Cutting Back Avocado Sprouts

Cut off water sprouts growing along branches with a pair of bypass shears. Make your cut next to the branch, but do not harm the wood on the avocado branch. To identify a water sprout, look for small thin horizontally growing branches that are the diameter of a pencil growing along the larger branches.

Push back mulch around the avocado tree. Dig a hole next to any sucker sprouts growing at the base of the avocado tree. Press your shovel three inches from the base of the tree and at a depth of four inches.

Make a pruning cut flush with the root system to remove sucker sprouts with either the bypass shears or loppers. Avoid using bypass shears if the sprout does not fit into the bite of the pruning tool. Examine the area where the sucker sprouts have been growing. Look for brown bark or discoloration that suggests decay or disease. If the area is decaying, offer the avocado tree water and fertilizer at the beginning of the growing season to help the tree survive any health problems.

Replace the dirt. Push the mulch back three inches from the base of the tree. Mulch must not touch the bark of the tree, because it promotes diseases and decay.

Clean up the area. Dead sprouts laying underneath the avocado tree creates the perfect home for pests and diseases.