Best Avocado Fertilizer and Plant Food For Avocado Trees
In the first year, you can fertilize the avocados three times a year with a fertilizer of NPK 2:1:1. This frequency gradually reduces over the years.
When it comes to fruits, avocados hold a special place. They thrive in well-drained soil with a pH slightly over 6, preferably up to 6.5, ample sunlight, and good moisture content. Even though these conditions can make a plant grow well, fertile and rich soil amplify it.
It enables the plant to achieve nutritious and delicious fruits and an excellent yield. But, finding the best fertilizer for avocado trees is often a challenging task.
Ideally, the feed you pick can make all the difference in this buttery fruit’s flavor, size, and taste. Many a time, a cheap fertilizer or no feed can be the reason for your avocado plant not bearing any fruit.
So, what fertilizers do avocados like? Typically, you will find fertilizers with an N-P-K markup. It implies that every plant feed is a composition of three macronutrients – Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium.
You can find them in different ratios, but we recommend opting for a fertilizer with a 2:1:1 NPK ratio. It helps the plant develop a robust root system that keeps the tree intact as it yields fruits.
Below, we will share the five best plant food for avocado trees?. Let us address them one by one.
- Top Liquid Fertilizer For Avocado Trees – EZ-Gro Citrus Tree Fertilizer
- Avocado Fertilizer In Spikes – Jobe’s, 04226 Fertilizer Spikes
- Best Granular Avocado Fertilizer – Jobe’s Organics 09226NA Granular Plant Food
- Organic Fertilizer Pick – Down To Earth Organic Citrus Fertilizer Mix 6-3-3, 5 Lb
- Best Powder Fertilizer – Miracle-Gro Citrus, Avocado, & Mango Food, 20 Lb.
- Best Capsule Fertilizer – Earthpods Premium Fruit & Citrus Plant Food
What Kind of Fertilizers Do Avocados Like?
Avocado varieties thrive in USDA hardiness zones nine B through eleven. They demand light but regular nitrogen applications, but excessive nitrogen can burn their shallow root system.
In addition, the avocado’s age is another vital consideration in understanding its fertilization requirements. The plant thrives in the fertilizer designed for citrus trees.
In the first year, you can fertilize it three times. There is no need for any feed during winter.
Best Avocado Fertilizers To Add To Your Avocado Growing Soil
1. Best Liquid Fertilizer For Avocado Trees,EZ-gro Citrus Tree Fertilizer – Orange, Lemon, Lime, Mango, Avocado
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It is one of the top picks in fertilizers for citrus fruits and is primarily designed to cater to the needs of tropical fruits. Beyond avocados, you can also use them for orange, lime, lemon, kumquat, mango, and grapefruit.
This fertilizer can be an excellent feed for plants sans or with seeds as it offers them the requisite nutrients to yield a healthy fruit in large numbers. You can use it for both indoor and outdoor plants.
It is a concentrated liquid feed that contains top-grade nutrients. So, on pouring it, the nutrients will seep right into its roots. Hence, it is the right cocktail comprising the nutrition your plants need.
The fertilizer contains magnesium, potassium, and iron that can help overcome the prevalent nutrition deficiencies seen in avocados. Its advanced 20-3-19 formula offers the plant NPK in the ratio that helps them thrive and grow better.
How to use it?
The package comes with a measuring cup. Shake it well, and then mix the liquid into the water before you apply it to the soil. Please read the instructions on the label and use them as directed. Once applied, nature will take care of the rest. Soon you will see your avocados rooting better.
2. Avocado Fertilizer In Spikes,Jobe’s, 04226 Fertilizer Spikes, Fruit and Citrus, 6 Count, Slow Release, Apple, Orange, Lemon, Trees
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It is an OMRI-certified, sustainable, biodegradable, renewable feed that is good for the environment. It is suitable for use across the growing season.
The fertilizer contains natural ingredients like zinc that help achieve elevated fruit production, make the plant disease-resistant, promotes growth, and bestows the plant with lush foliage.
Moreover, it can be the best avocado plant food for someone new to planting citrus fruits or gardening for the first time. This avocado fertilizer will also help avail excellent results for dwarf trees or potted plants. It has the apt degree to offer the plant the desired nutrients sans any surface fertilizer runoff.
