Avocado is an exotic plant that is a small tree in nature. Is it possible to grow avocado from the stone at home? Will the plant that grows from the seed bloom and produce fruit? Read the avocado cultivation and care guide at home.

Where to get the seed

The seed will be obtained from fresh fruit. When buying avocados, check if there are brown spots. The fruit should have nice, green skin and should be slightly soft when touched. When removing the stone from the fruit, be careful not to damage it. Avocado is gently cut in half and remove the stone from the inside. It should be planted as soon as possible after being removed from the fruit.

growing avocado
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How to root and plant avocado pits

We put 2-3 toothpicks in the lower part of the stone (parallel to the ground on which it lies). We stick one toothpick on the right and the other on the left. Toothpicks will give us support. We lean them against the walls of a jar filled with water. The flat part of the stone should be immersed in water – about 1/3 of the seed height. The sharper side should protrude above the dish.

Growing avocados at home – soil and light

Avocados thrive best in a medium-natural medium. Therefore, peat soil or universal soil for indoor plants should be treated. You can mix them with sand (in a 2: 1 ratio) or perlite. It is also important to provide a good drainage layer.

The avocado pot should be placed in a sunny place – it can be a window sill with a southern exhibition (then on hot days it is worth covering the plant, e.g. with paper necks) or with a western exhibition. The plant is extremely thermophilic – the optimum growth temperature is 22-26 degrees C. In summer, it can be exposed to the garden or balcony. The recommended temperature at rest is around 15 degrees C.

How long you have to wait for the first fruit

Avocados grown in good conditions will bloom and bear fruit after 4-6 years. The fruits ripen for a long time, about 6-8 months. The plant will bear fruit for at least 50 years.

Avocados are evergreen and long-lived trees – they live over 100 years. It also reaches up to 20 meters in height.

Fertilizing and replanting home-grown avocados

Fertilizing avocados grown in a pot is carried out once every few weeks (e.g. every 2 weeks). A good effect can be obtained by using fertilizers with an increased amount of potassium (improves plant propagation). Avocado after germination grows quite quickly. When it reaches a height of several dozen centimetres, it is worth cutting it. 

Every 2-3 years it is worth replanting the plant to a larger pot. A good indicator of the need for over replanting is overgrowing the roots of the holes in the pot.

Does avocado harm dogs and cats? Yes, eating a large amount of fruit can cause diarrhea and vomiting. We do not know clinical studies that would confirm the opinions on this topic of avocado toxicity to dogs and cats. However, everyone agrees that these animals should not be given avocados in large quantities.

 

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