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greenman28

Avocado as a Container Plant III

Well, another wonderful Summer is passing, and there was much progress with the Avocado. I pruned the top branches three times, possibly four, to keep the canopy as symmetrical and bushy as possible. I'm sure the plant is very root-bound by now, as it requires watering every other day. I fertilize once a week with full-strength Foliage Pro 9-3-6.

For the detailed history of this plant, from a volunteer seedling in the garden to a full-time container plant, check out the previous Threads. I apologize that the photobucket pics don't display anymore - the service has gone downhill. I'll be posting images from the computer, one at a time, from here on out. The photobucket slideshow is still available, though - Avocado seedling slideshow

Avocado converted to Houseplant (first Thread)

Avocado as a Container Plant (second Thread)

And, of course, an update pic of the Avocado :-)

Josh

Comments (306)

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

    I use the production amount of 1 teaspoon per gallon, minimum. Usually I make a stronger batch....1.5 - 2 teaspoons per gallon, which I use on my avocado and all my citrus.

    Josh

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

    Hi everyone! I would like to share pictures of my avocado seedlings. Here they are:

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    These are only few months old, 7 inches the first one and 14 inches the second tree. I also have 1.5 year old avocado seedling as well which I pruned few times and it is 34 inches tall.

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    Josh, I wanted to ask you how to prune the tallest tree in a way that it can have more top branches but stand at the same height. It has only 1 inch of bark at the soil level. If you look at the first one, it is 7 inches and few months old, but it has already more bark growing at the bottom.

    The second picture shows green avocado seedling and the seed was 3 times larger than the Hass seeds. What is green avocado? (It was labeled as green avocado in the grocery store and the taste of the fruit was different from Hass, not that creamy, more watery I would say and kind of little sweet).

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

    Nice avocados, Sunshine :-)

    The bark will come with time. Different trees will lignify at different rates.

    As for pruning the tall tree to make a more bushy canopy, that will simply involve pruning the new growth back to a couple nodes once those branches have extended a bit. Once the tree is outdoors, it should backbud reliably.

    Josh

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

    I re-potted my avocado last month, and have kept it in the greenhouse. So far, so good! None of the miserable leaf-shedding as in past re-pottings. There is new growth, which I take as a positive sign. Pics of the re-potting:

    Before:

    Tall Winter-growth pruned off:

    Root-bound, roots loosened and pruned:

    And here's the current status:




  • philzinho
    6 years ago

    Looking very healthy Josh. Mine now is over 5 feet tall with 5 branches. Your recommendation on upping the fertiliser did the trick. Unfortunately the tree has to stay indoors all year here, but its going strong.

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

    Excellent, Phil. Post an update pic.

    Josh

  • philzinho
    6 years ago

    Hi Josh. I hope this works as I'm not very good with I.T. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/y38pjpw7tec88lf/AADmdZSpqdn2nysloCOVtVJ2a?dl=0

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

    Looks good, Phil. Ready for some pruning ;-)

    Josh

  • philzinho
    6 years ago

    I'd like to prune it back . Any suggestions Josh ? Only problem is it can't go outside.

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

    Phil, if it were mine, I'd bring the top down and the long side-arms in.

  • philzinho
    6 years ago

    Josh, that looks very brutal, but you're the potted avocado master ! I'll give it a chop.

    Its nearly as wide as it is tall.

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

    Amazing results, Josh! Thanks for the pictures, very beautiful tree and roots. I chopped my tall avocado tree as well. Wil post pics soon.

  • Cathy Smith
    6 years ago

    My indoor Avocado tree I started from a pit in the hospital, ICU... I have tried everything. I've done everything to keep this alive. Trunk has some bark, stems look healthy but all new growth comes out green and turns brown. I'm ready to chop it down to 12" and see what happens.
    I've tried more water, less water, fertilizer, Epsom Salt, flushing with clear water, morning sun, afternoon sun. Soil is well draining with drainage holes. I don't want to transplant as it goes into severe shock when I do. I'm in NE Pa. Any thoughts? Thanks!

