Whens the best time to plant my avocado tree?
Question:i have two that i have been growing for about 7 months now. There about 2 1/2 feet tall, i was wondering when should i plant them outside. They are currently in planter pots. It seems as though they dont like the sun, every time i put them into the sun they shrivel up a bit. I live in CA and its very hot right now during the summer months. Whats the best method.
Answers:
During the winter or in cold climates, it is best to transfer the baby avocado tree into potting soil in a medium flower pot rather than directly into the ground. Keep the plant in a sunny window and keep the soil moist but don't over-water.
As with many fruit bearing trees, the avocado tree requires two separate avocado trees to allow cross-pollination and begin to bear fruit. As an option to growing two avocado trees from pits, you can purchase a second "real" (fruit-bearing) avocado tree from your local plant and tree nursery. You might also consider grafting a branch from an existing fruit-bearing tree to your home-grown root stock (tree grafting, however, is another process all unto itself).
I am not an expert, but I do have some avocado plants that are 20 years old.grown from seed. Things just seem to grow for me.
Grown in pots, you can transplant your avocados any time of year. HOWEVER, your plant is probably not accustomed to being out in full sun, and will have to be acclimated gradually in order to withstand the California heat & sun. Start by putting it in a place where it will get a little bit of sun each day, and then move it after a week or so to a spot where it will get a little more, and so on. If you have chosen a place where you want it to grow, (ideally morning sun and late afternoon shade), then when you have acclimated the tree to tolerate sunshine, stand it in the place where you intend to plant it for another week or so. Just be sure that the winters are not too cold, (you can check out your zone for avocados in the Sunset Western Garden Book, or other garden book). I live in Texas, and we have hard freezes, so I still have mine in pots which I bring in in Winter. Avocados don't like freezing weather.
Once I left one outside. It froze, and I thought it had died. The entire tree dried up & broke off. Many months later, a tiny shoot came up from the ground , and grew rapidly to a 5 foot tree. Mine will not ever produce fruit, grown in pots, but they are very green & pretty. Also, if yours ever freezes back to the ground, it will not grow back fast enough to bear fruit until it's several years old. Good luck!...I hope you have more bees in California than we have in Texas.
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