How often/how much you fertilize will depend on the product. Many container gardeners on this site swear by the Dyna Gro products, especially Foliage Pro. It is a full range (complete) fertilizer with all necessary micronutrients and can be diluted to various strengths according to frequency of application.

Containerized plants need to be fertilized and pretty routinely. The only nutrients available to them are those supplied by the grower. Most container gardeners will fertilize during the primary growing season on at least a weekly basis but some prefer to do so with every watering. The Foliage Pro label will give you dilution rates for both.

btw, the primary growing season for containerized plants is much the same as it is for those in the ground.....spring through fall. Most plants are quiescent in winter and if not actively growing, do not require fertilization.

Thanks a bunch for the response gardengal. Really helpful. I am a little confused by why in mid winter this tree has had such strong leafy growth. I will try some occasional feeding then by finding some Foliage Pro. Do you think I should pot this tree up in spring?

Most likely, it was the rapid change in environment when you brought the tree back indoors that shocked it into leaf drop and as an evergreen, it was just replacing what it needed to keep on chugging! The vigor and speed of the replacement is no doubt due to the much more suitable indoor conditions. I can't imagine RI in November is very balmy for an avocado :-))

A 1.5G container is not going to keep your tree happy for long and I probably would upsize the pot. But best to wait until June......keep Father's Day or the Summer Solstice as your target date.

its a plant.. not a child ... dont get caught up in thinking it needs to be fed constantly... nor educated.. nor.. etc ...

it does need fert.. but not as much as a commercial grower might give it.. because most of them water by a flooding method.. so fert doesnt accumulate in the pot ....

i would be more concerned about proper light ... allowing it to generate its own energy ... even with fert.. you cant make up low light levels ..

and large elongated floppy leaves my be a sign of improper light levels ...

gal says look to the usual growth phases ... for when to fert a plant ... well ... think about the fact that this is a full sun tree when grown outside ... your pic shows it on an interior wall ... this tree is not going to be happy in the long run. without supplemental light ... and with such ... it can convert light into energy .. forestalling the need of a lot of fert ...

if it were me.. i would bleach out a one gallon milk jug.. mix some water sol fert at no more than quarter strength.. and just give it a little of that once in a while ... because its so dilute.. you dont have to worry about fert build up ... nor worry about over ferting .. etc ...

also... you might want to look into bonsai root pruning... to keep this tree with rather huge potential.. more in line with a houseplant ....

ken

"it does need fert.. but not as much as a commercial grower might give it.. because most of them water by a flooding method.. so fert doesnt accumulate in the pot ...."

And that is precisely the way A:LL containerized plants should be watered!! Fully flushing the container with each watering not only properly hydrates all the soil media, it also prevents any build-up of undissolved fertilizer salts. But this preferred method of watering also flushes out any remaining soluble nutrients and these need to be replaced, hence the fertilizing frequency.

Typically, the fertilizing watchword for containerized plants is "weekly, weakly"....with the "weakly" portion referring to a suitable (usually quarter strength or less) dilution rate.