You Can Grow An Avocado Tree Indoors - But Don't Get Your Hopes Up About The End Result

The first bite of a perfectly ripe avocado, with its notes of nuttiness and creamy texture, is eminently satisfying. Since avocados have become more of a trendy cuisine mainstay in the U.S., we may have lost touch of what a miracle their growth and production is. Fruit from an avocado (Persea americana) tree is a result of careful cultivation and much patience. The avocado tree doesn't lend itself to instant gratification. Although you can grow an avocado tree indoors, it could take years (if at all) until you can expect to see fruit on your avocado tree.

Even in the best environment, the trees produce fruit sparingly, with less than 1% of their flowers resulting in an avocado. Your chances of fruiting are helped by growing a young grafted tree rather than growing the avocado tree from a pit, but even then, the tree only produces fruit under particular conditions and the process tends to take at least three years. The good news is that even if they don't bear fruit, avocado trees make attractive houseplants, and some of the varieties best for growing indoors can withstand temperatures colder than their native tropics.

While it's technically possible to germinate an avocado pit into a tree, it could take 10 years or longer for trees grown this way to bear fruit. Growing from seed involves placing a clean avocado pit pointed-side up into a glass of water, inserting several toothpicks into it to prop it up in the glass, and waiting for roots to form. In addition to a long wait for fruit, seed-grown avocados also won't necessarily yield the same type of tree they came from. For more promising results, look for a grafted fruit tree of a well-known variety from a plant nursery. This way, you can select a tree that has foliage you'd be happy to see in your home and a higher chance of producing a type of avocado you're familiar with. 

If you bring a grafted avocado tree home, plant it in a terra cotta container with a drainage hole at its bottom. Choosing the right type of terra cotta matters, as well: Go for raw or unglazed terra cotta since it will let the water evaporate rather than staying in the pot. This is important because avocado trees and their roots don't like soggy conditions. They're prone to Phytophthora, a type of root rot brought about by overly moist soil. Make sure not to overwater your plant to keep your avocado tree safe from root rot. The trees do best in full sun, so place it in a spot where it will get plenty of light, like near a window that faces south or west. Also, you'll need to prune the tree a few times a year to keep it from growing too tall.

When you're growing an avocado tree indoors, search for a dwarf variety that won't outgrow its space. Indoor gardeners have found success with the "Day" cultivar, which bears fruit more quickly than other varieties and is smaller in size. As long as you prune the tree, it can stay at a manageable height of 12 to 15 feet. These trees can tolerate some time in temperatures as low as 25 degrees Fahrenheit. The "Gwen" cultivar, which is a bit more likely to grow fruit indoors, can be kept even smaller, but fruiting could take at least 8 years, so you'll need to be content with its tropical leaves rather than expecting a delicious snack.

For smaller spaces, the "Little Cado" and "Wurtz" varieties are ideal since they don't tend to tower higher than 8 feet. A benefit of their small size is that you can move them to warmer or cooler spots as needed if you're in a cold spell or heat wave, or even place a frost blanket on top of them to keep them warm. 

Many varieties of avocado trees that grow well indoors are "type A" avocado trees, meaning their flowers have the "female" function when opening in the morning and the "male" role when opening the next afternoon. They can pollinate themselves, but having multiple trees close to each other — especially of the opposite flowering pattern — increases their chances of developing fruit. This may not be possible with limited indoor space, which is why it's best to keep your expectations in check and enjoy whatever the growing process brings when trying to nurture indoor avocado trees.