How to grow an avocado at home

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Step-by-step instructions for those who want to get a real tree.

1. Buy an avocado

Choose a dark green fruit that is soft to the touch.

If there is no ripe avocado, it's okay. Take an unripe fruit. Put it together with bananas or apples for a couple of days. The ethylene they release will help the fetus ripen faster.

2. Separate the seed from the pulp

Carefully cut the fruit into two halves.

Remove the seed from the pulp with your hand or spoon. Rinse it under warm water.

3. Germinate the seed

You can plant avocados at any time of the year. If the seed is intact, the probability of germination is quite high.

Option 1

Use a knife, awl or thick needle to make three or four small holes 2-3 mm deep in the bone. Insert toothpicks or sharpened matches into them.

Pour filtered water into a small vessel or, for example, set aside for watering flowers.

Position the bone so that the blunt end is in the water. Toothpicks resting on the edges of the container will prevent it from drowning.

Maintain the water level and change it every few days. But make sure that the puncture sites do not get wet.

Instead of water, you can use a hydrogel, which is sold in shops with indoor plants. Its level should also be below the punctures.

Place the container of avocado on a windowsill or other well-lit place.

The root will hatch in one and a half to two weeks, although its appearance may take a month. When it reaches 3-4 cm in length, remove the toothpicks and transplant into the ground.

Option 2

Peel the bone from the outer shell, being careful not to damage it.

Place in a small narrow vessel so that it is about halfway in the water and does not tilt to one side.

When the root reaches 2–3 cm a couple of weeks after germination, transplant the seed into a pot.

Option 3

Just place the bone in a pot of soil so that it is ⅔ on the surface. If you dig deeper, it may just rot. The pot should be as described in point # 4, and the soil should be as described in point # 5.

Water every 2-3 days. This method is the simplest, but you will have to wait several months before the first shoots appear.

4. Choose a suitable pot

Take a plastic or ceramic pot with drainage holes in the bottom. Its depth should be no more than 10-15 cm. For the first time, this will be enough.

5. Fill the pot with the correct soil

Mix universal soil for indoor plants with coarse sand and peat in a ratio of 1: 1: 1. This will make the earth loose.

When choosing, keep in mind that the soil for the avocado should be neutral (pH = 7), not acidic.

Use gravel or expanded clay as drainage.

6. Plant a seed if you germinated it in water or hydrogel

Place a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot at least a couple of centimeters. Fill with soil and loosen it well. Make a small indentation on the surface.

Plant the bone so that it is about half in the ground, no more. Be careful not to damage the roots during planting.

Water your seedling. Make sure the soil is moist, but not swampy. Excess moisture can cause the bone to become moldy.

7. Place in a bright and warm place

Position the pot so that it has enough light. For example, a window sill is perfect. The temperature should be at room temperature.

8. Take good care of

Do not place the pot in the shade, otherwise the plant will not develop normally. Water the avocado every 3-4 days during the warm season and a little less often during the cold season. Do not allow the earth to dry out completely.

When shoots appear, spray them regularly. If the air in the room with the avocado is very dry, you can put a small container of water next to it to increase the humidity.

In the first months, the avocado will rapidly stretch upward and can reach 50 cm. Then the growth rate will slow down. When there are more than eight leaves on the shoot, pinch it. Carefully remove the very top with a knife or scissors. Do not forget to rinse the instrument afterwards.

As soon as you notice that the avocado begins to stretch, pinch it. So you get a tree with a neat crown.

If possible, keep your avocado outdoors in the summer. With the onset of autumn coolness, return the plant to a warm room. Do not leave outside if the temperature drops below +10 ° C.

9. Fertilize and Transplant Avocados

In the warm season, fertilize with products for indoor plants once or twice a month.

Transplant the young avocado annually for the first five years. Then the interval between transplants can be increased to three years. Choose a pot with a slightly larger diameter each time.

When transplanting, try not to damage the root system. Simply transfer the earth ball into a new container and add the required amount of earth.

10. Help the avocado bear fruit

With proper care, the tree can begin to bloom. This usually happens no earlier than after 5-6 years.

When flowers appear on the plant, try pollinating them. To do this, take a soft brush or cotton swab and run over the colors. Repeat the procedure several times and do not clean the instrument after each procedure. The chances of success will increase if you have multiple flowering trees.

Don't be discouraged if the pollination experiment fails. Even in nature, avocados produce relatively few fruits. So just be patient and try again the next time you bloom.