I have been slack with landscaping my property and putting in the trees and gardens that I want. That means people around us are often trying to encourage and support some progress...in their own way. Sometimes that is not ideal and in this latest instance it’s turned into a bit of a cluster. It started out with my well meaning in-laws offering my wife some young avocado trees that needed to be removed (I think) from a friends house. I didn’t get asked or even consulted, just told they were being transplanted to our place...it was happening and “Don’t worry”. Shit, don’t you just love married life? I pick my battles and this wasn't going to be one of them...
I was originally planning to put a garden along that back fence because it gets full sun and would be a great spot for a vegetable garden...but forget those plans. I did object at one point that avocados were a more tropical plant (we are temperate) and I later found out they don’t like clay soil (which we have) plus need plenty of protection (which we don't have)...and the best time to transplant them is spring or early summer (not winter). Yeh, nah, don’t worry about all that. She’ll be right mate! That’s typical Aussie slang there. I am being facetious, sorry…
Anyway, about 24 hours after they got put in the ground (while I was out for the day) we got absolutely smashed with wind. To their credit the avocado trees didn’t blow over, but they looked pretty sick after a couple of days and now today, about 10 days later they look like they’re in pretty bad shape if not already dead. I’m trying not to be an asshole about the whole situation but a part of me can’t help but giggle a little bit. However, I know my wife wants them there and my eldest kid loves avocados so she’s excited too and thus I have been making a bit of effort to keep them alive. I’ve kept them watered but not sure what else can be done.
Someone suggested we cut them back. Winter has just started and I do that with my chilli plants around this time. The chilli plants always look like pretty dead sticks over winter but then come back super healthy in the spring. Any suggestions from my Hive people?