I started an avocado from the pit, but the stem was 8 inches tall before it got any leaves, and other than a few teeny ones along the stem, all of the leaves are on top. Should I cut off the top of the stem and hope that the teeny ones start to branch out? It's now over 13 in tall and I'm afraid I've messed it up, even though it looks very healthy.
Your plant is spindly and likely due to not enough sunlight.
Yes, you can pinch the top growth to encourage a busier plant, though it will not grow leaves on the lower part of the branch.
It actually looks like a topiary and I thinks it's pretty!
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/avocado/indoor-avocado-plant-care.htm
The leaves on my avocado tree have all shriveled up the stock is still green will it grow new leaves
You will want to determine why your tree's leaves dropped.
Is the tree stressed; environmental issues, watering, pests or disease?
Are there markings on the leaves?
These articles may help you pinpoint the issue.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/avocado/avocado-pests-and-diseases.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/avocado/avocado-tree-growing.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/avocado/avocado-anthracnose-treatment.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/avocado/avocado-algal-leaf-disease.htm
Cut my Reed Avocado Tree to the 6 main branches in February. Now it's come back with a vengeance and is growing like a weed...In all directions. Its branches (although thin) are quite crowded...I need to prune it so that next year or the year after we have that delicious fruit again. Help!
Keep the larger branches intact, and trim any smaller branches that cross the path of any other branches. This article will help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/avocado/pruning-avocado-trees.htm
The leaves on our Avocado tree are speckled with brown spots and some with tiny holes. Is this a disease and if it is what can we do for it?
This could be due to pests or disease; from your description I might suggest Cercospora Leaf Spot.
These articles have more information.
I would also suggest taking leaf samples to your County Extension Office, they may help with a diagnosis more specific to your region.
I have listed a link to help you locate your nearest office.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/avocado/avocado-pests-and-diseases.htm
My friend asked me to care for her plant while she cared for her daughter in another state. It has grown like a weed but the leaves have fallen off! Now I did use a fungicide on it as at first I had put it outside and it got some bugs. Maybe I used too much! There are lots of new buds on the tree but they just will not come out to make the leaves. They have been there for 6 weeks or more. It is inside and by a siding glass door,and I have probably watered it too much! It is about 6 feet tall and has healthy new growth at the top. Please help me get it in shape before she comes home! Thank you!
You can save this tree, but it will change the shape of it, now that it is suffering and has lost some growth. This isn't necessarily bad though. You will have to apply both wettable sulfur, and dolomitic lime to the soil. This will kill of any infection from over-watering. Give this tree as much light as you can. Let the top two inches of the soil dry out completely before you water again, as they need a little bit of a dry spell between waterings.https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/avocado/indoor-avocado-plant-care.htm
Can I grow avocados from one avocado seed? If so, how? I live in Maryland.
You can grow them from seed, but it is difficult in container. Very difficult to keep it alive long enough to bear flowers. This could take anywhere near ten years. Now let's address the fruiting habits: These trees are dioecious, meaning that there are separate sexes. The male produces the pollen, and the female produces the fruit if it receives pollen. So you will have to have at least two, and hope that one is a female. You wouldn't know for a decade. The more resonable proposition would be to germinate 10 or so seeds. This would be a literal forest that you would have to bring inside for the winter.
The most appropriate action here would be to purchase a dwarf variety that is suited for container from a source that already knows the tree is female. You can then graft a male branch on the tree and it will, then bear fruit.
Long story short... No, one tree indoors will never bear fruit. But they do leech toxins out of the air indoors.
Can you help diagnosing avocado tree problem? It is over 30 yrs old Pictures include area at base of tree, leaves, current size of fruit,etc. I have also included some other pics of tree taken in the last 5 yrs as a comparison.
This appears to be a fungal issue. I would apply wettable sulfur around the area, and prune off any dead branches. Here is a link to an article that will help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/avocado/