I purchased a 4 foot tall Lil' Cado avocado tree at the beginning of April and planted it in a large container (an Earthtainer, for those of you who know what that is). The tree came with a stake supporting the think trunk. During the past 7 weeks, the leaves remained green, yet they drooped. A lot of new shoots are growing out of the seed and existing branches, along with a ton of flowers. So besides the drooping leaves, the tree looks great. However, yesterday (about a month and 3 weeks from transplanting), I noticed that the ties on the trunk securing it to the stake seemed to be affecting and inhibiting the growth of the trunk. So I decided to clip the ties to allow the tree to grow freely. But as soon as I clipped the last tie, the entire trunk drooped down to the ground. I was amazed at how weak and flimsy the trunk was. I have another avocado tree that I grew from seed that is about the same height, and the trunk is strong with no supporting stake.

Can anyone tell me what is wrong with the drooping leaves and weak trunk? I'm not sure if it is water or fertilizer or something else. Could it be that due to the shock of the transplanting, all of the leaves will drop and be replaced by new growth? The new growth (including the new small trunk growing out of the seed) seems strong.