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greenman28

Avocado as a Container Plant (pics)

Greetings, everyone!

Welcome to the start of a new Thread on growing Avocados in containers!

A little background: in November 2009, I dug up a volunteer Avocado seedling from my garden,

so that I could grow it as a houseplant over the Winter. I chose the shortest, stoutest Avocado seedling

(out of five that sprouted throughout the garden), as I didn't want to end up with a lanky, floppy plant

during the Winter months.

My continuing goal with this plant is to keep it short and bushy and "house friendly" with regular pruning.

Here is a link to the previous Thread, posted in the Houseplant Forum, which exceeded the maximum

number of posts that Garden Web allows: Avocado converted to Houseplant (pics)

And for direct access to the progress pics, click here: Avocado Slideshow

Lastly, a current pic of the Avocado. Click for a full-size view:

{{gwi:6021}}


Josh

Comments (216)

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Welcome!

    Yes, they can grow outdoors in Sac, but put them in outdoor shade!

    The reason they often fail after transplanting is because those are water-roots - they are brittle. It is better to start the seed in soil.

    Josh

  • jane__ny
    7 years ago

    Can't you put them in the ground. I live in Florida and my Avocados are in the ground in full, hot sun all day. Three year old trees and I have a bunch of small Avocados growing.

    Ground would be best.

    Jane

  • Jacqueline H
    7 years ago

    Hello!!! I'm new to all this and have been reading around here - thanks for the great resources!! I am not sure how/if/when to pinch a new avocado plant that will live always in a pot (in NYC). I grew an avocado from seed in water, and while still in the water cut the top shoot down when it quickly got to about 8" with leaves on top but no leaves on the side or even buds if I recall. (It grew one very strong long root initially, and then after the cutting, a few smaller roots grew.). A few weeks later - and I just potted it yesterday! I am hoping it is ok. I mixed in perlite as I've done with this organic potting soil for cactus, aloe, etc. i want a short and bushy plant, but the main stem seems too long without even enough buds to be bush if they all grow. My main question is should I pinch/cut and where??? (I tried looking around at photos to see what exactly the apical meristem is, in context of this plant.....there doesn't seem to be a "bud" on top, just leaves.) Do I just pinch off some leaves (which), or cut this tall stem in 1/2, figuring it and the shorter stem will grow out? Also - I just potted it last night. Is it too much trauma to now pinch/prune, i.e. Should I let it recover (for how long), or, is it better to do it sooner rather than later especially given it is end of Summer??? The height in the pictures is 7" from the top of the pit to the top of the leaves. (It lives at a sunny window, and I just moved it to photo.). Thank you so much for your thoughts!!!!

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Been a long time...the avocado is branched and excellent...and in need of a repotting....

  • sunshine (zone 6a, Ontario,Canada)
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Hi Josh! Long time no see :) Don't see you in the citrus land :) I have been following the progress of your avocado tree for a long time, it really is beautiful and happy, thanks for the update. My avocado seedlings are growing, I trim them very drastically sometimes (learned from you). I need to repot mine too.

    Have a great day, Josh!

    greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a thanked sunshine (zone 6a, Ontario,Canada)
  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Thank you!

    Yeah, I haven't had much time for the Citrus forum, but I'm still out here, growing all my trees. Once the gardening season slows down, I'll post more updates.

    Josh

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    Still kickin'!



  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    4 years ago

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    4 years ago

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    I finally repotted today, and boy was it time!

    Opened the roots, and potted in a #7 container with fresh 511 mix.

    After a few days of recuperation in the greenhouse (where it has been), I will prune it down a bit on all sides and move it to a spot beneath the grapes in the garden.

  • getgoing100_7b_nj
    4 years ago

    Josh, beautiful tree. Do you fertilize it? Any signs of blooms? It is about 10 years old, correct? I have a couple 8-10 month old plants in an 8" pot. Different varieties but I am not sure which ones. One of them has a more oval sand smaller darker seed and has more robust leaves.The one with bigger whiter round seed is more finicky and loses leaves fast to sun exposure or anything really. It does get a new flush of leaves soon enough. I am afraid of fertilizing them - it appears that Avocados don't like salts much at all. I am not planning on pruning them till they get bigger and lankier. Right now they are pretty sturdy.

    greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a thanked getgoing100_7b_nj
  • getgoing100_7b_nj
    4 years ago

    Pics

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    Nice trees!

