My neighbor just transplanted this avocado tree from his yard to mine. As you can see in the picture it has some very low growing branches and I wondered how long to wait after transplanting to both trim the lower branches to make it be more like a tree and also when to start fertilizing it. Thank you for all your help. I really appreciate it.

Once the avocado tree was transplanted, it is like a tree taken from a container so you should expect 5-7 years before you start getting reliable production. You should at least a year or two before you start removing the lower limbs. They will help the tree become better established and provide more leaves for photosynthesis (food production). Water is you biggest issue for now, you should be daily watering the root ball for about six months. Afternoon rain showers should not be depended on to do this for you because the rain will follow the drip line from the tree canopy and miss the root ball. Try to keep grass and weeds from growing near the trunk. A layer of mulch will help. It should start at the edge of the root ball and extend to the edge of the drip line.

For the next two years, recommend any flowers or fruit that form on the avocado tree be removed to help the root system develop more fully before fruit production begins.

For information about care, fertilizer recommendations and irrigation practices, please refer to the IFAS publication about “Avocado Growing in the Florida Home Landscape“.

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