Avocado is a beautiful evergreen woody plant with very healthy fruits that taste good. It is not surprising that many would like to see this exotic tree in a garden plot or in an apartment.
It is difficult to cultivate it in the country, but it is not difficult to grow an avocado at home and take care of it. However, some nuances must be taken into account so that the plant feels good and decorates the home.
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plant description
The appearance of the tree
Another name for avocado is American Perseus. Mexico is considered the birthplace of a tropical tree from the Laurel family, and archaeological data say that they began to grow it as early as the 3rd millennium BC. e.
Avocado quickly grows up to 20-30 m in height. The trunk branches strongly, forming a spreading crown. The leaves are narrow and elongated, oval in shape, the plant blooms with small, greenish-yellowish inconspicuous flowers.
Avocados are cultivated mainly for their fruits. Fruits are elongated, pear-shaped or drop-shaped, covered with a dense dark green peel. When ripe, they average 10-15 cm in length.
The pulp is light green, oily, rich in fats and useful elements, the consistency resembles an unripe pear. It tastes unsweetened, more like a vegetable, it is more convenient to eat it with a spoon.
fruit in nature
In the avocado fruit there is one large bone, which also contains many useful components: antioxidants, fiber, vitamins. The most famous and delicious varieties found on Russian markets are Fuerte, Zutano, Pinkerton and Ettinger. Avocado oil, due to its healing properties, is used not only in cooking, but also in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.
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Even a beginner can grow a fruit tree from a stone
They grow fruit avocados, as well as, for example, mango, mostly from seeds. Reproduction by cuttings is almost never used, since the plant in this case takes root poorly. Spring is best suited for planting, when the length of daylight hours increases.
Fruit selection
Sliced fruit with pit
The first thing that is required for those wishing to propagate avocados is to choose the right “parent”. The fruit must be fresh, ripe and healthy.
You can determine this right in the supermarket with light pressure: if the avocado is ripe, it will sag a little under the fingers, but will immediately restore its shape. If the fruit is not yet ripe, you can wrap it in paper and put it in a dark place for several days. The paper retains the ethylene gas needed for faster maturation.
When the avocado is ripe, cut it in half and remove the pit. It must be thoroughly washed from the pulp and peeled from the thin shell or film covering it.Before planting, you need to decide in advance on the method of germination of the extracted bone.
Closed sprouting method
Growing avocado at home from seed
The first way is simpler and more familiar. The avocado seed is immersed in the prepared soil, pointed end up. It is not necessary to plant deep, it is enough to place it a couple of centimeters deep. If all is well, the sprout will hatch in about a month.
Open germination method
Open germination method
Reproduction in the second way is a little more complicated, but more interesting: you can observe the process of bone development. To do this, make several punctures and strengthen it with toothpicks or wire over a glass or other container of water so that the lower (blunt) part is immersed and the tip sticks out. Such supports keep the bone in a suspended position.
Water should be changed once a week; you can add an activated charcoal tablet to it. It is permissible to use hydrogel - compound that absorbs large amounts of water.
After 1-1.5 months, the first roots will appear, and soon a sprout will appear. You need to wait a little more before moving the plant into the ground. It is best to do this when the roots have reached a length of at least 4 cm.
Germination in gauze
Bones in gauze
Another option to propagate an avocado from a seed is to sprout the seed in gauze. You can also use napkins or cotton. The material is impregnated with warm water, a bone is placed inside. The package is covered with cellophane on top to maintain the required level of humidity.
Store it in the dark and warm. After a few weeks, roots and shoots will break through. You can put apples nearby to speed up germination.
Location selection
Growing on a windowsill
Theoretically, avocados can germinate in partial shade. But the exotic plant is quite photophilous, therefore, when choosing a place for placement, it is advisable to give preference to windows facing the southeast or southwest.
It is important to ensure that the leaves are not scorched by the hot midday sun. Where possible, direct sunlight should be prevented.
You can try putting an avocado on a north-facing window. If in winter the plant begins to lose foliage and looks weakened, it does not have enough light.
Then artificial lighting is used - phytolamps. Also, the window should prevent drafts: the plant does not like cold air.
