/","title":{"rendered":"How to plant and stake an avocado tree"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Even though I\u2019ve planted many avocado trees, I was nervous putting in this little Jan Boyce, or JB for short (pictured on left). It is a particularly fine-tasting variety that I’d been trying to get my hands on for years.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I needn\u2019t be too nervous. I\u2019ve already made most every mistake there is when planting an avocado tree; I know what not<\/em> to do anymore. So here I write about how to plant an avocado tree with an eye toward avoiding common errors.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testing soil drainage<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How fast water drains through the soil in your yard is a vital piece of information to know because avocado trees are unlike any other in that they have a very low tolerance for their roots remaining soggy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what you should do before planting in a spot is test the drainage.<\/span> You simply dig a hole about a foot deep and a foot wide, fill it with water and wait for it to disappear. Then fill it again and see how long it takes for the water to disappear this second time. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Testing<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A rule of thumb that many avocado experts have used over the years is that it must disappear in less than a day, 24 hours. But really, if it takes more than about eight hours I think you’re in the danger zone and you’re going to have to be careful not to water too much too often. You’ll also need to make sure that winter rainfall doesn’t puddle around the tree. Otherwise, your tree’s roots will rot, its leaves will turn yellow and droopy, and you\u2019ll have wasted your time. It probably won\u2019t be apparent right away. It might not reveal itself until the end of summer or until the tree\u2019s first winter.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mounds can help. If your spot’s drainage is on the slow side, then build <\/span>a mound of soil from 1-3 feet high and 4-7 feet wide (depending on how big the tree is) and plant the tree in the top of it. You\u2019ve essentially created an area of soil with better drainage for your tree.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An avocado farmer in Ventura County has clay loam soil that doesn’t drain very fast, so when he planted some new trees he put them on mounds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The white on the leaves is for sunburn protection.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

(See more on this topic in my post, “Planting avocados in poor soil.”<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, if you have fast-draining soil like me, where water drains out of the hole in less than an hour, then don\u2019t bother planting on a high mound. If you did, you\u2019d make it necessary to water even more frequently. In our case, plant level or only raised a few inches — unless your soil is shallow. If you hit rock or gritty subsoil only a foot down, do plant on a slight mound just to give the tree more good soil to root into.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Digging the planting hole<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dig a hole that is a few inches wider than the container. Do this so you can get your hands in the hole as you lower the tree and settle it in. There\u2019s no need and no benefit of making the hole much wider. (One exception might be if you find many roots from other plants in the hole you dig, for example if there’s a mature tree nearby. In that case, you might dig wider in order to give the young avocado some space to itself before those plants begin re-rooting where you’ve planted the avocado.)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, dig the hole only as deep as the soil is in the container, no deeper — or even shallower if you’re planting on a slight mound. If you dig deeper, you\u2019re likely wasting energy at best. You’re going to have put some dirt back into the hole, and later that dirt will compact and sink the tree somewhat.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experiments have been done planting avocados in small versus large holes. No advantage has come from digging large planting holes. See “Avocado Planting Systems” by Ben Faber and G.T.A. Barnett<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Removing the avocado tree from the container<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get the tree out of the container there are different techniques according to the size and type of container. A little one-gallon like my Jan Boyce is easy. You just squeeze or slap the sides to separate the plastic from the roots, then tip the container and slide the rootball out.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pulling<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Do this right next to the planting hole so you don\u2019t have to carry it. Usually, the container mix is a loose mix and the avocado roots don\u2019t hold it together well. The rootball tends to fall apart in your hands. So be prepared to embrace it and lower it into the hole immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avocado roots are brittle. They\u2019re unlike other fruit tree roots. If you grab any while lowering the tree into the hole, they’re likely to snap off.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most common size of avocado tree that we home gardeners buy in nurseries is sold in what\u2019s called a five-gallon container. The process of removing the tree from a five-gallon container is the same as for my little Jan Boyce in the one-gallon container, but everything is heavier and more awkward. It can help to have a partner when sliding the container off the tree\u2019s rootball.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The largest size that most nurseries sell is in a 15-gallon container. These trees are so big and heavy that they require a different procedure unless you\u2019re The Hulk. What I do with a 15-gallon is cut the container off the tree\u2019s rootball rather than slide it off. I lay the tree on its side next to the planting hole and, with a utility knife, slice down one side of the container and across the bottom. Then I roll the tree and slice up the other side. You can then pull the container off and slide the rootball into the hole. (It\u2019s crucial to have made the hole the proper depth before sliding the tree in.)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, there are also avocado trees sold in plastic sleeves. These are the easiest trees to remove from their containers because you can just use scissors to cut the sleeve, and the small rootball is easy to handle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Avocado trees in plastic sleeves in center, with a five-gallon container on the left.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

(You might like to read my post, “Should you buy a big or small avocado tree?”<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Filling the hole and watering in<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, put some of the dirt from the hole back in around the sides of the tree\u2019s rootball, but only about half way. Then fill the moat with water. After it drains, tamp it down with your fingers to get air pockets out and settle the soil around the roots. Then fill the hole with dirt up to the level of the tree\u2019s container mix, but don\u2019t cover the container mix with dirt. If you do, it will be hard to get water through the dirt and into the container mix where the tree\u2019s roots are.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note that you\u2019re only using your native soil to fill the hole. There\u2019s never been any benefit shown in adding compost or fertilizer to an avocado tree\u2019s planting hole. (This was studied and reported on in the same paper mentioned above, “Avocado Planting Systems.”<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Watering<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That being said, I have seen avocado trees that have been planted in large holes and with compost added to the planting holes that have grown very well in their first couple years. It’s not that large planting holes and adding amendments are bad. It’s just that they haven’t been shown to give a tree any benefit when compared to avocado trees planted without those extras.
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I like to build up a berm a few inches high around the new tree now. I make it a foot or two wider than the container was, and I add mulch. The berm isn\u2019t necessary, but it makes it really easy to water in the tree right here after planting, which is<\/i> necessary. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You want to water a lot on planting day. Along with testing the drainage, watering lavishly on planting day is the second very important thing you can do for your new avocado tree.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only do you want to water the tree\u2019s rootball, which has been shocked by having its home removed and being placed in new surroundings, but you also must thoroughly soak the surrounding native soil because otherwise it will literally suck the moisture out of the container mix. Real dirt is able to grab and hold onto water better than any container mix. This is also the reason that you don\u2019t want dirt covering the top of the container mix. (See photos of water’s movement, or non-movement, between native soil and container mix in this excellent article by Dani Lightle of the University of California’s Cooperative Extension<\/a>.)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I fill up the basin, let it drain, and fill it up another couple times in order to soak and settle the planting area. You could also accomplish this watering with a sprinkler.<\/span><\/ins><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Here is a video where I plant an avocado tree.)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a video where Sam Garibay and Consuelo Fernandez of Brokaw Nursery plant an avocado tree:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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