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I know that similar questions have already been asked here, but mine has strange circumstances to it.

For the past couple of days my avocado plant has been showing some strange patterns of behaviour. In the evening and throughout the night, everything seems fine and the leaves seem strong and are leveled. But at about 8:30 a.m. they start drooping and remain like this for most of the day.

I have not changed the watering cycle, it is the thruth that the soil is soaking but my plant never acted like it minded it at all. For months it is in the same place and the problem had occured just now. I have no clue as to what may be the cause. Under or overwaterring does not seem to fit according to me as the problem is not permanent (night is ok as I said before).

My sincere thanks go to anyone who finds the time to read my inquiry and huge thanks go to anyone who might have a tip what I am doing wrong.

EDIT: I am from the Czech Republic (mild climate). Is was actually quite cold here until like a week ago when the temperature has risen to about 16 - 18° C maximum during the day and there has also been more sunshine since then. The problem occured after this weather change.

No, I haven´t had the soil soaking for months. Unfortunately, I was away from home for a while (like a month ago) and the didn´t have the chance to water the plant properly, so when I got back the poor thing was harshly underwatered, so I gave it a lot of water hoping I would save it. A lot of old leaves fell off, but since then quite a lot of new ones have sprung and many are on the way.enter image description here

Avocado123
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    A picture would really help – kevinskio Apr 13 '22 at 11:19
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    "The soil is soaking" is almost **never** a good idea. If you've been doing that "for months" then the plant may well be objecting. – Ecnerwal Apr 13 '22 at 11:56
  • What part of the world are you in? And does your avocado get sunlight in the mornings? – Bamboo Apr 13 '22 at 13:33
  • Thank you so much for your help! I edited the post to reply to your comments :) – Avocado123 Apr 14 '22 at 08:22
  • The Czech Republic is in Central Europe. Yes, the plant gets plenty of light in the morning as it is stationed in front of a window in the eastern direction. First light (dusk) occurs now at about 6 a.m. and the sun goes up at about 6:30 a.m. The problem occurs between 8 - 9 a.m. But the plant is not exposed to direct sunlight for the whole day as it rises pretty quicky high in the sky. – Avocado123 Apr 15 '22 at 11:26
  • @Bamboo - I edited the original post and provided some more information in the comment above. Thank you once again for your help and time! – Avocado123 Apr 15 '22 at 12:01

2 Answers2

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Since the problem only starts during the morning, it might be the increased strength of the sunlight coming through the window at this time of year that's causing the problem. Try moving it, or at least keeping it away or screening it from morning sun, to see if that resolves the problem.

Bamboo
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It might be fusarium or verticillium wilt. Those can prevent the plant from getting sufficient water, which could cause those symptoms. If you're also getting splotchy chlorosis around the leaf edges, I would suspect this even more. It's hard to tell, but it looks like it might be like that in the picture.

There's generally no treatment recommended for infected plants to cure them (although there are methods to prolong the life of the plant, including proper watering and fertilization), but considering what the pathogen does (if you verify that it is indeed a wilt like this), if you don't discard the plant, and want to try an experiment that may or may not help, I would recommend the following:

  • Isolate it from other susceptible plants (they're contagious, and not just to other avocados). The soil in particular can be infected, but there are other ways it can spread (such as via pests like thrips).
  • Mist it, regularly (because it won't get enough water from the soil, probably, and leaves can absorb at least some moisture); of course, misting could also promote fungal growth (so, this is a risk that may or may not work); however, adding copper as per the suggestion lower down should help, as copper is a fungicide
  • Maybe don't let it sit in water. Fungal pathogens tend to like that sort of thing (especially if the plant doesn't use the water quickly).
  • Be careful about temperature. Some wilts thrive in some temperatures. (For instance, cold/cool, or hot/dry.)
  • Give it both copper and potassium (consider doing it as a foliar spray, since the roots probably wouldn't be good at transporting it). These should help strengthen the plant, weaken the fungi, and help the plant absorb water.
  • Foliar administration of fertilizer may be helpful, too, if the roots are having trouble transporting nutrients.
  • Deal with any pests on the plant, should they exist. Pests can spread disease.
Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
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