Little Cado Avocado Tree – Live Plant – Grafted – 1 to 2 Feet Tall – Ship in 6″ Pot

Overview

Embark on the rewarding journey of growing your own fresh avocados with the Little Cado Avocado Tree. This exceptional variety, scientifically known as Persea americana ‘Little Cado’, is a highly sought-after dwarf avocado plant perfect for home orchards and even container gardening. Grafted for superior performance, this live plant offers the promise of delicious, medium-sized, creamy avocados right from your own backyard or patio. The Little Cado Avocado Tree is celebrated for its compact size, making it an excellent choice for smaller spaces while still delivering a bountiful harvest. It’s a fantastic way to enjoy the rich, healthy fats and unique flavor of homegrown avocados.

The ‘Little Cado’ is a ‘B’ type avocado flower, meaning its female parts are receptive in the afternoon and male parts shed pollen in the morning. While it can produce fruit on its own, planting a ‘Little Cado’ near an ‘A’ type avocado can significantly increase fruit yield. This particular dwarf avocado plant is a wonderful addition for anyone passionate about fresh, organic produce and looking to add a touch of tropical elegance to their garden.

Key Benefits

The Little Cado Avocado Tree offers numerous advantages for the home gardener, blending aesthetic appeal with practical benefits:

• Compact Growth Habit: Unlike many avocado varieties that grow into towering trees, the ‘Little Cado’ remains relatively small, typically reaching 10-15 feet in height when mature. This makes it ideal for smaller gardens, patios, or even growing in large pots, allowing more people to enjoy homegrown avocados regardless of space constraints.
• Early Fruit Production: As a grafted tree, the Little Cado Avocado Tree tends to produce fruit much sooner than trees grown from seed, often within 2-3 years. This means you won’t have to wait long to enjoy your first harvest of delicious, fresh avocados.
• Delicious, High-Quality Fruit: The ‘Little Cado’ produces medium-sized, pear-shaped avocados with a smooth, green skin and rich, creamy, nutty-flavored flesh. They are excellent for salads, guacamole, toast, or simply eaten fresh.
• Adaptable to Containers: Its dwarf nature makes it perfectly suited for container growing, allowing you to move the plant indoors during colder months. This extends its growing range beyond traditional subtropical climates, making it a viable indoor avocado plant option for many.
• Evergreen Foliage: The attractive, glossy green leaves provide year-round beauty, offering a lush, tropical look to your garden or indoor space. It’s not just a fruit producer but also an ornamental addition.
• Health Benefits: Homegrown avocados are packed with healthy monounsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins (K, C, B6, E), and potassium. Enjoying your own harvest means you get the freshest, most nutrient-dense fruit possible.
• Self-Pollinating (Partially): While ‘Little Cado’ is a ‘B’ type flower, it exhibits a degree of self-fertility, meaning it can produce fruit without another avocado tree for pollination, although yields can be improved with a cross-pollinator.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Little Cado Avocado Tree is a rewarding experience that requires attention to specific environmental conditions to ensure healthy growth and abundant fruiting. Understanding the needs of this grafted avocado tree will lead to a thriving plant. For optimal growth, choose a location that receives full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. If growing indoors, place it near a south-facing window or supplement with a grow light to ensure it gets adequate light. Insufficient light can lead to leggy growth and reduced fruit production.

Watering is crucial for avocado trees, especially when young. The soil should be kept consistently moist but never waterlogged. Allow the top inch or two of soil to dry out before watering again. Overwatering can lead to root rot, a common issue for avocados. Ensure excellent drainage, whether planting in the ground or in a pot. For soil, a well-draining, slightly acidic to neutral soil (pH 6.0-7.0) is ideal. A good quality potting mix designed for citrus or fruit trees works well for container-grown plants. Incorporating organic matter like compost can improve soil structure and fertility, beneficial for an avocado tree care regimen.

The ‘Little Cado’ is best suited for USDA Hardiness Zones 9-11, where temperatures rarely drop below freezing. If you live in a colder climate, it is essential to grow it in a container so it can be moved indoors during winter. Protect young trees from frost. Fertilize your Little Cado Avocado Tree with a balanced slow-release fertilizer formulated for citrus or avocado trees, typically 3-4 times a year during the growing season (spring through fall). Follow package instructions for application rates. Watch for signs of common pests like mites or scale and treat promptly with organic pest control methods if necessary. Proper pruning can help maintain its compact size and encourage better fruit set.

Size & Details

This offering is for one Little Cado Avocado Tree, a live plant measuring 1 to 2 feet tall upon arrival. It is a professionally grafted tree, ensuring true-to-type fruit production and earlier bearing compared to seed-grown plants. The tree will ship securely in a 6-inch nursery pot, providing a healthy root system ready for transplanting into a larger container or directly into your garden. The compact growth habit of this dwarf avocado plant makes it versatile for various gardening setups.

Expect this tree to grow at a moderate rate, eventually reaching a mature height of 10-15 feet if planted in the ground, or remaining smaller in a container with regular pruning. Fruit production typically begins within 2-3 years after planting, with peak maturity reached in 5-7 years. The ‘Little Cado’ is known for its consistent yields of delicious, medium-sized avocados. For long-term avocado tree care, consider transplanting into a 15-20 gallon pot or larger if growing in a container, to allow ample space for root development and nutrient uptake.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this Little Cado Avocado Tree get? A: When mature, the ‘Little Cado’ typically reaches a height of 10-15 feet if planted in the ground. If grown in a container, its size can be managed with pruning, often staying around 6-10 feet tall, making it an excellent indoor avocado plant candidate.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: Your Little Cado Avocado Tree will arrive securely planted in a 6-inch nursery pot, ready for you to transplant into a larger container or directly into your garden.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The ‘Little Cado’ thrives outdoors in USDA Zones 9-11. In colder regions, it can be successfully grown as an indoor avocado plant in a container, allowing it to be moved inside during winter.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: This plant requires full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight per day, for optimal growth and fruit production.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: With proper avocado tree care, including consistent watering, good drainage, and adequate sunlight, the ‘Little Cado’ is moderately easy to care for. It’s a great choice for gardeners willing to provide its specific needs.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your grafted avocado tree will arrive as a healthy, live plant, carefully packaged to ensure it reaches you in excellent condition, ready to thrive in its new home.
• Q: How long until it produces fruit? A: As a grafted tree, the ‘Little Cado’ typically begins to produce fruit within 2-3 years after planting, much faster than trees grown from seed.
• Q: What’s the best soil for this dwarf avocado plant? A: A well-draining, slightly acidic to neutral soil (pH 6.0-7.0) is ideal. For container growing, use a high-quality potting mix formulated for citrus or fruit trees.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: The Little Cado Avocado Tree is cold-sensitive and best suited for USDA Zones 9-11. If you are in a colder zone, it must be protected from frost or brought indoors during winter.
• Q: Can I grow this grafted avocado tree in a small space? A: Yes, its dwarf nature makes it perfect for small gardens, patios, and even growing in large containers, providing a compact solution for enjoying fresh avocados.