Pot selection
Tree of different sizes in pots
When the plant has just given roots, it is enough to plant it in a small container, for example, a cut plastic bottle with a volume of 1.5 liters. When the avocado grows up and leaves appear on it, you can transplant it into a suitable pot. Tips for choosing a container:
- You do not need to immediately take a huge pot: this way the plant will stretch upwards more strongly. It is best to repot regularly as the avocado matures.
- The pot should be selected elongated in length: the root system of the plant goes deep into the ground, and does not grow in breadth
- Even an experienced florist can accidentally overwater a plant. Therefore, it is worth choosing a pot with a drainage hole at the bottom to remove excess moisture.
Soil preparation
Mulch
For growing avocados at home, a garden substrate is suitable. It is better to use neutral or slightly acidic soil. The earth should be well ventilated, drained and loose. You can make your own mixture:
- Sand is one part
- Humus - one part
- Sod land - two parts
It is useful to add wet moss and peat to the substrate.
Straw, leaves, nutshells, or pumpkin seeds can be used as mulch. The mixture should cover all the soil under the branches, excluding areas immediately adjacent to the trunk.
avocado care
Young tree with a thin trunk
After the final placement of the avocado in the pot, it remains to observe its condition and take action in time if the plant “complains”. Frequent mistakes are associated with the wrong selection of a pot or soil, illiterate watering, lack of nutrients or insufficient lighting. The tree may fall off or dry leaves, growth and the appearance of new shoots will slow down.
Watering and spraying rules
Humidifier
The plant should be watered abundantly to prevent the soil from drying out. Overwatering is no less dangerous: the roots will begin to rot, and the avocado will die. After watering, you need to observe the top layer of soil.
When it dries, you should wait another 1-2 days: the deeper layers of the soil retain the necessary moisture to support growth. In summer, the plant is watered more often than in winter, when daylight hours are reduced. Watering is carried out exclusively with soft settled water.
Avocados do not tolerate dry air well. It is necessary to spray the area around the plant with a spray bottle 1-2 times a day. This is especially important in winter, when indoor air becomes dry due to central heating and space heaters. Do not spray the leaves or flowers themselves: burns may occur.
Temperature conditions
Avocado at home
At the initial stages of plant development, elevated air temperatures are desirable, from +26 degrees Celsius. In the future, normal room temperature will do. In winter, a decrease to + 16 ° С is permissible.
If the temperature drops even lower, the plant may shed its foliage. In summer, you can take the tree to the balcony or loggia, but protect it from direct sunlight.
fertilizers
organic fertilizer
For an avocado growing in unusual, apartment conditions, top dressing is mandatory, otherwise it will not feel comfortable. Unlike a tree that lives in its natural environment, it does not receive useful minerals from rainfall, earthworms do not loosen the soil, and the soil does not renew itself in a healthy way.
For optimal plant growth, liquid mineral fertilizers sold in stores, citrus mixtures are suitable. In this case, it is desirable to slightly reduce the recommended dose from that indicated by the manufacturer.
Feeding tips:
- It is recommended to fertilize with mineral mixtures when the plant reaches one year of age.
- Sometimes avocados need organic fertilizers: manure, humus, peat, bird droppings. A simpler option - infusions of onion peel and egg shells
- Fertilizer can be both applied to the soil and sprayed with foliage
- Fertilize usually twice a month from March to August. In autumn and winter, it is not necessary to feed avocados: active vegetation stops in it, a dormant period begins
Trimming and pinching
trunk pigtail
An exotic avocado can be made a spectacular element of the decor of a city apartment. An interesting way plant a few seeds, and then combine young trees in one pot. As long as their stems are flexible, they can be intertwined with each other in the form of a pigtail.
Avocado stretches strongly upwards. To avoid this and form a lush crown, you need to pinch or pinch - remove the tip of the shoot.The procedure can be carried out only when the plant gains strength and the number of leaves is at least eight.
Pinch the top of the plant so that the side shoots grow stronger. Then they can also be pinched - when the number of leaves on the shoot is 5-6 pieces.
In the spring, pruning is carried out to accelerate the growth of new branches. Another goal is decorative: pruning trees helps to form a crown of almost any shape, in accordance with the owner's imagination.
