If you let them, avocado trees can grow up to 40 meters high and are therefore typical representatives of their tropical homeland. For practical reasons, plantation trees - similar to our native fruit trees - are cut to a maximum of 15 meters. Of course, self-grown avocados should not be that high, otherwise they will go beyond any frame for living rooms and greenhouses. We show you how to properly cut back an avocado.
Why is pruning so important?
In fact, you wouldn't need to cut back your avocado. However, the spatial space in apartments - especially in height - is very limited, and avocado plants tend to shoot up and hardly branch out, especially when they are young. Therefore, it is advisable to top off the avocado so that more side shoots form and the plant becomes bushier - instead of just growing into a pencil-thin stalk with a few leaves attached. When you specifically top your plant is entirely up to your taste and wishes. Pruning is basically possible at any height, just as you want to grow your plant.
Prune the avocado properly
All you need to trim your avocado is nail scissors or rose scissors if you have them. With this you simply pinch off the top of the plant with the uppermost leaves. Then spray the leftover leaves of your avocado with room temperature water. It is best to combine pruning the plant with repotting it into a larger pot, which is usually done towards the end of winter. Very young plants do not have to be cut yet, this is only necessary from an age of about three months or older. The timing you choose also depends on how tall you want your avocado to grow.
What you need:
- an avocado plant with several sprouts (from about three to six months of age)
- a pair of sharp scissors (ideally rose or nail scissors)
tips and tricks
You don't need to throw away the cut top of your avocado - instead you can grow a new sapling from this cutting.