How to grow and care for avocados from seed at home

Avocado fruits have a pleasant taste and are rich in vitamins, vegetable fats and minerals. They say that this exotic fruit rejuvenates cells, improves memory, and restores performance. Medicines are prepared from the fruits, and the oil is included in cosmetics, perfumes and colognes. Gardeners have learned to cultivate both lemons and tangerines on their balconies or windowsills and harvest a good harvest of citrus fruits, but few people know how to grow avocados from seeds at home and don’t dare try.

Botanical description

A culture from the Laurel family came to Europe from Mexico. The height of the trees on which the fruits ripen, shaped like a pear, ball or ellipse, reaches 20 meters. The evergreen plant has long oval leaves, small inconspicuous flowers are located in their axils. The size of an avocado can be about 5 cm, but large fruits are more common, and some specimens weigh more than 1.5 kg.

The skin of the ripe fruit is almost black, but it is often sold on the shelves unripe avocados. The tender yellow-green pulp of the fruit contains a lot of fat, practically no sugar, and in the middle there is one single, but large, seed. It is dried and used to treat many diseases.

Only the pulp is eaten; its consistency is similar to butter; its taste resembles not a fruit, but a vegetable, with a barely noticeable hint of a nut.

Neither the peel nor the seed of the fruit can be eaten; the persin present in their composition releases toxins, which is fraught with allergies and digestive disorders.

Differences between home and garden avocados

Under natural conditions, the “alligator pear” tree, which is valued for its unusual fruits, reaches 20 m in height. In mid-latitudes, avocados survive only in the greenhouse and in the house.The leaves of the plant, as in the natural environment, usually do not fall off, and when they fall off, young new ones appear. The height of an avocado in indoor conditions rarely reaches 2.5 meters, and if it bears fruit, the berries are much smaller than they ripen in the tropics.

When the crown is formed correctly, the tree looks beautiful and can be grown at home for decorative purposes. Avocado loves warmth, does not tolerate frost, and when asked whether it can be planted in the yard, experts say no.

Which seed is suitable for germination?

Cuttings are not used to propagate tropical crops because they do not take root well and are not sold anywhere. Fresh avocados can be purchased without any problems. The peel of the ripe fruit is almost black and hard. A seed from it almost always sprouts, but this will take not a week, but months, and sometimes six months. It doesn't take much effort to remove the seed from the pulp.

Optimal timing for the procedure

In order for the seed to sprout faster and the tree to develop well, you need to know the best time to plant it. Despite the fact that the temperature in the apartment is always approximately the same, plants are most active in the spring. It is during this period that all seeds are sown; it is best suited for planting avocado pits.

Conditions for good tree growth

To decorate a room with a tropical crop and speed up its development, you need to choose a place in the house where the tree will feel good. Growing a tropical crop is not that difficult if you care for it properly.

Watering

In nature, avocados grow in hot and humid climates. You need to irrigate the soil in a pot or tub regularly, especially often in the summer.The tree is watered a day or 2 after the top layer of soil dries. The plant does not tolerate stagnant water.

Air humidity

To create conditions close to the tropics, a pot of avocado is placed in a tray with wet expanded clay. Daily spraying with warm water also provides the high humidity necessary for the growth and development of an exotic crop.

Location and lighting

It is better to place the pot with the tree on the windowsill. To prevent the bright summer sun from burning the tender leaves, at first the seedling should be slightly shaded. Avocados love light, so phytolamps are additionally installed in the fall or early spring. The ideal place for an exotic guest is a window that faces west or south.

Temperature

The evergreen tree loves warmth, does not tolerate cold and sheds its leaves already at 12 degrees. It is not recommended to take the pot with the plant outside even during warm periods, since it is afraid of drafts. In summer, avocados feel comfortable indoors, but in winter the temperature should be kept at 20 ° C.

Methods and stages of germinating an avocado seed

To prepare seed, you need to buy a ripe fruit without spots or cracks, which, when pressed, restores its shape. A cut is made in the avocado pulp, through which the seed is pulled out and washed carefully so as not to scratch the shell.

