We grow a strange fruit at home: how to plant an avocado and care for it correctly
Avocado (alligator pear, American persea) is an evergreen fruit crop native to South America. A heat-loving tropical plant will not survive in our climate. However, if you wish, you can grow it at home from a fruit seed.
Is it possible to grow avocados yourself?
Exotic culture, the fruits of which we often see on supermarket shelves, most avid gardeners would like to cultivate in their own area. However, a heat-loving tropical plant that is not adapted to cold winters will die at the first frost.
The only way to add a rare specimen to your plant collection is to grow it indoors. If you have the opportunity to get an avocado branch from someone's private greenhouse, you should keep in mind that this plant does not lend itself well to cuttings.
The easiest way to propagate American Persea is by rooting the fruit seed. Even novice gardeners and indoor plant lovers can cope with this task.
Features of cultivation
A tropical crop is a rapidly growing tree, reaching a height of up to 20 m in the wild and on plantations. At home, the dimensions of the plant will be much more modest - 2-2.5 m.
This will be a spreading bush that will need a lot of space. In any case, an apartment with low ceilings is definitely not suitable.In favorable conditions, the exotic crop will increase in height to 50 cm in the first 3 months after planting.
Important! Alligator pear leaves contain a toxic substance called persin. In a house where there are animals and small children, the process of growing avocados must be under constant control.
The necessary conditions
Exotic culture prefers diffused lighting, warmth and high humidity. The optimal air temperature for normal growing season is +22…+28°C in summer, and in winter - not lower than +16...+18°WITH.
The plant needs long daylight hours (at least 12 hours a day). Therefore, it is better to place the pot near windows located on the east or west side of the house. When there is a lack of lighting, it is recommended to use phytolamps.
In summer, a pot of avocados can be taken out onto the balcony or into the yard. In this case, the plant should be shaded from direct rays of the sun so as not to cause burns to the crown. In addition, the tropical tree does not tolerate cold drafts and sudden temperature changes.
Attention! Seed germination is best done in the spring. According to reviews from experienced gardeners and flower growers, it is at this time that the plant takes root best.
How to plant an avocado
To grow an exotic crop yourself, you need to purchase a fruit, extract a seed from it and root it in any of the available ways. For this you will need a ripe alligator pear. The fruit must be free of damage or traces of mold or rot.
Unripe fruits are most often sold in the retail chain. To speed up the ripening process, avocados are placed next to fruits or vegetables that emit ethylene: tomatoes, bananas or apples. At a temperature of +18…+20°This process will take about 2 days.
Attention! Define fruit ripeness You can simply press your finger on the peel. In a ripe fruit, the dent quickly smoothes out. In addition, the skin of a ripe alligator pear turns from dark green to almost black.
Selection and preparation of seeds
When choosing the right avocado, you should pay attention to more than just the color of the peel. In fruits with smooth skin, seed germination is much better than in pimply ones. Once the desired specimen has been selected, all that remains is to remove the seed from it and clean it of any remaining pulp.
Then the seed is washed under running water and dried with a napkin. The planting material is ready, now it can be rooted.
Attention! Fruits selected for planting must be of the correct shape and free from blemishes. Fruits with damage, traces of disease, mold or rot are not suitable for propagation.
Germination in different ways
American Persea seeds are germinated at home in different ways:
- open (in water, on toothpicks);
- closed (in the ground);
- without peel.
Each of the methods is not difficult to implement; you just need to strictly follow the recommendations of experts.
Preparing the landing site
To germinate avocados using the open method (using toothpicks), a transparent container (glass or jar) is filled with clean, settled water. To root the seed using a closed method, prepare a planting container and soil.
The bottom of the pot in which the alligator pear seed is to be rooted is laid out with a drainage layer, for which the following are suitable:
- expanded clay;
- gravel;
- pebbles;
- coarse sand;
- small stones, etc.
A ready-made soil mixture is poured over the drainage, which can be purchased at any flower shop or prepared independently from turf soil, humus, washed river sand and vermiculite.
All components are taken in equal proportions. The soil should be loose, easily permeable to moisture and oxygen. The planting container is chosen not to be too voluminous. It is filled with soil, not reaching the top edge by 1-2 cm.
Landing instructions
The germination method, which is called open, is convenient in that all changes occurring in the avocado seed will be visible.
In the middle of the bone on 3-4 sides, use a sharp awl or a thick needle to make shallow holes into which toothpicks are inserted. This is necessary so that the seed germinated in water is only half immersed in it (blunt end down). Ideally, the liquid should cover only 1/3 of the planting material.
Some gardeners use hydrogel instead of water. This is convenient because the special filler retains the moisture necessary for germination for a long time. While the stone swells, the water level must be maintained by periodically adding it to the container. The rooting process is not very fast: the first roots will have to wait from 2 to 8 weeks.
