Yesterday I purchased a Little Cado and planted it in a container. The nursery suggested I use an organic potting soil and some fertilizer (though to save me money they said I could use the same organic fertilizer I was using on my herbs rather than a fruit tree specific fertilizer). I thought I followed all the potting instructions and gave it a good water!

Today I'm noticing some brownish colored leaves. I am not sure honestly if they were there before or if this happened over night. The leaves are a brownish dark green but the veins in the leaves are still green. Half the tree still has bright green leaves. The link attached shows a pic of the leaves.

I've also noticed a few leaves when the tip or edges were dry/crumbly and brown...

What's going on? Any advice? I'm totally a gardening newbie! But I really want my tree to do well!

Thanks!

Likely at the grower it was under shade cloth all of its short life, then all of a sudden it is in full sun at your home, and it's starting to get a bit of a sunburn. Since it is in a container, try giving it a little morning sun and shade the rest of the day for a while, then gradually introduce it to full sun. Do it ASAP so it doesn't get worse. Also always try to keep the container as cool as possible by shading it somehow. Avocados like their roots kept cool.

we don't get much shade but i can try moving it to our our shady-ish spot

But "dry/crumbly and brown" is due usually to a water shortage.

However, the leaves are more droopy that I would expect. Perhaps put it in part shade until it adapts to its new container. If you don't have any part shade, rig some temporary shade.

A question for you: Why not put it into the ground where it will do better than if it remains in a pot?

Jean,
who gardened for 30-some years in Long Beach, CA

We will definitely be watering it properly...maybe it was a little dry at the nursery. I have been checking the soil to make sure it's moist but not over-watered.

I moved it to the one part of the deck that gets partial shade. Hopefully that will help!

We bought a Little Cado/Wurtz variety b/c it could live in a pot. We don't have a yard, so therefore we can't grow it in the ground. We have a decent sized patio/deck at our condo. It has been a dream of mine to have an avocado tree but I assumed that wasn't possible until a gardener recommended the Little Cado variety to me!