Growing Avocado trees indoors is a bigger challenge than growing them outdoors in fields. It needs extra care and inspections regularly while developing growing stages. Initially, the Avocado stem doesn't grow strong and remains thin. It gets bent if you don't provide it support to stand tall.
Apart from that, avocado leaves and twigs develop from the nodes on the stem that start from the bottom to the top points of the stem.
In many cases, avocado nodes don't get develop properly and fruits don't bear as much as you expect. Pruning is the method that helps your avocado plants to cover multiple tasks while growing and helps to develop more twigs and leaves on the plants.
Avocado tree pruning indoors
There are certain reasons for pruning Avocado trees but the right time and right height of the plants are very important to get better results.
Let's understand in detail how pruning works indoors for Avocado plants.
Why prune Avocado trees indoors?
I've got a few Avocado trees in my garden and one thing I can say for sure is that pruning Avocado tree is multiple times better than letting them grow without it even using growth boosters. Following are the reasons that you may prune your avocado plants indoors-
- To avoid tall plant
Generally, germinated avocado plants grow taller without developing their nodes with time. Without their development or late development, plants only focus on tall growth. Thus, you may get a few avocado fruits but not a balanced tree with loaded avocados.
So to avoid tall growth, we need to prune these plants to develop a bushy growth.
- To focus plant on all nodes
Another reason to prune the Avocado plant is the development of nodes. When we prune the upper section of the avocado plant, the automatically plant starts focusing on the slow-developing stem nodes. Hence, plants get more twigs and more leaves. More leaves will create more food and encourage better growth of the plant.
- To encourage better and stronger stem
Initially, the avocado stem remains weak and soft while growing for a time so we need manual support to avoid any bend in the stem. Pruning helps the plant to get a stable and balanced stem and encourages it to focus the whole plant on the nodes and stem collectively. Although stems become stronger with time pruning can be a good way to do it in the early stages.
When to prune the Avocado tree?
You shouldn't prune your Avocado plant once it becomes a tree because at that time plants only focus on the main developed sections. So better to do it in the early stages when the plant becomes at least 13 to 15 inches tall. Pruning at shorter heights is always beneficial for plants because it can get time to develop all the nodes meanwhile.
The best time to prune avocado plants is early spring. If you can't do it in early spring then do it as early as possible after. Once summer will arrive, pruning will not be that effective on the plant.
But indoors, if you have proper exhaust or air coolers, you can prune it till late spring.
Method of pruning Avocado tree
After reading this method, your plant will look like you ruined it but don't worry. I can't give you a demonstration here but can tell you the main mechanism here. When you prune the upper section of the avocado plant, the plant doesn't get die, instead, it starts focusing on those nodes from where it can develop the tissues further.
Thus, nodes started popping out and the plant start to develop more leaves and twigs.
The following steps will help you to prune an avocado plant indoors-
Step 1- Inspect the young avocado plant properly
I hope you don't have too bigger or too short avocado plants than 13 to 15 inches. So now, inspect the plant leaves at the upper section mostly. Take a look at the nodes on the stem. Thus, you can confirm that leaves are only growing very less but plants growing taller.
Step 2- Mark the pruning spot and ready your cutter
Now, give the number to every developed and non-developed node virtually. You have to mark that node that is developed but 2 to 3 nodes above the most upper non-developed nodes. Simply, you just have to leave two to three leaves at the plant and mark the point 1 cm above the 2nd or 3rd developed node from bottom to top.
Make your cutting tool ready to cut the upper section of an avocado plant at the mark.
Step 3- Cut the upper section at the pruning spot
Cut 1 cm above the marked node carefully and try to make a lateral cut. Don't worry if your plant looks ugly at this stage.
Step 4- Care your plant further
From here, you can start caring for your plant as you do regularly. Irrigate on time, fertilize on time, and provide sunlight as much as required.
Common mistakes while pruning Avocado tree
I hope I gave every possible detail about pruning avocado plants indoors but still, a few people may do common mistakes that can cause them to the whole plant. If you don't want to ruin your avocado plants then avoid the following mistakes-
- Late pruning
Don't start pruning too late because when temperature increases, it increases the chances of stress on the plant. In heat stress, plants only focus on the most essential points of growth. It can affect the purpose of pruning badly.
- Wrong height pruning
Pruning the avocado plant too big or too short is not right for better results. If you prune the plant even at the right height but not at the right node, it can also be wrong for further growth of the avocado plant.