Find Your Ask the Expert: Soil for Avocado Tree
I have been growing an avocado tree from a pit and its doing very well. The leaves and root system are quite large now, and I want to pot it before the roots start to deteriorate. The only problem is, every website i go to for help gives me a different answer on the right soil to pot it in! I would really appreciate it if someone could tell me the best soil for it. Thank you!!! Ains
Reply:
Ains,
If the avocado is planted in a container use a general purpose potting that is sand, bark and perlite based rather than an a heavy peat based potting soil. This type of soil will give the plant what it needs along with the drainage it needs. It is imperative that your container drains well. Be sure to place it in a container that has drain holes. Ceramic or natural (breathable) containers are preferred over plastic containers. Keep it sheltered from strong winds but exposed to full sun if possible. Water lightly during the winter months and heaver during the growing season. It is important that the plant isn’t exposed to temperatures under 55 degrees for any length of time.
I have always wanted to start an avocado from the pit, so please keep me posted. It might help me get the courage to try growing my own.
Thank you so much! I am now a confident avocado grower.
Today I received a picture from Ains. It was is happy and healthy avocado tree – growing in it little pot. Now I’m going to have to try growing one myself.
Attached Image: avacado.jpg
I have a question myself about my 8 foot tall avacado tree. It’s three years old and very tall. Do I need to trim the top before it takes over my deck? It’s massive – no fruit, so I wanted to know if here in North Carolina, I can transplant it to the grounds of my property vs. keeping it in the largest pot. It’s plastic pot also. The ceramic ones cost a fortune so plastic is what I have. It does drain well. But now, in the summer months I put a least a gallon or more of water per day.
What should I do with this plant?
North Carolina is a little too cold to leave an avocado tree out all year. You could pinch the top out of the tree if it is getting too tall. This page has more information about Avocados http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/avocado.html. It has some pruning information and information on how long it will take to produce fruit. Good luck and let me know how it goes.
I planted my avocado pit last September 2008. This is the only time I have had success with growing a tree. Here is a picture of the tree July 2, 2009. Beside it is a pepper plant I grew from some old pepper seeds I was going to throw out. I put the seeds around my avocado pit to deter my dogs from digging. It’s been a great partnership!
I do need to transplant the tree as it is growing so close to the house. I live in the Palm Springs area of California so this tree gets plenty of sunshine. I have planted 2 more pits outside and am witnessing their slow but steady growth. Maybe one of these days I’ll even have avocados!
Attached Image: DSCN1592.jpg
You definitely need to move the avocado tree. They can become quite large. The pepper idea was a great one. Do they really keep the dogs from digging? Just a little FYI – it takes about 4 to 6 years to see fruit from an avocado seed. Good luck – you have achieved the hardest part – getting them to sprout.
today I am going to move my mom’s avacado tree. It is 4 years old and tall, about 15 to 20 feet. It is in a barrel, and I still have to dig the hole. I am hoping I can move it with a handtruck without it tipping over. I’ll soon see. maybe I’ll cut it out of the barrel. It is going to suck, and of course my mom named it “Emily”. now if i kill it, it will have been as bad as losing a family member. Geez!
Mark,
When you replant it, don’t bury it any deeper than it was in the barrel. Stop by your local garden center and pick up some root stimulator or Vitamin B1. Mix according to directions and pour around the newly planted tree – this will help with transplant shock.
I laughed with delight when I read all your posts! We all, it seems, become so attached to the avocado plants we’ve grown that we name them! My little fellow is ‘Alfred’, and he has grown to a height of three feet or so, and about as wide. I repotted him at the beginning of the summer, and the growth spurt began – up and out. Now I am looking at the pot and wondering if it’s time to repot. Or do these plants enjoy being root-bound? He’s in the right soil, in bright indirect light, and guzzles water like a puppy. Leaves are bright green, except for the older ones, each a good foot long and about 4-5″ wide. I’m moving soon – should I repot now or leave it until ‘he’s’ settled into his new corner?
If the pot you repotted it into this summer was half again as big as the previous pot, I would leave it alone for now. If the pot wasn’t much bigger, I would get moved in and wait a couple of weeks and then repot it into a bigger pot.
I think plants should have names. My family once had a ficus tree – we called Truman. Please keep me posted on Alfred’s progress.
