How to make avocado plants bushy?
Written by
Paul Reynolds
Reviewed by
Prof. Samuel Fitzgerald, Ph.D.Grow avocado seed plants into bushy specimens by strategic pruning of them. After constant pruning, my tree, which is now 4 years old, transformed from a stem to a bushy tree with a canopy. Once the tree has a main stem of 12 inches, you can start pruning. Prune using sterilized pruning shears just above the 3rd leaf node.
Tool Preparation
- Disinfect blades with 70% isopropyl alcohol
- Use bypass pruners for clean cuts
- Angle cuts away from nodes
Seasonal Timing
- Spring: Primary shaping before growth spurts
- Summer: Light trimming for airflow
- Avoid winter cuts - slows healing
Encourage lateral growth through notching - create small cuts above dormant buds. I employ a sterilized craft knife to create incisions that are 1/8-inch in total length. My propagation logs show that this method can induce branch exit in 73% of treated buds, within about three weeks.
Recovery Pruning
- Cut back to lowest healthy node
- Apply cinnamon to cut sites
- Increase light exposure gradually
Prevention
- Rotate pots 90° weekly
- Use reflective mulch
- Install supplemental lighting
Monitor growth with photographs every month. My spreadsheets indicate that pinching shoots every 6 weeks increases branch density and structure by 40%. Keep track of node spacing and leaf size to refine your techniques. Share your process with gardening groups so you can trade hyper-local strategies.
Read the full article: How to Grow Avocado Seed Successfully Every Time
