Question
For the past year I have been growing an avacado seed. I did prune it a couple times while it was in the pot as it was getting rather leggy. I have now planted it outside as it is about 3 feet tall. (I live in Jensen Beach, Florida on Hutchinson Island) About a month prior to planting it outside, the leaf tips started to brown, this is when I decided it must need more "growing room". It has been outside for 2 weeks and seems to be doing rather well. New leaves are popping out so I feel that it has "accepted" it's new enviroment. However, the leaves at the bottom are browning quite a bit and now my question is should those leaves be broken off and are they robbing nutrients from the rest of the plant? Also should I be fertilizing my mini tree yet and if so with what? I have never given it anything other than water. And, lastly, some of the other leaves look like they are becoming "sunburned". Will this subside as it is planted outside longer? Thank you for any information you can provide.

Answer
Hi Linda,
Thanx for your question.  First of all, the browning leaves toward the bottom are not a problem.  This is common amongst transplants or as the tree is growing the older leaves start dying and falling off.  You indicated you have new leafy growth which is good.  It means the tree is growing.  Don't worry about the brown leaves.  Sometimes, tip burn (brown edges on leaves) will occur when taking a plant that has been growing indoors and exposing it to the outdoors without a transition period.  This transition period is called hardening off.  The strong sunlight in Florida can and does cause tip burn on plants that are moved outdoors and not transitioned.  The way to transition a plant is to put it in the shade or dappled shade for 7-10 days.  This will reduce or eliminate tip burn.  Tip burn can also becaused by too much OR not enough watering which I doubt is the case here.  It can also be caused by a lack of nutrients or too much fertilizer.  I would wait until spring to fertilize.  Use an organic fertilizer rated for fruit trees.

Here is an article from the University of Florida I think you will find helpful.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG213

As for the tip burn, it will eventually go away.  It doesn't sound like there was serious damage.  I hope this helps.
Tom