    I haven't seen any sign of bloom, and I've read that it might take 20 years...and might require a secondary tree to pollinate.

    As for fertilization, I use a generous amount of Osmocote in the container, and I fertilize with Foliage Pro once a week when I fertilize my citrus. I use a fast-draining mix and lots of water, so perhaps that's why salts have never been an issue.

    Josh

  • stickstring ( Sonoma County, CA 9B)
    4 years ago

    Greenman28,

    I also use Foilage Pro, you mentioned you fertilize once a week instead of at every watering. How often do you water your citrus and avocado? I assume watering in between fertilizer day does not flush all of the nutrients out of the pot? Do you add white vinegar to your water?

    thank you,

    Nick

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    Hey, Nick!

    I'm watering 2 - 3 times a week now that the days are hot and the trees are outside in the sun. The watering does flush nutrients, but not all, and I have Osmocote in the containers that slowly releases with each watering.

    I haven't added white vinegar in a long time, but it couldn't hurt.

    Josh

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    Just pruned the avocado, by the way. I kept it in the greenhouse after repotting, then brought it out to be pruned and positioned under some of my grapes for shade.

    Before pruning:

    After pruning:

    Nestled in the garden:

  • stickstring ( Sonoma County, CA 9B)
    4 years ago

    Your avocado looks great. It has come a long way! I remember following these posts a few years ago. I am trying to root a avocado seed as we speak. I figured it would be a fun project for my kids to try and grow. With any luck it will look half as good as yours.

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    That will be fun, for sure!

    A good free-draining mix, lots of water and fertilizer, and regular pruning

    makes growing avocados stress-free and really quite easy, even if you

    have to bring your tree indoors for the Winter.

    Josh

  • stickstring ( Sonoma County, CA 9B)
    4 years ago

    Josh,
    Do you happen to remember how long it took your seed to sprout? I’m attempting to start ours directly in a pot. Have been keeping it in a shady spot of the yard and keeping it damp.

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    Mine sprouted in a compost pile in the garden, so I'm not sure exactly...but it was buried about a foot down, so it took extra long to reach the surface. I would say about 4 weeks. Other seeds I've started in damp paper towels or in pots usually take anywhere from 10 days to 5 weeks.


    Josh

  • stickstring ( Sonoma County, CA 9B)
    4 years ago

    Josh,
    Thanks for the info as usual.
    Nick

    greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a thanked stickstring ( Sonoma County, CA 9B)
  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    The avocado has put on incredible growth, and now I must prune it down significantly again. I haven't been able to get a good pic yet, but this is a start.

  • sunshine (zone 6a, Ontario,Canada)
    4 years ago

    Hi Josh, I have been following the progress of your avocado tree for years now, you are giving it a good care. Looks beautiful and healthy!

    greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a thanked sunshine (zone 6a, Ontario,Canada)
  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    Thank you very much!!!


    Josh

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    4 years ago

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    Well, the wind kept blowing it over, and the time is drawing near to move it back into the greenhouse, so I yet again drastically pruned down my avocado. The growth and development this season were phenomenal, but I decided to eliminate the double leader, despite the excellent symmetry. So, it's back to a single trunk, and I will work on scaffolding the new canopy/structure from this trunk.

    Before:

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    After:

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Before vid:



  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    After vid:



  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Well, I was ready to report back that the decade-long saga of the avocado in a container had come to an end. Shortly after pruning, just as new growth was emerging, we were hit with a freak snowstorm....and the avocado suffered greatly. All growth and foliage dropped, and the branches and trunk blackened and died. No green in the cambium from top to bottom. Still, I left it in the greenhouse over the Winter, and used its soil surface as a shelf for some smaller potted seedlings.

