Growing Avocados Indoors

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Who does not love avocados? These super fruits are both yummy and healthy for you. Have you ever wondered if you can grow your own avocado?

So many people are willing to grow their own trees, but they are discouraged because of factors such as a lack of space.

Is it possible to grow some avocado varieties indoors? How do you care for your indoor avocado tree?

Can you grow avocados indoors? Of course, yes you can.

There are several dwarf avocado varieties such as Holiday, Wurtz, Gwen, Lamb Hass, etc. that you can grow indoors. It is also very easy to care for your avocado tree.

What should you know about growing avocados indoors? Can you grow just one plant? Continue reading to find out!

Avocados can be grown indoors. You just need a dwarf variety so that your tree does not outgrow the available space.

Let us discuss some recommended varieties to grow indoors.

Recommended Avocado Varieties to Grow Indoors

The avocado varieties below are dwarfs, so they are a great choice for indoor avocado cultivation.

Gwen (Type A): This dwarf variety is very productive (when compared to other dwarf varieties). Gwen avocados can grow up to 15 feet.
Wurtz (Type A): Also known as Little Cado, the Wurtz avocado can be grown easily in large containers indoors. It can grow up to 10 feet.
Lamb Hass (Type A): The Lamb Hass variety produces larger fruits than the Hass variety. This variety grows up to 15-20 feet tall but can remain small with proper pruning.
Holiday (Type A): This is a weeping variety (i.e. it has branches that fall to the ground). It is called Holiday because it fruits between Labor Day and New Year’s Day. It can grow up to 10-12 feet.
Reed (Type A): This variety produces sweet fruits that are large and round. It grows up to 15 feet or more.

If you are outside California, Texas, or Florida, it may be difficult to find these dwarf varieties outdoors, but you can always buy them online.

Later in this article, we will discuss what the different types of avocado mean.

4 Tips to Growing Avocados Indoors

Want some tips to help you grow avocados indoors? Here you go!

1. Step-by-Step Procedure to Grow Avocados from Pits Indoors

Growing avocado from pits, though it requires a lot of patience, is not so difficult. “Pits” refer to the large seeds of the fruit.

Here is the procedure to grow avocados from pits:

Clean the Pit: You should use clean water to rinse off the dirt from the pit. If you do not clean the pit, mold and other organisms can kill the plant embryo.
Suspend the Pit Over Water: When the pit is clean, you should suspend it over a glass of water (with the pointed part facing up) by using wooden stakes. Make sure that you keep it in a warm spot, but not in direct sunlight.
Change the Water Regularly for 8 Weeks: Dispose of old water and add fresh one to prevent fungi and bacteria from killing the embryo. If you do not see any sign of germination after 8 weeks, dispose of the pit and try again.
Cut the Stem: When the stem of your avocado (still suspended in water) is up to 7-8 inches in length, cut it down to 3 inches. This will make your avocado bushy as it grows.
Transplant the Young Tree To a Pot: When the roots appear dense and the leaves look healthy, it is time to transplant the avocado into a pot. You can transplant it into its permanent pot or a smaller one.

Easy steps, right? What if you want to graft your avocado tree instead of starting it from seed? Continue reading.

2. Grafting Avocado Trees

Grafting avocados is not as easy, and you will need some professional direction. You can insert the scion of a variety of avocado into the rootstock of another avocado variety.

Grafting avocados is important if your tree does not produce fruits after some years (i.e. when you expect it to). You can collect the scion of a fruit-producing tree and insert it into your tree.

Grafting also helps trees to produce more fruit, especially when you use the scion of a variety with a different flower type.

3. Pruning

Pruning your avocado tree is important to keep it in shape and also prevent it from outgrowing the available space.

When pruning, you should try to avoid cutting the upper branches because they produce more fruits.

Concentrate pruning cuts more on the branches that spread out.

4. Best Conditions to Grow Avocados

What fertilizer should you use? How often should you water? What are some avocado care requirements?

Here are 5 favorable conditions for your avocado tree:

Light: Avocados need a lot of sunlight, so you should place the pots in locations that get at least 6 hours of daily sun. The balcony or a spot close to the window are great spots for avocado trees.
Temperature: Avocado trees need a temperature of 60°-85° F. They love warm temperatures. To produce fruits, most avocado varieties require cool nights.
Soil: Avocados love well-drained soil. You can use sand in your pot, or any potting mix ratio that permits water drainage.
Watering: Even though avocados consume a lot of water, you should not over-water the tree. Water the tree only when the soil feels dry.
Fertilizing: You should use avocado or citrus-specific fertilizer for your avocado tree. You can fertilize the soil or potting mix monthly or as often as is recommended (in the instruction that comes with the fertilizer). You can also use foliar fertilizer for your avocado tree, but it may be more expensive.

Caring for avocado trees is easy, right? Do you have any unanswered questions regarding growing avocados? Continue reading.

Related Questions and Answers Regarding Growing Avocados Indoors

Don’t worry. I am a great guesser. I have guessed some questions that you might ask and also provided the answers. Here you go:

1. Can You Grow Avocados Completely Indoors?

Well, nothing is impossible. All plants need light to grow. The larger the plant, the more light it requires. Trees need a lot of light, so it is best to provide at least 6 hours of daily sunlight.

If your avocado tree has access to the sun indoors, that will be wonderful. It is, however, recommended to grow avocado trees on the balcony or a place where they can receive sunlight (and grow their complete width.)

2. What Pot Size Is Best for Avocados? Will You Change Pots Later on?

The minimum pot size for avocado trees is 24 inches. You can start your avocado tree in smaller pots before transplanting it into larger ones.

If water does not drain easily as it did in the pot or you see some roots poking out of the soil, you should transplant your avocado into a larger pot.

3. Can You Grow Just One Avocado?

It is not recommended to grow just one avocado. The reason is that avocados have flower types. The different flower types of avocados determine when an avocado tree opens its male and female flower parts.

In Type A avocado varieties, the female flower part (pistil) opens in the morning, while the stamens (male part) open in the afternoon. The reverse is the case in Type B avocados.

If you grow just one tree, the number of fruits produced will be very little. You will need to grow a variety with another flower type so that both trees can pollinate each other.

It is also a great idea to graft the scion of an avocado tree with a different flower type into your present tree.

4. When Will Your Avocado Produce Fruits?

Depending on the variety, it can take your avocado tree 5-15 years to produce its first set of fruits. Avocado trees usually produce fruits yearly when they are mature enough.

With the right conditions (temperature, pollinating companion, fertilizer, etc.) your avocado tree will produce sweet and healthy avocados that you can enjoy.

5. Can You Pollinate Your Avocados by Yourself?

Everything is possible. You can transfer pollen grains from male flowers to female flowers, but it is not recommended.

Avocados produce a lot of flowers, so you can easily miss some flowers (meaning your tree will produce fewer fruits).

Some tips to pollinate your avocado trees (instead of swabbing flowers with cotton) are:

Take them outside: When your trees are outdoors, they get exposed to wind, insects, and other pollinating agents. Outdoor avocados also get the optimum temperature and humidity required to produce fruits (when it is the season for fruiting).
Introduce insects: Insects such as butterflies, black soldier flies, etc. are great pollinators. You can take some to your flowering avocado trees to increase the rate of pollination.
Install a fan: The use of fans helps pollen grains drift to the pistil (i.e. female flower part). A room with proper ventilation helps increase the number of fruits produced after flowering.

I hope that your curiosity about avocados has been satisfied.