Yes, they can. Provide lots of top mulch & your tree should flower/fruit in no time.

Thanks Rodney, that's very encouraging. Would you happen to have any photos of your container avocados? Mine's in a 5-gallon pot, the tree is about 5' tall. Wondering if I should up-pot it.

stanofh: I have some 6 x 6 woods laying around the yard, so I'll do the planter. The 1st avocado, I probably killed it by overwatering, it survived serveral months, even over the cold/wet winter weeks, lost all the leaves, but lots of new leaves grew the following spring, then it died.

The 2nd one I was very careful, it sprouted new leaves and I was happy, but a few weeks later, the leaves got brown around the edges, curled up and all dropped off, then the branches showed black death starting at the tips, and went downhill from there.

Hopefully the 3rd time is a charm. Got some info from here:
http://www.tropicamango.com/avocado.html

Newgen,

Yes they will fruit and flower in a container. Here is a Holiday Avocado in a 15 gal. Currently it is flowering, I will give update when it sets fruit. I top mulch it frequently with homemade compost and pine bark mulch. The tree growth has been vigorous.

You should also newgen be aware that in the central valley-hot summer sun will kill young 'cados. The thin skinned trunks with no bark can't take that high heat in direct sun. Just mix white latex paint with water and whitewash the trunk-can be the difference between life and death.

And null,Avo's will flower young..but set almost no fruit.Actually I've only seen one pic of a potted avo with some fruits..and that seemed to be an older potted dwarf tree grown in a greenhouse back east. Must have been more to the story-like how was it pollinated? were there others?..how old was that tree?

If newgen lived in a real cold climate where Avo's were potted tree's-thats one thing,but he lives where hardy delicious tree's do thrive.So,why give up and go potted? Thats for Mango's and other semi tropicals too marginal. Right now all over the bay area I see Avocado tree's in full flower,my small Mexicola has proto fruit,slowing building every year.
And Mexicola will grow anywhere's in the central valley-hardy to the upper teens.

Stanofh,

I had a dwarf little cado fruit in a container, however it was stressed and died off shortly after fruiting. The fruit also was on the small side and contained no seeds. The backyard where my garden is located already has a Hass and Bacon avocado in the ground that set decent fruit crops every year (this should insure proper pollination if needed for the Holiday).

I grow almost all my fruit trees in containers, due to renting. The container trees are well maintained , and root pruned on average once a year. I may have a fruit or two this year on the Holiday if things go right, I will make sure to update.

Hello

I look for seeds avocado tree resisting the cold if you possess it to contact I.

Thank you for your help(assistant)