Transfer
Plant transplantation by transshipment method
Avocados grow quickly, especially in their early years, so the pot soon becomes small. The plant needs to be repotted. While the avocado is young, it is recommended to transplant annually, then every three years. Transplantation is done in the spring. For the first time, the procedure is carried out when the tree grows up to 15 cm.
The recommended method of transplantation is transshipment. With this method, the plant is literally “transferred” together with an earthen clod into a new, larger pot.
This should be done carefully, trying not to damage the shoots and the root of a fragile young tree. The voids are filled with fresh soil.
The requirements for preparing the substrate and the pot are the same as when planting: the container has a drainage hole, expanded clay must be laid on the bottom. If the avocado was watered shortly before transplanting, you can not immediately water it, but wait a few hours.
Pests and diseases
Aphid colonies on a leaf
If a green pet languishes, dries up and stops growing, the cause is a disease or a pest attack. Growing problems and diseases of avocados manifest themselves in this way:
- The plant sheds the lower leaves, the foliage turns yellow: the root system is damaged or rots due to overwatering
- The leaves dry: there is a lack of nutrients in the soil, you need to feed
The plant sometimes becomes a victim of insect pests. Frequent enemies of avocados and ways to deal with them are presented in the form of a table.
| Name of the pest | Symptoms | Fighting methods |
|---|---|---|
|
whitefly | Small bright dots appear on the leaves, the foliage dries and acquires a yellowish tint. If the plant is disturbed, tiny white butterflies take off from it. | Folk ways to defeat the whitefly - spraying avocado foliage with a soapy or garlic solution. Sticky tape traps are suitable for catching butterflies. In a specialized store, you can buy Zeta, Rovikurt or Fufanol preparations and treat the plant with them. |
Mealybug (dew) | A fluffy light coating appears on the leaves and twigs. Avocados start to grow worse. | To combat the mealybug, a soap-alcohol solution, calendula tincture is suitable. Of the chemicals, Fitoverm or Actellik is used. |
spider mite | The pest infects many indoor plants. The foliage and shoots of avocados are covered with a thin cobweb with tiny dots in it - these are mites. The leaves turn yellow, the plant slows down in development. | It is recommended in this case to arrange a warm shower for the plant, washing off the entire web. Then it is left to flow around in the bath for half an hour. Also, the leaves can be treated with soapy water or Fitoverm and Aktellik preparations. |
Shchitovka | Small sticky drops and yellowish spots are visible on the leaves. The leaves dry up and fall off. | The means for pest control are the same - spraying with a solution based on laundry soap and alcohol, treatment with Fitoverm or Fufanol. Garlic tincture helps against larvae. |
Aphid | The pest manifests itself as dark spots on the leaves, sticky drops. The plant dries, the leaves curl. Pest colonies are visible to the naked eye. | To kill aphids, use decoctions of onion or garlic, solutions of vinegar, soda, hydrogen peroxide. Of the chemicals, Fitoverm, Aktara, Spark are suitable. |
Fruiting
Fruiting in the natural environment
Lovers of delicious avocado fruits are wondering: is it really possible to achieve a plant that bears fruit at home? Unfortunately, the probability of achieving flowering and fruit is extremely small, no matter how you care for the avocado, although the plant is ready to bear fruit already in the sixth year of life. But in fact, even experienced gardeners managed to “persuade” avocados to bloom as much as possible.
The fact is that the tree has a complex pollination mechanism. Therefore, even with a healthy avocado growing in natural conditions, it will not be possible to collect too many fruits. You can try to cross-pollinate at home yourself, but the process is complicated and rarely gives the desired result.
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About useful properties
Beautiful plant decoration at home
Avocado helps filter and humidify indoor air. The leaves of the plant absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. Avocados have a positive effect on the emotional background of a person.
According to the teachings of Feng Shui, a tree enhances the love energy in a home. But the main property of an avocado grown at home is its decorative effect.
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Avocado feels great in a city apartment. The plant is easy to plant, it quickly gains strength and does not require complex care, it is slightly susceptible to pest attacks. A home-grown avocado will be a great decoration for your interior if you follow the recommendations. You can learn more about the secrets and nuances of cultivating in an apartment in the thematic video below.
VIDEO: Avocado from the bone. Growing avocados at home
Avocado from the bone. Growing avocados at home
Avocado: growing at home from the stone | (Photo & Video) +Reviews
