Question: I planted avocado seed indoors. It’s gotten tall with small leaves. When & how for outdoors? – Linda T., Oxford, MS

Answer: Hi Linda, Very cool!

First, consider your temperatures and the specific variety of avocado. Not all avocados can survive where you live, so be sure you have a variety that will thrive in your area.

Then, consider having 2 avocados. While avocados are bisexual and can self pollinate, studies show that having two of a kind increases the harvest!

If you want two, be sure you get the same type. In avocado growing, there are two types, which are referred to as Type A and Type B. If you have a type A, get another type A variety for planting if you want to maximize your harvest. Two avocado trees of the same Type (A + A or B + B) will give you more fruit on each tree than one single tree due to greater chance for pollination.

To give your avocado the greatest chance for success, plant when the weather begins to warm up and the cold spells are basically over.

Dig a hole twice as deep and three times as wide as the tree pot it’s currently in. Amend the soil in the hole for avocado. Avocados like well-draining, loose, and rich soil that’s slightly acidic. Take a broadfork and puncture holes into the bottom of the hole you made, wiggling the broadfork back and forth. This way, the amended soil falls into the holes you’re making, and this does two things: first, it prevents a textural interface so water doesn’t build up at the basin and give your tree root rot, and the second is that you’re starting the process of amending the soil below as the tree ages and the roots need more space.

Once planted, add a 2-3″ layer of mulch each year to the drip line (the edge of the canopy). Mulch creates a fungal dominated soil, which trees prefer. The fungal network transports nutrients to the tree and is vital for tree health.
Good luck, Linda! I hope you have a huge avocado harvest soon!