    But, yesterday, as I Spring-cleaned the greenhouse and dragged the old avocado pot out to dump in the garden, I noticed that there was life coming up from the roots! So the tale is not over, after all.

    I will wait for these new shoots to gain size and harden off, then I will carefully lift the viable rootmass from the pot, downsize appropriately, and begin the process of rebuilding the tree.

  • tcleigh
    3 years ago

    Sad, but there’s hope! I’ve been following this thread for quite a while. I grew an avocado plant from seed years back. Got it to about 3ft in regular potting soil. It was happy and healthy but when I bare rooted it and put it in gritty mix, it died on me. I think I’ll have another go at it. Thanks for the inspiration and I hope your plant lives on!

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Tcleigh, the most important thing when repotting/barerooting an avocado is to keep it watered in the days following, especially in the gritty mix! Very well hydrated, perhaps even sitting in a driptray. When I started to do that, my avocado stopped losing leaves at repotting time.


    I'll update soon.


    Josh

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    It's making a solid comeback.

  • Sansanee Jouan
    3 years ago

    Wow Josh!


    That is incredible and so nice to see that your avocado has returned to a healthy tree after all those years. I’ve been searching the whole web for success stories of how to maintain this plant in a container and to be able to grow it really big. Luckily I got caught up in your saga and spent a couple of days reading the whole story. Thank you for the information.


    We live in France, but unfortunately, not anywhere near where you can plant an avocado tree outdoors. A month or so ago, I started it from seed on top of a cup of water. One sprouted and I transferred it to a pot. It is about 7 inches tall now and I did a first trim at the very top, yesterday. Winter is arriving, so I had to put it inside, but managed it get a grow light for it. I hope it will one day live as long as yours! I promised to pass it on to my kids when it fruits :-) The boys are quite reluctant with the idea though LOL.


    Have a nice day Josh. And thank you again.

    Nat


    greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a thanked Sansanee Jouan
  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Thanks, Nat, I'm glad you enjoyed the saga!


    My tree is now over 6 feet tall again, and will need to be pruned and moved into the greenhouse before our first frost comes. I took a pic of it today. It has grown many leading branches.




  • Sansanee Jouan
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    It grew fast! I decided to plant another pit in case the first one doesn’t work out. I’ve been putting it over a cup of water for some time. But this time, I planted it immediately after a sign of some root coming out. I think it is working. Our cat dug the pit out of the pot, so I see that the root is growing :-)

    greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a thanked Sansanee Jouan
  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    That's exciting!

    How cold does it get in your region?

    We can grow the Mexicola outdoors here, which has proven cold tolerant down to 18F.


    Josh

  • Sansanee Jouan
    3 years ago

    Hi Josh,


    From the statistics, I see it went down to 30 F. especially in the month of February. But that is not every year. Normally, it would reach 32 F.


    Nat

  • getgoing100_7b_nj
    3 years ago

    With those temperatures, you should be able to grow it outside.

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Not this avocado...it's seedgrown, from some tender stock.

    The snow hit it, and it damn near died.


    Josh

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Pruned it back down today, and moved it into the greenhouse for the Winter season.




  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    2 years ago

    Ten years and still running!
    This Spring, the avocado put on a good push of growth.
    Today, I pruned down the tall straight new branches so that I can begin reshaping the canopy.
    Before:

    After:



  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Last month (July), the deer again ravaged my avocado, so in a fit of irritation, I whacked the entire thing back down to begin rebuilding the canopy before the end of the season. Less than a month later, it is recovering itself quite nicely. Frequent watering and weekly Foliage Pro.




  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    2 years ago

    Pic at a time...



  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    2 years ago



  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    Original Author
    2 years ago



  • Sansanee Jouan
    2 years ago

    Nice!


    We went to Corsica this summer and our host gave us some branches of mature avocado trees. The climate there accomodates growing avocadoes outside. Back home this evening, I grafted it to our potted plant. Hope this works!


    Sansanee

  • Sansanee Jouan
    2 years ago




  • Sansanee Jouan
    2 years ago