Attention! To move the Persea seed into the ground, you will have to be patient. For high-quality planting material, the roots should grow 3-5 cm in length - this will facilitate the rooting process.
The indoor method of growing alligator pear is also simple. The soil in the pot is moderately moistened with a spray bottle. Planting material is placed in the soil, deepening it with a blunt end by 2.5 cm. The container is placed in a warm, well-lit place.
To speed up germination, cover the pot with a transparent plastic bag. The soil is periodically moistened, and the film cover is opened slightly once a day for 10-15 minutes for ventilation. In favorable conditions, after 2-4 weeks a sprout will appear from the seed.
The third method of rooting an avocado seed is suitable for the most impatient gardeners or those who dare to do this in the summer, autumn, winter. The skin of the planting material must be peeled very carefully. Next, the cleaned seed can be germinated both in water and in soil. This method is rarely used, since there is a high probability of damaging its core when cleaning the seed.
How to care for an avocado
Perseus americana is a moisture-loving crop. In the warm season (late spring - summer), it is watered 1-2 times a week, and the crown of the plant is also sprayed with water at room temperature.
To make the plant comfortable, you can place a container of water or a humidifier next to it. For the same purpose, wet moss is used, which is placed in a tray.
In late autumn and winter, watering is halved. In this case, the water should be soft, settled, and at room temperature.
Attention! Avocados do not tolerate stagnation of water, especially in winter. Slowly evaporating moisture and low air temperatures lead to rotting of the root system.
For feeding, ready-made mineral complexes (liquid) are used, which can be purchased at a flower shop. In the warm season, the procedure is carried out twice a month after abundant watering. For winter, fertilization is stopped until the start of the new season.
What to do to make an avocado bear fruit
Even if a tree develops quickly, it is unlikely to grow in an apartment will bear fruit. The only way to stimulate the process is to graft into the cleft. The scion is taken from a fruit-bearing tree. After the graft is accepted and begins to grow, the first fruits will appear in 5-6 years.
Attention! In indoor conditions, a tree without grafting will not bloom.
Possible problems and ways to solve them
Excess or lack of moisture, excessive use of fertilizers lead to problems. You can tell that a plant is uncomfortable by looking at its crown. Yellowed leaves with dry tips indicate a lack of moisture in the soil or that the plant is too hot. In this case, the tree is watered and sprayed with a spray bottle.
Fallen leaves indicate that the plant is cold or is standing in a draft. The room where exotic crops grow needs to be ventilated daily. But staying in the cold for a long time will destroy the plant.
Insufficient light or nutrient deficiency may cause leaves to turn pale. This care mistake is easy to correct. If it is not possible to move the plant to a brighter place, you need to organize additional lighting and add fertilizer to the soil.
Diseases and pests
Improper care provokes the development of diseases. In addition, weakened plants are often attacked by harmful insects.
The most common diseases of American persea are powdery mildew, late blight and root rot. These dangerous fungal infections spread very quickly, including to neighboring crops. The infected plant must be isolated and treated with fungicides “Topaz”, “Strobi”, “Tiovit Jet”. The soil in the pot must be replaced, and the affected fragments must be cut off and burned.
Among the pests, indoor avocados are most often affected by scale insects and spider mites.Insects that feed on plant cell sap can cause great harm. To combat them, the drugs “Aktara”, “Aktellik”, “Phosbecid”, etc. are used.
Interesting things on the site:
Transplanting avocados into open ground and further care
Avocados grown from seed in the middle zone can only be grown at home. In the southern regions of the country (Crimea, Krasnodar Territory), tropical crops are quite successfully grown in open ground.
Seedlings with a height of at least 45-50 cm are suitable for planting. This procedure is carried out using the transshipment method so as not to damage the root system and the plant quickly adapts to new conditions.
Attention! In order not to risk a rare seedling, it is best to make a reliable shelter for it for the winter.
Useful tips on the topic
In the wild, alligator pear is a powerful, spreading tree. However, at home, the tropical culture looks much more modest - with one trunk and weak branching. In order for the plant to be decorative, it is necessary to form a crown.
To do this, seedlings about 25-30 cm high begin to be pruned. First, remove the top (2-3 leaves). After some time, when side shoots appear, they begin to model the crown to their taste. It is important to take precautions so that the tree does not become too thick.
An exotic plant needs periodic replanting. For the first time, the seedling is moved to a new pot and fresh soil when the trunk height reaches 15-20 cm. Later, this procedure is carried out every spring until the tree is 4-5 years old. After this, transplantation is carried out once every 3-4 years.
Attention! The plant may need an emergency transplant due to root disease or if the seedling becomes cramped in an old pot.
Conclusion
Unusual for our area, avocado grows at home for up to 30 years. Even if the crop does not bloom or bear fruit, it will still be an excellent decorative element.