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I just raked up all the leaves under the avocado and it looks so nice. PUT THEM RIGHT BACK. The avocado is shallow-rooted and really depends on the natural leaf mulch to protect its roots. In fact the roots will actually colonize the rotted leaves as if it were soil.

Farmers in our county who are using high-priced water are really thinking about niches in the market. They simply must get the best prices they can if they are going to stay in business. So, what are these niches? One niche is simply converting to an organic operation.

Mature avocados may be a big tree, but they have very shallow roots. The bulk of them are in the top 8 inches of soil. The tree therefore does not have access to a large volume of stored water. As opposed to a deep rooted walnut, they need frequent, small amounts of water.

The canopy is thinning. The leaves are small and yellow. There is dieback in the canopy, with leafless tips on the branches. You dig around under the canopy in the wetted area of the sprinkler and you can't find roots within 6 inches of the soil surface or if you do find them they are black.

Since the first publication of this article on vole damage in citrus, a recent field observation regarding vole activity is worth noting. Voles prefer a situation where there is cover and shelter generally from weed or grass.