How Often Should I Water My Avocado Plant?

Avocado tree fully loaded with fruit

Test Your Soil for Irrigation Status

Your healthy avocado product in a salad mix.

The California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. (CRFG) recommends in its "Avocado Fruit Facts," article that before watering your avocado plant, you should dig a hole nine inches down in your garden soil and grasp some of the soil and then press it together with your fingers; if the soil is moist and holds together, then it is satisfactorily irrigated; however, if the soil falls apart in your hand, it is in need of watering, CRFG maintains.

Winter Irrigation Recommendations

The perfect product from your mature avocado plant.

The "Avocado Fruit Facts," article explains that avocado trees may not require watering during the winter rainy season but suggests that you should watch for extended mid-winter dry spells, while at the same time being vigilant about excessive watering that it says is the most common cause of avocado failure to thrive status.

Bottom Line

A crop of avocados derived from a healthy plant.

Watch soil moisture cautiously at the end of the watering season, and the CRFG website article warns to never enter winter with wet soil feeding the tree. The website further advises that avocados tolerate some salts but the plant can show leaf tip burn and stunting of leaves, while deep watering will strip salt accrual.

References

• California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc.: Avocado Fruit Facts

Resources

• Aggie Horticulture: Avocado