How to grow an avocado from a seed at home

Before you start growing a potted avocado, you should think about how to create conditions close to natural for it and get acquainted with the peculiarities of its reproduction and development.

Ways to germinate a seedpot

The readiness of the avocado fruit for propagation is easy to determine by pressing: the unripe fruit is elastic, the ripe one is crushed. Sprouting the seed can be simple and easy at first glance: wash it and immediately plant it in the soil, blunt end down, leaving outside about a third. In fact, such cultivation can be done by a fairly experienced grower, because it is necessary to strictly follow the regime of watering until the seedling appears, and this lasts for a long time, sometimes up to several months.

Less risk is involved in planting a seed that has already put down a root as a result of contact with water. You will need to make a simple device: carefully drill three holes in the seed’s skin and put matches in them. Place the construction on the edges of a glass with water, so that the blunt end of the stone is immersed in water by a third. It is necessary to maintain a constant level of water in the glass. Plant the seedling in the soil when the stub reaches a length of 3 cm. The top part of the seedling should remain unburied.

Preparing the soil

For planting the sprouted seedling, prepare nutritious, loose soil. As the basis, you can take ordinary garden soil, to improve the structure to make sand, peat or coconut shavings, enrich with humus. All components are taken in equal proportions.

If you plant a seedling in a properly selected soil, the cultivation during the first year does not require fertilizer.

Given the capriciousness of the avocado in terms of moisture, the drainage layer should be provided particularly carefully. It can consist, for example, of expanded clay and be about 2 cm thick. Holes in the bottom of the pot are mandatory to remove excess water. After the first year, take care, as far as possible at home, for space for the root, which tends to grow deep down, to transplant the tree into a deep pot. During the active time of the year, apply mineral fertilizer to the soil about twice a month. It is advisable to transplant the young tree annually into a new substrate.

Growing medium for avocados

To grow and maintain a plant originating from the tropics and subtropics at home, you need to take special care of the comfort for it. Be sure to spray the avocado to maintain high humidity. It is important to determine the rate of watering and learn to regulate the moisture of the soil, so as not to dry out the plant. Overwatering is also unacceptable, if the moisture is felt when dipping a finger into the substrate for 5 – 6 cm, then it is enough. In winter, water less, only when it dries up. The same subtlety – with regard to lighting: you need a lot of light for cultivation, 15 light hours throughout the year, but direct sunlight – exclude. At home, especially on cloudy days, natural light is not enough, then use a special phytolamp. Temperature conditions in the summer is optimal between 24 – 28 ° C. In winter – not below 12 ° C, the avocado does not tolerate the cold.

Shaping the crown of the plant

In nature, the avocado is a fairly tall tree, in domestic conditions it reaches two meters, but it is best to grow it as a small, lush bush. A sprout that reaches 15 cm, begin to prune regularly. First remove excess side shoots, leaving 3 – 4, later pinch their tops to stimulate the sprouting of buds on them. A complex, branched structure, luxurious and compact, attractive in appearance, is obtained, and the chances of obtaining fruits at home in this case are increased. It is possible to grow something unusual, for this purpose to plant in a pot not one, but three pips and as the trunks grow up, weave them into a not tight braid.

Avocados are not a very prolific crop, this is its natural property. Even the correct maintenance does not guarantee a harvest, but the aesthetic requirements of a well-groomed exotic bush meet the full extent.

Diseases and pests

It is not always possible to create an ideal environment for avocados at home. In an unfavorable situation, the plant itself will tell what it lacks. If there is not enough light, the leaves fade, the trunk stretches out in length. If there is not enough heat, the leaves begin to fall off. The same happens if grown in a too dry atmosphere, the leaves will turn brown, if watering is scarce, they dry out around the edges. If they are yellow, deformed, fall off, it indicates the presence of pests, some, however, can be seen with the naked eye. Against spider mites use soapy water, from the scales you can get rid of simply by removing it with your hands.

Avocado varieties

There are 3 types of avocado in total: West Indian, Guatemalan and Mexican. However, there are many more varieties of this interesting plant.

• The Bacon variety has an oval shape and the fruit is quite juicy.
• Gwen is oblong to round in shape, has a delicate flavor, and the flesh color is yellowish.
• The Gutano variety tastes like an apple, but has a shape reminiscent of a pear.
• Mexicola is the most common variety, quite unpretentious and suitable for growing in our conditions.