Good Day! After many attempts over the years, I finally have a pit that rooted and is growing. I started this one by putting it in potting soil and keeping it moist. It is now about two months old and about 18 inches tall. I am not interested in getting it to bloom or produce fruit, all I desire is an "unusual" houseplant. I would like to keep it small, say no more than two to three / three and a half feet in height, using Bonsai techniques such as root trimming and pruning. At the moment, it appears healthy. It only has 4 leaves, the largest 3" long and 1-1/4" wide. Not ever having had one get this far before, I am not sure if my tree is growing as it should. What can I expect the growth rate to be like? It is currently in a four-inch pot, how soon should I expect it to need a bigger one? What and how often should I "feed" it? I am partial to Shultz liquid concentrate. Is this product appropriate for an Avocado? Any information would be very helpful. Norm_Jr
Hi Norm, Large leafed plants aren't good subjects for bonsai. You could try and keep it small for a time by pruning the top growing point when it reaches the height you desire. That will help to keep it fuller. Restrict the height by postponing repotting. They tend to grow in growth spurts. Here's some info about them. http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/avocado.html Here's some interesting conversations. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/teach/msg0614295920538.html?12 http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/secoast/msg072359063343.html?18 Schultz is probably a synthetic plant food so you'll have to be careful about the buildup of residual salts in the soil if it is. I found their site and the label and it doesn't say it's organic. http://www.schultz.com/ProductCategories/GardenFertilizer/AllPurposeLiquid/ProductLabels/default.htm Newt
