babs15
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Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 10:33 am
Location: Florida

My avocado plant is spreading out like crazy

My plant is growing so beautifully and I wanted to know can I gently use twine to hold up the side branch because it is growing straight out across the room. I don't want it to break or anything and needed to know if I should be helping to shape it? Any help would be wonderful.

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froggy
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Joined: Tue Nov 16, 2010 4:54 pm
Location: Toronto, ON, zone 5a

Twine should work, maybe a support (stick propping it up), or you could try to use wire and shape it like a branch on a bonsai.
If you decide to just try and tie it up, I'd suggest some padding so the string won't rub off the bark.
With wire you have to make sure you remove it soon enough so it doesn't scar the branch as it thickens. Unless you have a specific shape in mind, I'd say the wire is overkill though.
Be gentle when bending, you should not force it too far all in one go. It sounds like a younger branch though, so if it isn't woody yet I should be quite elastic...

If you just want to limit it from going further in that direction, you could just pinch off the tip of that branch. That should either make I produce secondary branches, or put the energy into a different direction.
Saying 'should' because most trees do that, but I haven't tried it with avocado yet.

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applestar
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I don't have enough experience with in-ground avocado being grown for their fruits -- I live where the trees need to be kept small enough to bring inside 7 months of the year, although I have several seed grown trees for fun.

...but in my search for ideas, I came across this: https://www.ucavo.ucr.edu/General/PruningSmallTree.html

Let us know if the information was pertinent to your situation. Post some before and after pictures! I'd love to see how "real" avocados are cultivated. :D

cynthia_h
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Location: El Cerrito, CA

It's also possible to tie up plants with strips made from "dead" pantyhose or strips cut from worn-out T-shirts. These can be made as wide as needed and are soft; they won't cut into tender young plant bark.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

babs15
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Posts: 11
Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 10:33 am
Location: Florida

Thank you all for your ideas. I will take them all under consideration. I keep trying to paste a picture of my tree (which by the way I named Ava) but I can't seem to paste it. I see the word above Img but when I click it....it doesn't let me paste.

cynthia_h
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Posts: 7500
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 7:02 pm
Location: El Cerrito, CA

Be sure to check [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=23]"Helpful Gardener's Tips & Suggestions for New Members,"[/url] one of which deals with posting photos. :)

Cynthia



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