Growing an avocado from a seed is very simple, which means that everyone can have their own avocado plant in their home. The stone is easily obtained by taking it out of the tasty and he althy avocado fruit. Check what substrate is needed to grow an avocado from the stone and what pot will be appropriate, and what conditions should be provided for the germinating avocado to grow into a beautiful tree.
Avocado seeds are extracted from the fruit
Avocado(Persea americana) comes from Central and South America, belongs to the laurel family.Avocados were found to be used as early as 8,000 years ago. In nature, the avocado is a tree that grows up to 20 meters. It has large evergreen leaves resembling paper. The flowers, on the other hand, are small, green and inconspicuous. The edible part is, of course, the fruit covered with a thick, leathery and dark green skin, their flesh is greenish with a slightly nutty aftertaste. They are rich in beta carotene and potassium. After cutting the fruit, we find a large stone, from which you can successfully grow a new plant.
Note! In order to remove the stone from the avocado, gently cut the fruit in half, being careful not to damage the stone. Plant the seed as soon as possible after removing it from the fruit.
How to plant avocado seeds?
Togrow an avocado from a stonewe will need a deep pot (the bigger the better) filled with soil. The substrate should be light and aerated, therefore the soil should be mixed with perlite.You can also use a mixture of sand and peat (mix in a ratio of 1: 2). The pH of the earth should be close to neutral.
Then take a freshavocado seed(preferably immediately after removing it from the fruit) and place it in the ground in a pot. Place the stone with the narrower end facing up, at such a depth that the tip protrudes slightly above the ground. Cover the pot with a transparent plastic bag or a cut-off half of a plastic bottle to create a mini-greenhouse and retain moisture (sprouting avocados require very high air humidity). Finally, place the avocado pot in a warm and sunny place.
When the avocado sprouts it will quickly grow tall, so when you feel it is tall enough, trim it over a pair of leaves. Thanks to this, the plant will start to branch out and resemble a tree more. In summer, you can put the avocado pot outside. It's also good to sprinkle the avocado with a sprinkler sometimes. When growing an avocadoremember that this plant does not tolerate frost and cold, and grows best at 21 - 24 ° C.
Pitted avocados
How to keep growing avocados
In summerseed-grown avocadosshould be fertilized every 2 weeks, slightly older plants can also be placed outside. However, it is worth knowing that plants grow best in constant and high temperatures, so it is most advantageous to keep them at home or in a conservatory. They are excellent plants for a winter garden. In winter, plants should not be kept below 10-15 ° C.Young avocados need to be transplanted into a larger pot every spring. For older plants, this should be done every 2-3 years.
Katarzyna Matuszak
