Frost on One Side, Scorch on the Other: When to Plant Avocados in California
A young avocado tree has two enemies in its first months: frost and scorching sun. Plant too late in the cool season and a cold snap can catch it before it has settled in; plant into the heat and a tree with barely any roots can burn. That is why you will often hear October recommended in California, with spring as the other good window. The University of California’s growers’ handbook actually leans toward spring: it says trees are best planted in March or April, because avocado roots usually flush in May.
Here in San Diego we are lucky enough to plant almost year round, and the handbook agrees that avocados can go in at any time of year except when frost is a threat. October and early spring both keep a new tree clear of the worst of it. Here is how each threat works.
Why does frost matter?
A newly planted avocado is tender. Its roots have not spread into the surrounding soil yet, and its leaves and bark have not toughened up. You want it in the ground early enough that it has time to settle in before any cold snap arrives. A young tree hit by frost in its first weeks can be badly set back or killed outright. If one does get frosted, do not cut it back straight away. The handbook advises waiting until regrowth shows how far the damage goes, which can take six months, and holding off on fertilizer in the meantime.
Planting in October gives the tree the tail end of the warm season to start rooting, while the heat is easing off.
If frost is possible where you are, skip the mulch around a young tree in winter. Mulch keeps the soil cool, which helps in summer, but bare soil lets the sun warm the ground around the tree during the day.
Why not plant in summer?
Because you do not want to plant so late in the season that the tree is getting scorched by the sun. A young avocado with a small root system cannot pull up water fast enough to keep up with hot, dry days, and its thin bark and new leaves burn easily. Sunburn is a real problem even on mature trees — we cover it in avocado tree sunburn — and a new planting is far more exposed.
If you do plant in summer, the handbook’s advice is careful irrigation until the roots grow out into the surrounding soil, which usually means watering every two to three days without overwatering. A thermal trunk wrap from a farm supply store protects young bark from sunburn in summer and gives some frost protection in winter; take it off after the first year. The handbook’s volume on tree care also says to whitewash young trees routinely at planting, with a commercial whitewash or white interior latex paint diluted half and half with water.
That is why spring works so well: it is past most of the frost risk but ahead of the summer heat, and it gets the tree in the ground just before the roots’ main growth flush. October and spring bracket the gentle parts of the year.
What if you are not in California?
Look up your zone. You can enter your zip code on the USDA’s website to see which hardiness zone you are in, and that gives you a good starting idea of the best time to plant in your area. Hardiness zones are based on winter lows, so they tell you most about the frost side of the question; local nurseries and extension offices can fill in the rest.
After planting
Getting the timing right is the first step. Watering it correctly through its first year matters just as much, and our free Avocado Irrigation Calculator will help you work out how long to run the water. Then comes the waiting: most grafted trees begin to bear in their third year after planting, and a full crop takes several more years to build, as we explain in how long until an avocado tree produces fruit. And keep the ground under it clear — here is why you should not grow plants under the canopy.
Have another avocado question? Leave it in the comments on the video. And while your tree grows up, our 4lb and 6lb Hass boxes ship free in season, with a waitlist on each page for the months between harvests.
This post is part of our guide to growing avocado trees.