I also have started growing a avocado tree from a pit and it has taken off. The leaves are huge. I also would like to replant in a bigger pot but what soil should I use and where might I order it from. I understand there is many different kinds of avocado trees . I think I am growing a Gillogly avocado tree. Does anyone know what kind of avocados are sold in our Stop and Shop stores?
I am not familiar with Stop and Shop stores. Where are you located?
Your avocado plant will need a sand,bark, perlite mixture. Basically a general purpose potting soil that you can find at your local garden center nursery.
I am caring for friend\’s potted 5 ft. Avocado Tree. I was told to water it weekly. It is in my kitchen by two large windows that get morning light. In the last week it has been losing a lot of leaves (near the bottom of the plant – smaller leaves). Please tell me if I am watering too much or too little. Do I have to add nutrients such as coffee grinds. I live in NJ and we are having winter and there is heat in the house. Could this be affecting it? Thank you
It could be one of three things – not enough light, too cold or too much water. Check water first. The soil should be moist but not soggy. Stick your finger down in the soil, pulling out a small amount. If you can roll the soil into a ball, but can not squeeze water out of it you are good. If you can squeeze water, wait a little longer between waterings.
As for temperatures, a drastic change in temperature can cause the leaves to drop. Make sure the plant in not directly in front of an air vent or next to a window with a draft.
Now for light – if the room is a little darker this time of year, you might need to give it more light.
If it is only a few leaves at the bottom, I would not worry too much.
My plants name is havi, like haviar. He’s about a year old now and has been through a lot. I planted it in a small pot at first to develop the roots then put it in a larger one that didn’t have a drain hole, one day it rained a lot and the pot filled up, I tipped it to drain the water and it crashed to the ground. I quickly repotted it and a couple weeks later my cat knocked it off the deck and the pot shattered and I again repotted it. The very next day my little brother grabbed ahold of the plant and yanked it out of the pot roots and all and I put it back and to my surprise it’s still alive and well. Havi is about a foot and a half tall and has about a dozen big leaves and I can’t decide if he needs a bigger pot.
It depends whether the plant is root bound or top heavy. If either of these cases is true, you will need to repot the plant.
So… I’m going to start an Avocado plant tomorrow and I am wondering since I live in Iowa if it is possible that I just leave it in a pot for as long as I need it to be? I am just starting out of college and do not have a house where I could build a green house for year round growing. I figure once I get settled in life (in a few years) and leave the apartment scene I could build a green house and plant it there or something… But in the event that does not happen – is it possible to just keep it in the pot? Will it grow fruit after…say a decade??? :)
I forgot to mention that it is an organic avocado… not sure if that makes a difference. I buy all my food organic and as local as possible.
If you remain in Iowa, the tree will have to stay in a pot. Avocados are only hardy in the United States in parts of California, Florida and Hawaii. As the tree matures it will need a pot large enough to handle the root system. You can start out with a 1 gallon pot, then move to a three gallon pot, etc. The problem will is not will the plant grow in a pot, it is whether you can handle the size pot it will eventually need. If given a pot of sufficient size the avocado will produce fruit. Seedling avocados take any where from 8 to 20 years to produce fruit. Good luck and please keep me posted.
Hi,
I have an avacado tree that I have been taking care of for a friend for the past 6 years. It has completely outgrown its pot and needs a new, much larger one which I cannot afford at the moment. The plant is soon to be reclaimed by its rightful owner. Does the Avacado plant have a chance of surviving if I plant it in the ground temporarily until its owner can retrieve it before the end of summer?
Thanks
Debbie
I found this website as it seems most people did, looking for repotting information about our Avacodo Trees. It has put the biggest smile on my face to read all the comments. My alvacodo is a home started one, I got the seed from a friend whos father had started growing his own plant after eating an avacado for the first time and discoving the pit inside. She was keeping me updated on his plants progress and he avacodo addiction, and I mentioned I wanted a pit also. She brought me one he started for me in a cup with toothpicks. I was just the pit with nothing sprouting and for weeks it did nothing and I thought I had killes it. Then one day a nice big spike came out of the pit and finaly Spike Jr. was “born”! He is now a year or so old about 2 feet tall and very leafy. I love him and often talk to him and about him to others. Hes so fun to watch because he actually moves alot. Lifting his leaves and bending his stem towards or away from the light. Hes growing along like a weed and a few people tell me he looks like one (how rude). I am so glad I took at shot at growing him and was patient enough to see it pan out.