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

    Needs more light. Post pics of the container and the potting mix.

    Josh

  • Cathy Smith
    6 years ago

    I'll try and get more pics tomorrow. It gets as much light as possible. Any idea why the new growth turns brown?

  • Cathy Smith
    6 years ago

    This is a self watering pot but I removed the bottom to help with air flow and I water from the top. It's a 10" plastic pot. The soil is just regular potting mix as far as I remember. I hate to repot due to the shock. Thanks for any advice!

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

    Thanks for the pics.

    I think the mix needs more aeration, more drainage material. That might not be the sole issue, but it's certainly contributing to the overall problem. That said, I hate repotting mine, too. This most recent repotting was, for me, the best ever...but I had the aid of a greenhouse, which really helps with recovery. Your plant might not have the vitality to survive another disruption, but I think it is necessary at this point.

    Josh

  • Cathy Smith
    6 years ago

    I'm sad.. I've been nursing this along for so long.

    Should I repot and then prune it down or prune it first?
    Keep the 10" pot?
    Any other details would be great.
    Thanks again!! Cathy

  • Eric L
    6 years ago

    for my plant at least, it was all coming in fine and browning at the edges for a while. then i flushed the whole thing with the reverse osmosis water. the house has a water softener and i think that might have been adding too much salt to the mix. after that the browning on the edges stopped.


    also got mine under a nice grow light about 14 hours a day and 3 feet up over the thing. water about every week something like 16 ounces.


    it was doing pretty well, but then i decided to transplant to another container and i think i messed up the water schedule/root damage. now it's got a couple of leaves that are looking good-ish and sufficiently watered though droopy. my plant is currently a sad sight. but they're hardy.


    anyway, salt may be the culprit.

  • Cathy Smith
    6 years ago

    Thanks Eric, I have well water without a softener and have also tried bottled water. I did the flush a few times too, nothing works :( At least I got it to branch out lol, it was a single stem for a long long time!! It definitely needs more light, if it lives...

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

    Hi everyone! Here are some pics of my avocado, that was chopped last month. Josh, I think the new growth was attacked by spider mites while I was on vacation. The leaves are all distorted and misshapen. After I came back, I sprayed the tree with neem oil . My other trees are not affected. What do you think I should do moving forward with this tree?

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

    Cathy, I suggest just the repotting, no pruning yet. You can use the same container, but with a much faster draining mix. I do hope the tree survives.

    Sunshine, let it continue leafing out, then revisit possible pruning in June or so. It looks like it was attacked by something much larger (insect) than spider mites, but it should be fine. I spray mine with Neem periodically as a precaution.

    Josh

  • Cathy Smith
    6 years ago

    Thanks Josh, I'll take your advice! The insect bitten tree post isn't mine :) It looks better than mine though! Mine has no leaves...

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

    Thanks Josh!

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

    Now that the avocado is out of the greenhouse, new growth is coming quickly! I also noticed a little garden helper....


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

    Beautiful tree! Josh, what bug is that and what are its benefits in the garden?

  • halocline
    6 years ago

    Cool Josh! I cant say that I've ever seen a Lady Bug at that stage before.

    Rob


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

    Hey, Rob, what a great shot! It's not quite Mantis season here yet, but they'll be hatching soon!

    The Lady Bug larvae always remind me of little Gila monster lizards! And they are voracious, indeed!

    Update on the avocado.....I left it outside, and a deer came by and nibbled off all the tender top-growth. Free pruning, I guess. I fertilized everything this morning, ahead of the heatwave about to hit us.

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

    So....I went out with friends for Trivia night at a local pub, and I returned to find my avocado completely denuded. Will I ever learn? On the positive side, this really helps me observe the branch structure for future shaping. Let's see how long it takes to bush out again.....

  • Cathy Smith
    6 years ago

    Omg, so sad... I hope it bounces back! Mine is repotted and cut back, waiting to see what happens next. It's just a green stick as of today :((

  • halocline
    6 years ago

    Deer? Making Guacamole?? When's Trump gonna build that damn wall??

