Overwintering Trees

I realized the other day that our avocado trees are over 10 years old. They’ve followed me through 4 moves and multiple bouts of neglect. And yet they are still alive. Every winter I have to bring their pots inside; they fit well and seem happy in a small corner of Oliver’s playroom. At this point I have overwintering trees down to a science.

For most of October as the days get cooler, they actually live outside on the deck with the citrus trees and only come in on the coldest nights, then I put them back outside. It’s kind of a pain to keep moving things, but the trees do better - it’s a long winter and the more real sunlight they get, the healthier they are. Towards the end of the month I finally bring them in to stay, and that’s when I relocate them to the playroom.

First thing to do before the big move indoors is to skip watering for a few days so that they dry out. This makes the pots lighter for carrying and I don’t have to worry about water spilling out of the bottom and making a mess. Next I put down 2 dog pads, one for each tree. These things are amazing for protecting wood floors and carpeting - one side is plastic so nothing will soak through and the top side is super absorbent. You can find small packs of them at target and most grocery stores,and they are really inexpensive.

Once the trees are in I give them some water about once a week. They don’t need as much indoors in the winter. The change in season and light will cause some leaves to drop, but I like this spot because it's out of the way and the trees still get as much light as possible in such a bright room.