Help! I wonder if anyone could direct me on how to prune a potted avocado plant started from the seed. It is about 5 foot now and going straight up. I live in North Idaho, so I must be able to make it maintain a smaller size in a pot as it must be able to come inside for Winters. Do I lop it off at the height I would like it to branch from, or what do I do. Has anyone kept the larger trees smaller just by pruning? (I grew up with tropical fruit, and have other trees I would also like to keep in the same manner... potted and moved indoors over Winter.) Please let me know if you have any ideas, or point me in the right direction to find answers.
Thank you... any help is appreciated.
Potted Avocado Tree
Perhaps a picture?
Sure it's possible. Bonsai practitioners are able to keep trees and shrubs quite small indefinitely through a combination of root-pruning and selective pruning of parts above ground. The root-pruning, which includes soil removal, also allows you to maintain the tree in a much smaller container. Potting-up eventually produces a compacted original root-ball that creates several impediments to long term maintenance of vitality.
Learning to bare-root your tree and root prune is simple. If you already have a working knowledge of branch pruning techniques, you're well on the way to being able to maintain your tree at the desired size.
Al
MythMouse....Don't take this as a professional opinion, but in the past I have cut my potted avocados down, and let them shoot out their own side branches....then wherever the branches came out, I trimmed the main stem to only about an inch above the new shoots. It has worked for me, although there may be a better way.
:) MerryMary