Debbie, you can pot your Avocado in the ground and dig it up before winter and repot it.
Bethany, it sounds like you have the magic touch.
Hi all! How fun to have found this web site! I live in Michigan by Detroit. I was making guacamole and decided to plant the avacado pit in my backyard. Without much fanfare, I dug a hole, dropped it in, covered it up, and kept it watered. And amazingly, that little guy grew! I haven’t named him yet. . .
Now, living in Michigan I know I will have to transplant my new little friend into a pot, and keep him under grow lights over the winter. Has anybody tried to do that? Anyway, good luck everybody, and wish us luck, too. . .me and my little guy!
Attached Image: Avacado plant 1.jpg
My Grandson has gone into the Army so he thought that his Nana would be the best choice in the family to leave his avacado tree with. Well, it is the worse looking thing that you ever saw. When he gave it to me last Sept., it was already about 2 feet tall with no leaves; just a stick up in the air with a small leaf or two at the top. Well, after I had it for about a month or so, I noticed that the top of it was getting all dark; almost black. It was dying. I felt so bad about it but kept watering it and putting the plant food to it. Well, another shoot came from off the side of it and grew to be about 3 1/2 feet tall but, again, no leaves. Now another shoot has come off from that and it is probably 3 feet tall with a few small leaves at the top. It looks like one big V made out of sticks. LOL However, it is still alive. HURRAY. I am trying to keep it alive for the 3 years that he is in the service so he can have it when he gets home no matter what it looks like. Anyhow, can you, please, help me get this thing growing right with some nice large leaves on it. I live in Maine so can not put it outside except in the summer. Thanks
K Kellie – when you dig the plant up make sure you dig deep enough to get the whole root system. Then place it in a container filled with potting soil – make sure the top of the existing root ball is at the same level in the new container. Place it in a room with lots of light. If your room has good light, you probably won’t need the grow light. In nature the plant will experience seasons with low light levels. Good Luck and keep me posted.
Retta It sounds as if the center stem is dead. If so trim it back until you see green flesh instead of brown. This will give the lateral shoots the chance to grow. You may need to place it in a room with more light. Also if the plant is too wet it will start to die back. Make sure the container can drain off excess water. If you can send me a picture of the plant, I might be able to give a few more suggestions. Good luck and keep me posted
I am gowing an avocado in Manitoba, Canada. It is too cold to grow outside, so I have it in a pot inside. It is about 3 feet tall. When do I need to change the container? How do I know when the roots need more room? Also, do I need a second tree for polanization to be able to get some fruits? thanks
They can be self-pollinator, but it depends on the cultivar. For best production avocados need another one and age. When you start to see roots coming to the top, you need a new pot or if the plant height doubles in size.
Great information, I have been finding it difficult too find information about the planted avocado trees when they reach fruiting age (between 7 – 12 years old). I have recently started a blog to track the growth of my two seeds (both Hass variety, grown in Mexico). I would love to hear if anyone has a mature tree which fruits that was started with a seed from an avocado which was purchased a supermarket. I will be stopping back in often, it is nice to know that there are fellow avocado tree fans out there.
Attached Image: Avo Project_12-24_top1.jpg
Great reading, wish I would have found this site earlier! I have a question about grafting an avocado tree…what is the best grafting method to use? I tried 3 or 4 times using a veneer graft but they failed, perhaps cause I didn’t use grafting wax. I
I am considering trying budding this summer, please provide your recommendations.
Thanks
Sorry Steve, not really sure. I have never tried grafting before. Perhaps one of our readers will know, or you might contact the California Avocado Society.
My Mom lives in Melbourn, FL. She has an avacado plant she started from the pit. It is only about three months old, but she is convinced it needs to be replanted in the back yard. Can she do this now, or would it be better for the plant to wait a little longer?
Lee, as long as it has developed leaves and established roots, it should do great outside.
I live in maine and I’m thinking about starting an avocado seed but I don’t know what I’m going to do with it during winter. Any ideas?
Planto, because you live in Maine, I would suggest planting your seedling in a container because you will need to bring it inside during the winter. While it doesn’t necessarily need the sunshine of summer, it will need to be placed in an area with some light to over the winter. Hope this helps!