In a closed way into the ground

There are 2 methods used to germinate avocado seeds. In the first option, first prepare the landing site:

1. A layer of expanded clay or fine gravel is placed at the bottom of the pot.
2. To obtain suitable soil, combine equal amounts of humus, sand and soil from the garden.
3. Fill the container with the mixture, leaving a couple of centimeters short of the top.

The bone needs to be deepened by 2.5 mm with the blunt end down. When the seed sprouts, the tree continues to be grown in the same pot.

Open method into water

Another method of planting avocados involves placing seed in a container with liquid.

What kind of water should you put the avocado in, which end?

3 or 4 holes are pierced in the middle of the seed, and toothpicks are placed in each of them, so that the upper part of the seed remains on the surface. The grain is immersed in a glass of cool water - preferably melted water or passed through a filter, you can use a hydrogel. The liquid is constantly added so that the level does not change.

How to plant a sprouted seed

When the sprout reaches 3 cm, it is moved into a pot with holes, 1/3 deep into the ground, with the root down. The avocado seed should not be buried, broken off or removed.

How many days does it take for a sprout to germinate?

With the closed method, when an avocado seed is planted directly into the ground, the pot is placed in a warm, well-lit place and watered abundantly; after a month or even 20 days, a pink sprout appears. With an open growing method, it will take at least 2 weeks for avocados to form roots, and a maximum of 6.

If you simply stick a seed into the ground, the process will take at least 3 months.

Why doesn't an avocado seed sprout?

In order for a guest from the tropics to delight with beauty and fruits, you need to constantly take care of it from the moment the seed is planted, but sometimes a month or two passes and the sprout does not appear.

Causes

The ripe fruit has a dark and hard skin. If you use a seed from a green fruit for planting, it will not germinate because it has not had time to ripen.If a seed is placed in dry soil or in soil that does not allow moisture to pass through, the grain will simply dry out and will not germinate.

Techniques for stimulating shoot growth

In order for the seedling to develop well, you need to monitor the moisture of the soil in the pot, it should not dry out. When the avocado is about 15 cm high, the trunk is cut in half. After this procedure, the tree grows well and additional shoots are formed. It reacts positively to spraying the leaves and adding mineral components.

Further care

If you properly care for the tree, the avocado will reward you with its decorative appearance and decorate the interior.

Top dressing

When growing a tropical guest in a room or apartment, it is enough to apply ready-made complex fertilizers to the soil once a month or alternating mineral with organic matter. In September, feeding is stopped and resumed only in April. How much nutrition an avocado needs depends on its age and size.

Pinching

In its homeland, the tree reaches 15–20 meters in height; in a pot, the tropical crop grows quickly, and it often has to be transplanted into a container of larger diameter. To prevent the tree from stretching, pinch the top, and when the side branches appear and are covered with leaves, these shoots are also shortened.

Pruning and crown formation

To give an avocado a decorative look and decorate your premises, you only need a little experience in caring for indoor plants and flowers. In early spring, shoots are pruned to form a crown. They can be bent and tied for better branching, and the tree looks great as a shrub.

Irrigation

The tropical plant loves moisture; it needs to be watered often, but do not allow water to stagnate in the pot.Avocado leaves will shine and have a rich color if the air around the container with the exotic crop is regularly sprayed. In winter, the amount of watering is reduced.

Do I need to vaccinate?

Avocados are usually grown at home for decorative purposes. When planting seeds, berries may appear when the tree reaches a height of 2 meters. To speed up fruiting, it is grafted with cuttings, but this tropical crop has a complex pollination mechanism; it is not a fact that the result will be positive.

Will avocados bloom and bear fruit?

The overseas guest turns into an adult plant at the age of six, when the tree usually enjoys a fruit harvest and has already prepared for this process. But avocados rarely bloom in a house or apartment, and waiting for the ovary to form is even more difficult, but some gardeners manage to collect the fruits.