How to Prune an Avocado Tree in a Pot

Pruning Your Young Tree to Encourage Growth

Disinfect your tools. Disinfect your pruning tools (shears or clippers) in a bleach solution before beginning. A one part bleach, nine parts water solution works well. Let your tools soak in the solution for 30 minutes. Since you’ll be cutting into the flesh of your tree, you want to make sure your tools are free of bacteria, pests, and toxins.

Cut the central stem once it’s 6 inches (15 cm) tall. Once the avocado’s central stem is 6 inches (15 cm) tall, cut it back to about 3 inches (7.6 cm). This will help your tree develop strong branches and avoid growing a long, spindly stem.

Cut the tip and upper leaves off of the central stem once it’s 12 inches (30 cm) tall. Once your avocado tree reaches about 12 inches (30 cm) in height, you’ll want to trim off its tip and top leaves to encourage new growth. Use a sharp pruning tool to make a clean cut on the central stem just above a bud. Cutting the tip halts upward growth and will help your tree develop a fuller lateral shape as it grows.

Trim lateral branches once they’re 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) long. Once your avocado tree has grown a bit more, you will notice longer lateral branches pointing outward from the central stem. You’ll want to trim the tips off these branches when they get to be 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) long. Trimming the tips off these branches discourages new outward growth and will help keep your plant a good width for its pot. Leave the shorter lateral branches alone. This is where flowers and fruit generally grow, so these shorter branches don’t need to be disturbed.

Pruning Your Tree Annually to Maintain Shape

Clean your pruning tools. To make sure you don’t transfer any bacteria or toxins to your avocado tree, you’ll want to clean your pruning tools before you begin cutting. Dunk your shears or clippers in a one part bleach, nine parts water solution and let them sit for 30 minutes.

Prune your tree in autumn or winter. Once your avocado tree is established, you’ll only need to prune it annually. The best time to prune is in autumn or winter before the spring growth period, when the tree isn’t developing new leaves. If you try to prune when the tree is developing new growth, the cuts will stress the plant and could discourage growth or result in disease.

Prune the higher limbs of your tree. Focus your pruning efforts on the limbs that are higher up on your tree’s central stem. Make clean cuts on the limbs with a sharp pruning tool to keep the limbs around 6–8 inches (15–20 cm). Cutting these upper limbs will help you maintain the height and shape of your tree.

Stake your tree when it gets to be 2 feet (0.61 m) tall. Once your tree grows to be about 2 feet (0.61 m) tall, it’s a good idea to stake it up to help it support its weight. Simply push the stake into the soil near the base of your plant and tie a piece of twine loosely around the central stem and the stake. A skinny piece of wood or bamboo makes a great garden stake. In addition to annual pruning, staking your tree is a great way to keep its branches healthy and intact.

Prune to keep your tree proportional. When pruning, you want to make sure that your tree isn’t super tall and skinny, or very short and wide. Visualize the perfect, proportional tree shape before you begin cutting. Pruning your avocado tree when it’s young is all about creating shape, and knowing what shape you’d like will help you achieve your goal. Making strategic moves like cutting longer stems and branches will help contain height and width.