You get this as spikes, and they have an NPK ratio of 3-5-5. However, its nitrogen content is low. Hence, it might not be suitable for growing and developing citrus trees.
But, if you have a fruiting and mature plant, this can be a good fertilizer. The additional potassium and phosphorous content in the fertilizer keep the flowers strong. It also betters water retention that helps the tree yield juicy fruits.
How to use it?
One of the primary disadvantages of spikes is that it is challenging to measure the perfect dosage for the giant avocados as they have a larger soil area covered.
But, for the potted plants, this should not be a problem as they have only a finite soil surrounding them. You can read the chart to know the spikes you must add as per the container size.
You can fertilize every four to six weeks to achieve the best feed. But never leave the spikes unattended as they will not disperse into the soil like a granular fertilizer, and the pets or children might dig them because smaller plants are always in reach.
3. Best Granular Avocado Fertilizer,Jobe’s Organics 09226NA Granular Plant Food Fruit & Citrus, 4lbs, Brown
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It is an organic, fast-acting, granular fertilizer. You can use it for citrus trees and fruits, but it works best with new and established trees. This plant feed is OMRI-listed by USDA. Hence, it is ideal for organic gardening.
It contains zero synthetic chemicals since it is certified as organic. But, it has Jobe Biozome, aggressive, proprietary microorganism archaea. Hence, its breaks down the materials, guaranteeing quicker results. This plant feed assures drought resistance and superior soil quality during the growing season.
How to use it?
This is one of the best fertilizers for avocado plants that comes in an easy-pour bag. You can find it in different quantities, such as:
- 16-pound fertilizer with 3-5-5 NPK
- 4-pound bag with 3-5-5 NPK
- 1.5-pound bag with 3-5-5 NPK
4. Best Organic Fertilizer,Down to Earth Organic Citrus Fertilizer Mix 6-3-3, 5 lb
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It is a five-pound plant feed with 6-3-3 NPK content. This fertilizer is OMRI-approved. Hence, you can use it if you wish for organic produce. The fertilizer includes secondary and primary nutrients like iron, zinc, and sulfur. It also contains the selected micronutrients.
So, with this fertilizer, the plant gets the right degree of potassium, phosphorous, and nitrogen to achieve bountiful fruit, fragrant flowers, and excellent lush green foliage. It is ideal for citrus fruits, but you can use it for other fruit, ornamental, and vines to achieve superior results.
The Down to Earth fertilizer contains alfalfa meal, fish bone meal, potash sulfate, langbeinite, greensand, zinc sulfate, kelp meal, basalt, and feather meal.
How to use it?
You can use this feed three to four times annually between January to February (late winter), May to June (late spring), and September to October (early Fall).
You can use one cup for every one-inch trunk diameter. Pour it around the base till the drip line, thoroughly mix it into the soil, and let it seep well with deep watering.
To amplify production, you can feed foliar or liquid feed for fruit-bearing established trees across the growing season.
5. Best Powder Fertilizer ,Miracle-Gro Citrus, Avocado, & Mango Food, 20 lb.
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It is the best fertilizer for avocado trees as it promotes better fruit yield. Every bag can make for fourteen feedings, provided it is a ten feet canopy. The fertilizer can feed for up to six weeks.
It is a slow-release nitrogen-based fertilizer that can help avoid burning and overfeeding, provided you use it as directed. In addition, this feed also contains manganese, iron, and magnesium, which helps grow a bountiful fruit.
You can use this fertilizer at any time of the season to accentuate better fruit yields and feed the fruit trees. This fertilizer works well for fruit trees and shrubs.
How to use it?
You can use around one to three inches of mulch, water, or soil and reapply every six weeks. But read through the label to ensure you do not overfeed the plant.
Related: How to grow avocado from seeds | Avocado seed sprouting duration | Growing Avocado seed in water
How Do You Put Fertilizer On An Avocado Tree?
Typically, you must fertilize the avocados three times a year – fall, summer, and spring. While the tree enters dormancy in autumn, you can stop fertilizing. Ideally, 1 tbsp nitrogen broadcast onto the soil surrounding the tree can suffice.