    Rob


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

    Ha! Yeah, the deer are pretty hungry right about now...everything's drying up for the long Summer.

    Josh

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

    Hi Josh! Long time no see :)) Just wanted to ask you about your avocado tree. How is it doing? When I saw the picture of your leafless tree, my heart fell.

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

    Thanks, Sunshine.

    The avocado has recovered, but it isn't as bushy as before. I actually need to prune the tall branches down again, to encourage lower leaf growth. I'll update with some pics a bit later. It's 105F....and I don't want to go out to the garden!

    Josh

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

    Here's an update....the avocado is taller than I want, and a lot of those lower interior leaves are a loss....but it sure is healthy! With these 100F+ temperatures, I keep it in a shallow drip tray or else it will wilt. In the drip tray, I water every other day.


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

    Josh, it's a beautiful tree! Thanks for the update.

    greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a thanked sunshine (zone 6a, Ontario,Canada)
  • Cathy Smith
    6 years ago

    She finally died... 3 years old. After checking the roots, a little too late, I see they had been growing in a circle which eventually killed her. I might try again. Thanks for all the advice!!

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

    Oh no Cathy, I am so sorry to hear that!

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

    Dang!

    Josh

  • antea90
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    So my avocado soil was contaminated with mold, so I had to replant it!!! During replanting I accidentally broke its root. Now I planted it in a new pot, and I went away for 2 days. When I came back my avocado is copletely whilted. I gave it a lot of water and as well a bit of mixture of water and sugar. What should I do next? Do you think it will come back to normal?

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

    It may come back, it may not. Keep the roots moist, not soaking, and hope for the best! Either way, get another avocado pit started.

    These aren't the best detail pics, but the avocado is getting bushy again. Time for a proper trim.


  • halocline
    6 years ago

    It's really coming along Josh. The trunk is getting fat, and that little curve at the base will prolly give it more, and more character the older it gets.

    Since this is one of the few threads I see you on, I wanted to show you, I finally got one of those "Flowering Maples" (Abutilon "Voodoo).



    Rob

  • halocline
    6 years ago

    antea90 - What do you mean " my avocado soil was contaminated with mold" ?

    Sometimes beneficial Fungi (like Mycorrhizae) will grow/live in soil. Even if you buy a new bag of soil; and don't use it right away, perhaps a couple of months, when you do finally open it, there may be a web like network of fungus on the top.

    People do often mistake this for mold, but in fact, it show's that your soil is teaming with life. That's a good thing!

    Hope your tree bounces back, good luck.

    Rob



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

    Wow, Josh, you tree looks so tall! Thank you for the update! I will post pics tomorrow.

    Halocline, that is one good looking maple! I love the red flower buds :)

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

    Here are my avocado seedling trees:

    Hass seedling on the right and green avocado on the left.

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

    Nice pics, Rob and Sunshine!

    Put them in much larger containers! My avocado blew over yesterday (no damage), so I'll need to slip it into a ceramic container to keep it stable.

    Josh

  • halocline
    6 years ago

    Josh - Beware of the ceramic pots w/ the indented lip at the top, it's very hard to remove plants from them when transplanting/repotting. Sometimes you have to break the pot off (like this Bougainvillea).



    Rob

  • antea90
    6 years ago

    @halocline I live in Dubai, so mold is a very common thing in appartmets due to hot weather and 80%of humidity, and appartments are airconditioned, so if you open your window for a short time, mold creates on wet surfaces like house plants soil, even on your walls... so I am sure it is mold!!! Cause avocado went all sad :( but thanks anyway :)

  • halocline
    6 years ago

    Huh... I would never have thought that Dubai has high humidity. I guess like Florida, surrounded by the ocean. They're about the same Latitude.

    Good luck,

    Rob

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

    Hey, Rob, I'm going to set the current pot inside of a heavier pot to prevent tipping. I won't ever use one of those tapered containers again. Ha!

    Josh