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Avocado wilts in direct sunlight??

spanner_pigspanner_pig Posts: 1
in Problem solving
Hi,

I planted two Hass avocados last summer and for a while they were thriving, but now they are having a little bit of trouble.

For some reason, one completely wilts when it receives direct sunlight - pics attached. This was from February this year, when the sun isn't even particularly strong or high in the sky! I'm worried that when the sun gets stronger in like June that it really really damage the plant. When I close the curtain or the sun moves out of the path of the avocado, the leaves go back to normal. 

I have it near the windowsill on a south facing window. I live in the UK.

I am worried that it has a drainage issue as well - how well drained should the soil be? I currently have it in generic compost, but I have a bit of soil mixed with sand somewhere that drains really well (it gets bone dry after a few days) - should I move it into this mix?

Any help would be really appreciated!!

Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    They need a well-drained soil so try re-potting in some John Innes no 3 type loam based soil.   Water lightly but often so the soil is just moist but not wet.  Another method would be to dunk the pot in a bucket of water once a week till no further air bubbles appear then leave to drain before putting back on display.

    You can put it outside for summer hols once night time temps are safely above 8 to 10C as they don't like to be cold.

    You do know these things get huge and won't produce fruit in a UK domestic setting.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • lydiaannlydiaann Posts: 300
    Wikipedia has an excellent article on avocados.  It would appear that the main requirement is LOTS of water, free-draining soil and warm, reasonably humid atmosphere.  Very easy to propagate but almost impossible to fruit, as Obelixx has said, unless in a professional nursery.  As an aside, a colleague of mine, many years ago, used to be involved in meetings once per month and she actually pushed the left-over stone from her lunch-time avocado into a big pot which held a small tree fern.  Warm office but no direct sunlight...and lo and behold, 3 lovely avocado plants for her to transplant to her own house - which apparently all failed!!
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