Planting your own indoor avocado tree can be easily done with an avocado pit, a glass of water, and direct sunlight. Starting with a dwarf tree is another popular option. However, you’ll need to know quite a few things to make sure that your avocado seed turns into a beautiful avocado tree. These tips will help you make sure that your new plant is successfully grown and bears fruit.
Can An Avocado Tree Be Grown Indoors?
Yes, a Hass avocado tree can be grown indoors. While this requires more maintenance to make sure that the tree bears fruit, it is more than possible. There are several benefits that owners will enjoy when opting to plant their tree indoors versus outside.
Benefits Of Indoor Avocado Trees
When growing indoor avocado trees, there are quite a few benefits that you will enjoy. First, you’ll find that you have fewer insects to deal with. Trees that bear fruit naturally attract insects, which can make them a hassle when growing them outside.
Not only will you not have to cover your beautiful Hass avocados in insecticide, but you’ll also have a larger harvest. Trees that bear fruit indoors are able to be harvested more often than trees that are grown outside. Enjoying a freshly picked avocado will become one of your new favorite things!
These trees make particularly beautiful houseplants. They provide lush greenery that will instantly promote a relaxing environment. Trees work well with any decor scheme, from modern to boho to country.
Growing A Hass Avocado Tree From The Pit Of An Avocado
Most people that grow one of these trees enjoy doing so by simply using an avocado pit. This is an easy and cost effective way to enjoy your favorite nutritious fruit.
Start by removing the pit from the Hass avocado. Then, wash it clean. You can scrub the pit, but do not peel off the brown skin. This skin protects the Hass avocado seed. This is how you get your avocado pit ready.
Next, you’ll need to suspend your seed in water. When looking at the pit, or avocado seed, you can tell which part is the bottom by looking at the shape. Often, the bottom is the flat part. The top will appear slightly more pointy than the bottom.
Then, using three or four toothpicks, pierce the seed. Balance the toothpicks on a drinking glass of warm water so that only the bottom of the seed is in water. If you find this difficult, consider purchasing a kit that will submerge the bottom half of the seed in tap water.
After that, sit your seed on a window sill in a sunny location. A south or west-facing window is ideal. A south-facing window will provide the perfect amount of sunlight per day if you live in the northern hemisphere. (Seeds need at least six hours of sunlight per day.)
Change the water regularly, and wait for a root ball to grow. Your seed should sprout in 2-8 weeks. It should not take longer than a couple of months to see it grow a couple of inches.
When the avocado seedling is 16 cm tall, it’s time to transfer it to a pot with a drainage dish underneath. You need to leave the top half out of the soil.
Make sure that you water your adorable avocado seedling regularly, but avoid overwatering. Overwatering is known to cause root rot. Soggy soil will give your tree a deep soak that can ruin it. You want to avoid soggy soil at all costs. Instead, focus on keeping the soil moist.
Starting With A Dwarf Tree
Starting your own Hass avocado fruit tree from the pit is a great idea, but starting with a dwarf tree can be easier. Most orchards sell them when they are already grown into a tree. All that it requires is replanting the tree. You’ll have delicious avocados much sooner than if you grow an avocado from seed.
Planting An Indoor Avocado Tree
Whether growing your avocado plant from a seed or purchasing an avocado plant that is currently classified as an avocado houseplant, you’ll need to know how to plant your future tree. Most of these trees grow to at least twenty feet tall in nature, but the pot that you choose will restrict that size so you don’t have larger trees like you would with an outdoor plant. That is why it’s important to pick the perfect pot for your potted plant. Learning about indoor avocado tree care is also essential.
Picking The Perfect Sized Pot
When your tree is growing, you need a pot that is 15 cm in diameter. As your tree grows, you’ll need a larger pot.
Another option is to simply purchase a 15 gallon pot. This is the largest pot that you will need for your tree. Make sure that it has more than one drainage hole.
What Potting Mix Should You Use For An Indoor Avocado Tree
These trees need light soil with plenty of aeration. The soil of choice should also drain easily. You don’t want potting soil that is thick. The soil will be too moist, and the plant will not get enough air. Pick a light soil that is intended for use with a cactus. Mixing potting soil with sand is another wonderful option. Granular fertilizer is always a great choice.
To make your own container potting mix for indoor avocado tree, watch this video.
Lighting
Avocados need plenty of bright light. When you are growing a tree from a seed, place it in a warm spot on a windowsill. This will give it all of the sunlight that it needs for a couple of weeks.
When it’s time to move it to a pot, make sure that it gets full-spectrum lighting. (These mimick natural sunlight.) Outdoor Hass avocado trees get sunlight all day. Because of that, make sure that your budding tree receives at least six hours of sunlight.
Turn the light off during the night. These trees need a cool night cycle in order to bear fruit. This applies to a variety of avocado trees. It’s one of the most important things to remember regarding indoor avocado tree care to enjoy an abundance of avocados.
Growing An Avocado Tree That Bears Fruit
Although everyone appreciates the aesthetics of avocado trees, most of us would like to grow one that provides us with delicious avocados as well. To do this, make sure that you offer drier soil conditions, and that your plant receives optimal sunlight for indoor growth.
This should start as soon as you put the seed in soil. Make sure that the soil level is ideal for both plant growth and root growth by not covering the seed in the soil.
How Long Does It Take?
If you have seed-grown Hass avocado trees, expect to wait at least five years before your first fruit. Some seed-grown trees take as long as thirteen years.
If you purchase a Hass avocado tree, you will be enjoying the fruits of your labor much sooner. However, you can still expect to wait at least three years. You can usually see your tree bear fruit in five years, though.
Indoor Plants Require A Cycle With Cool Nights
In order for a tree to bear fruit, it requires a cycle that involves the ideal day and night cycle. The day cycle needs to include grow lights that provide plenty of supplemental light for at least six hours per day.
Night cycles should include no light and have lower temperatures. Putting a fan in the room to lower temperatures can help.
How Often Should You Feed And Water An Avocado Tree?
Making sure that your Hass avocado tree receives proper food and water can guarantee that you don’t accidentally kill your tree. Water your tree once per week or when the soil feels dry. The humidity level should stay low. Food is only necessary during the growing season, but feeding your tree once per week will not hurt it.
In Conclusion
Growing avocados in containers is both easy and it can be fun for the entire family. You will have to wait longer for fruit if you choose to grow avocados in containers, though. Because of that, you may want to choose a dwarf tree to start with.
Following the proper day and night cycles, picking appropriate soil, and making sure that you learn how to grow an indoor avocado tree will guarantee that you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor sooner rather than later.
Have you ever grow an indoor avocado tree? We’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments section below!
Excited for more avocado content? Then check out my avocado page for more growing tips, info guides, and great recipes!