Houseplants - Avocado
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  (January) A few years ago I made the mistake of putting an avocado pit in water. We now have a 12 foot lanky tree in our living room. (Thank heaven we have a cathedral ceiling.) If I were to cut the trunk half way up, would it branch out and become a more attractive plant?

  Yes, pruning it would encourage it to get fuller. It would have been preferable to have started the pruning process when the sprout began growing, but you can do some corrective pruning now. If left unchecked, avocados grow tall and straight, with no branching. Try to cut it back at a node on the stem. Where you make the pruning cut, you should get at least two sprouts to grow. Once they begin to grow back, you can also prune some of the side shoots to continue to help them branch out. If you move the plant outdoors in the summer, it will recover more quickly then, and you should have a healthier looking plant by next fall.

  I have a problem I hope you can solve. For years, I have tried to root an avocado seed, with no luck. Now I have one. The seed is split to the bottom, but still fastened together. It has one small white root and a tall stem at the top with leaves beginning. What should I do with it now? I don’t know if I should leave it in water or put it it in dirt.

  I would try to get it planted it in soil as soon as possible. It is always more interesting to see plants rooting it in water, rather than soil, but you will get a stronger seedling it in soil. Pot it in fresh potting soil. When the second set of leaves occurs, pinch out the center of the stem. This should encourage branching. Otherwise, the seedling will grow tall and thin. It can be put outside for the summer, and brought inside it in the fall.

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