Once you finish throwing in the necessary fertilizer, you can water deeply. It helps the fertilizer seep into the soil. When the tree matures, its fertilizing needs change.
Of course, the plant still needs nitrogen, but you need to increase the nitrogen ratio from the second year onwards. 1/4 pound nitrogen spread over three applications can do the trick for the plant.
You need to increase the nitrogen content in the third year to ½ pound, spread over three applications. Now, from every year onwards, you need to increase the nitrogen content by ¼ pound spread over three applications. Any fertilizer over this will only overfeed the plant and is unnecessary.
If your soil is heavily alkaline, you can add peat moss into it to regulate peat moss. But it will happen over time. Hence, you can also supplement it using chelated iron.
In addition, inspect for iron deficiency in the form of new leaves showing yellow margins and green veins. Beyond that, the avocado tree needs no special fertilizing. You can go with a general-use fertilizer to meet its needs.
However, if the fertilizer employed does not have zinc, consider feeding some zinc to the plant, but it should not be more than once in 12 months.
At all times, you must inspect the plant for distress signs or infestation by pests or diseases and take remedial actions instantly. If you fertilize well, you can relish your favorite guacamole in a few years.
Avocado Fertilizer Schedule – When To Fertilize?
You can feed the plant with nitrogen-dense fertilizers for the first time in spring. You can choose from the Miracle-Gro Citrus, Avocado, & Mango Food or the Down to Earth Organic Citrus Fertilizer Mix 6-3-3 fertilizer mentioned above.
These fertilizers can help with root development. They also trigger good foliage growth and prepare the plant for the impending growing season.
Next, you can re-fertilize the plant when the buds appear. Now, you must opt for a fertilizer with high potassium and phosphorous content to stimulate fruit, flower, and bud development. It also helps shield the plant against diseases or pests and monitor its water intake during the summer drought.
Lastly, fertilize during the fall. It helps replenish the depleted nutrients. In addition, it offers the plant the necessary protection against the colder weather as the winter falls soon after.
In winter, the plant enters dormancy. Hence, avoid fertilization. But, mulching can be beneficial during the winters as that amplifies the soil nutrients and offers an insulation layer against frost.
Is Iron Deficiency A Major Concern In Avocados?
Avocados require the correct mineral balance because the percentage of every mineral in the seeds, flesh, flowers, and leaves is variable. Hence, there is a greater need for some minerals than others.
The plant needs phosphorous and nitrogen for healthy metabolism, zinc and potassium for its fruit, magnesium for better photosynthesis activity, manganese, iron, and boron to maintain good health, and calcium for the overall structure.
Hence, if there is any deficiency, it will show. So, if you do not include iron in your fertilizers, it will result in the plant’s poor health and make it susceptible to diseases. Make sure to go for complete avocado care.
FAQs on Best Avocado Fertilizers
Ques 1. Is coffee grounds good for avocado trees?
Ans. Coffee grounds are one of the best organic feed for the plant. It provides the plant with magnesium, potassium, nitrogen, and other elements and is also ideal for overall health and growth.
Ques 2. Is Epsom salt good for the avocado plant?
Ans. Epsom salt can help with flower production and accentuate the green color of the foliage. Hence, it can be another good organic feed.
Ques 3. Are eggshells good for my avocado tree?
Ans. Eggshells are a good calcium source. It is vital for trees to create cell walls. Hence, eggshells work well for avocado trees.
Ques 4. Do avocados like chicken manure?
Ans. If you decide to employ single-use plant feed, you can opt for aged chicken manure for the avocados. Take about twenty-five pounds of this manure and spread it under every mature Avocado plant in February.
On the onset of March, add one trowelful of bone meal and blood meal for every plant, and use it every six weeks till August. It is an excellent plant feed that encourages superior flower and fruit production.
It also amplifies the fruit flavor and is one of the best nutrient sources for fruit trees.
Ques 5. Do avocados like cow manure?
Ans. Avocados thrive in well-drained, deep soil. They can do well in soil with a pH between six to seven. So, before you plant your avocados, you can work some aged cow manure into the soil with bone and blood meal. It helps prepare the soil for the plantation.