I read above you suggested to put the plants in a “breathable” container rather than plastic. I have 2 trees growing and I noticed the tree in the breathable container is growing much faster, actually dwarfing the tree in the plastic pot. Is this what you speak of or could it be due to the fact the taller tree came from a large avocado as the smaller came from a smaller avocado? Also when the flowering time arrives would these two types be good for the cross pollination process caused by insect visits?
Yeah, it did help although I want to know how big the container should be because I can’t find any pots around my area ( somerset county) more than a square foot
Also, do they bring in any bugs to the house that could affect my other plants and if they do then what should I use to remove and or kill the bugs?
Luther, avocado size doesn’t or shouldn’t affect the size of the plant unless they are two different kinds. I’m not so sure about the cross polination. Also, is there a way to speed up the flowering process because I don’t think I will be able to care for a plant for 10-12 years just for a couple of avocadoes I could by at a store for 10 or 12 dollars. Although I do admit they are fun plants to watch grow.
Planto, you will probably need at least a 6″ – 8″ pot with good drainage. As for bugs, it would be just like bringing any other plant indoors. If you see any insects or to be safe, you may want to treat your plant for bugs before bringing it inside. Finally, there is really no way to increase the flowering process, at least not one that is easy or inexpensive. Hope this helps.
Hi, me again. I would like to share a bit of news with every one. I have a blog about plants. It isn’t as great or big as this site because I just recently made the blog. It is located at plantodotcom.wordpress.com . It will only pop up if typed where you type any other url or address. If this site posts this comment then this is a wonderful site and I will make a link to this site and tell any of my friends that are interested in plants about this website.
Good luck with your new blog, Planto! Thanks so much for spreading the word about Flower Shop Network and our Plant Expert.
thank you and your welcome flower shop network
Can I successfully move my 5 foot high avocado tree to a different spot in the garden. It has been in the ground for 3 years? It is now late spring in a temperate garden.
So here’s my problem, I’ve been growing my avocado tree for a while now, and I’m from Florida so winters almost in full swing, I try to get my tree as much outside, direct sunlight without it being too cold or too windy, but other than that I keep it inside, in a sunny window, but my problem is a couple of the leave have started turning brown at the end and the top leaf as you can see on the picture is heavy and sagging my tree a little bit, this is my very first tree and I’ve gotten this far with it and REALLY don’t want to lose it, especially because of something that could’ve been avoided. But I water it about once every 7 or 8 days, everywhere I’ve read said that the brown tips is from a lack of water, but it’s winter and I also read that you wanna cut down on watering during the winter, and when I do water it, I use about 2 cups of water give or take. It’s currently in a 10in plastic pot thats with no drain holes on the bottom, and I’m thinking I need to transplant to a different pot, but I’m not exactly sure. Someone help! :(
Attached Image: image.jpg
Jeffery, check your lighting conditions. You said you have the little tree in your window. Because of the change of seasons, the morning or evening sun may be too harsh for it right now. Try moving it out of the direct light and simply into the room with plenty of filtered light. Secondly, your watering habits could be an issue. Because your container does not have drain holes, it’s easy to over-water. Make sure when you water you only give it enough to saturate the soil, but not make it too wet. Only water when your soil is dry to the touch. This should help it perk up in no time. Hope this helps! Let us know if you need anymore assistance.
Well I’ve been watering less often, and getting it as much sunlight I can get it without it being too cold outside, but
I do have another issue. I have been noticing these small gnat like bugs show up in my soil, it’s not springtails. It looks just like a gnat and I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing.
It sounds like it’s probably an fungal gnat due to the watering issues from before. The easiest way to get rid of them is to ‘rake’ your soil. Use a fork to aerate the top soil to interrupt the eggs from developing. With proper watering, they should go away shortly. Hope this helps.
So being that it is winter, what’s the best watering cycle I can do for it, it’s at about 11-12 inches at the moment, I have it in a 10″ inch plastic pot, with no drain holes, I feel like I need to switch pots to one with drain holes though. But any advice anyone has for me I really appreciate it.
There’s no magic formula for the precise amount of water because it depends on so many factors, however, there are some things you can do to see if it is the right time to add more water. The soil should be moist but not soggy. Stick your finger down in the soil, pulling out a small amount. If you can roll the soil into a ball, but can not squeeze water out of it you are good. If you can squeeze water, wait a little longer between waterings. Soon you will see what is right for your plant.
Thanks for the tips, I plan on starting an avocado enterprise from the ground up!