Summer-maturing avocados will begin to drop heavily because of disease as they mature. Some types do not always soften well under Texas conditions. For the most part, avocados are consumed fresh, alone or in salads, dips, appetizers, guacamole and pico de gallo. Overripe fruit can be pureed and frozen for later use, particularly for avocado cream soup and dips. The most common problem of avocados in Texas is tip burn and marginal necrosis caused by water stress and salinity, which is most prevalent during hot, dry weather.
Some avocados are prone to complete defoliation at the time of flowering.
New leaves will develop almost immediately, so there is no cause for concern. The most serious disease of avocados is anthracnose, which is primarily a disease of fruit nearing maturity. It starts as circular, sunken brown to black spots that are quite small. With time, the spots can enlarge to half an inch or more and are prone to cause the fruit to crack horizontally and vertically across the spot. Other fungal diseases such as cercospora spot, powdery mildew and scab are rarely encountered in Texas, but are serious problems in the humid tropics.