The Great Avocado Experiment (Part 5)

My two avocado trees
My two avocado trees

It’s early September and just as I had hoped, the two avocado trees have thrived.  The taller tree is somewhere between 3′ and 4′ tall and is beginning to trade its green stem for a barkier one — I can’t think of any other way to describe it.  It’s been growing quickly, so I have been pinching off new growth every couple of weeks.  Again, my goal is to keep these guys on the small side knowing that they will have to come inside for the winter.  The smaller tree is about a foot shorter, but seems to be putting out new growth just as fast as its sibling.

Pinched off growth
I’m pinching off the taller tree to keep it small.

As you might imagine, there is absolutely NO sign of the plants putting out fruit of any sort.  From what I have read, it could be years before I should expect to see anything.

I can’t recall if I had already mentioned this, but I upgraded the small, ceramic pots for larger, plastic ones.  This will hopefully allow them room to grow while keeping

Lots of new growth on the smaller guy.
Lots of new growth on the smaller guy.

them rather lightweight and mobile.  These pots have no drainage at the bottom; I put several inches of cheap drainage rock at the bottom but it is still possible for them to take on too much water.  To battle this, I have them partially under the eave of the house.  Between the natural rainfall and supplemental watering, they seem to do quite well.  In case you’re interested, they’re on my back deck facing northeast.  They get a little direct morning sun where they are and seem to like it.  I tried them in a spot with more direct light but they got alarmingly wilted with a lot of exposure.

I have not added anything to the garden soil I originally planted them in.  I’ve read some articles which recommend some nitrogen supplement, but I’m going to try to hold off on doing anything until next year.  For now, I’ll let them grow and begin debating on the ideal location when I pull them in for the winter.

4 thoughts on “The Great Avocado Experiment (Part 5)

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    1. Not good! Their growth plateaued at about 1-2 feet. I have good news, though. I started another avocado seed last week, incidentally, and will report on its progress once there is progress. Thanks for asking!

  1. How are your avocado trees doing now? Did I read right they do NOT like direct sun? I have a tiny plant maybe a foot tall from a seed I did myself and I have a 3yr old plant my dil bought me. Just trying to get smarter about these plants and found your experiment.

    1. Noemi,

      I wish I had better news, but these trees mentioned in my articles topped out at about 2-3 feet tall. They were on my back porch which got 8-10 hours of sunlight per day. I think that was a bit too much for them and they ended up getting ill. They definitely won’t survive outside during the winter where I live, so keeping them in pots is my only option. I gave up on my previous trees, but I’ve started a new avocado growing project. It’s too early to report anything at the moment. I hope you have better luck! If you have any tips, please share!

      Michael

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