Sunburned Leaves on Avocado Tree

I grew a plant from an avocado pit and it's done really well. It is 2 feet tall with about 15 leaves. However, I recently went through a move and it was accidentally left outside in the AZ Sun (it has been an indoor plant) for a couple of days. The leaves all dried up, but not 100%. They are brittle to the touch toward the bottom of the leaf, but green at the top of the leaf where the leaf connects to the stem.

I don't know how I should cut or prune the plant. Do I remove all the leaves that are dried (which are most of them)? I'm sure I can't cut the leaf in half, leaving the green top part? I'm normally very good about pruning, but this is my first avocado and I don't want it to die. Do I cut back the stem? Can you give me some guidance? Thank you.

Hardiness Zone: 10a

By Carolee from Fountain Hills, AZ

Answers: Sunburned Leaves on Avocado Tree

Read answers for this question below.

By 06/30/2010

Move it to a place with filtered sun. Water deeply until the water runs out of the pot. Leave the leaves alone, they will drop off when they are ready. Hot weather here in Gilroy CA has never bothered my trees, but they are in the ground. It is really hard to permanently damage a healthy avocado tree. I have a young one in the front yard that I had to cut to the ground when only about 5 years old and it came back with many shoots the next year!

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