In many households today, avocado is a staple food. Whether as guacamole, as a topping for bread or as part of a colorful salad: the tropical fruit tastes heavenly and is also very he althy. The rather large, egg-shaped seed of the avocado does not need to be thrown away either, as you can grow a pretty plant from it using these instructions.
How do I grow an avocado plant?
To grow an avocado, remove the fruit's seed core, clean it, and either use the glass of water method or plant it directly in sandy soil. Keep the seed warm and moist, but expect slow germination. Once sprouted, repot the avocado and provide it with proper care.
Grow a plant from the seed core
Contrary to popular belief, the avocado is not actually a vegetable, but a berry fruit. The pear-shaped, mostly green fruits grow on a tree that can grow up to 40 meters high in nature. However, commercially available avocados mostly come from plantations where the trees are pruned to a height of 15 meters for practical reasons.
The avocado comes from the tropics
The avocado is a tropical plant, i.e. H. it needs a lot of sun and warmth. For these reasons, in our latitudes it can only be kept indoors or in a greenhouse, but not outdoors. However, it is possible to place the avocado in a protected, sunny spot in the garden, at least in summer. The tropical avocado can easily be grown from the seed core of a commercially available fruit. There are two methods for this.
The water glass method
To grow a plant from a seed, many hobby growers use the water glass method. To do this, the core is removed from the fruit and the brown skin is cleaned. Now carefully poke three toothpicks into the seed; this should be done on the upper, more pointed side of the kernel. Now fill a water glass with fresh water and place the core and toothpicks in it so that only the flattened part of the core is in the water. The toothpicks rest on the edge of the glass. Now the glass and its core are placed in a warm and dark location. The root shoots appear within about four weeks.
The disadvantages of the water glass method
However, the water glass method has some disadvantages. For example, the seed core can be so damaged by the toothpicks that it is no longer able to germinate. You can get around this problem by simply using a small shot glass instead of a water glass, which does not require a holder. In addition, the moisture can lead to mold infestation, so that the core simply rots.
The Flowerpot Method
This can be avoided by putting the core in a plant pot with soil instead of in a glass of water. Loose, sandy soil is best suited. The flattened part of the seed core is in the soil while the upper part sticks out. The soil must be kept constantly moist, and a film over the plant pot should also protect the sensitive seedling from cold and drafts.
Be patient
If you have decided on the water method, you can pot up your seedling as soon as a root ball has formed. Until then, however, you have to be a little patient: the avocado germinates very slowly. The first delicate tips can only be seen after four weeks at the earliest. However, it can take several months until success is achieved. Shortly before the seedling breaks through, the kernel splits into two parts. So don't be alarmed if the seed kernel appears to be "broken" one day.
Potting an Avocado
To pot up your seedling, mix loose sand and commercial potting or palm soil in a 1:1 ratio. Fill a small planter with this mixture and carefully place the seedling in it. Gently press the soil all around and water the seedling with stale, room temperature water. Make sure the top of the core is sticking out of the soil. Now your avocado needs a bright and warm location, but should not be exposed to the blazing sun.
Proper care of the avocado tree
The continued prosperity of your seedling depends on proper care, but it is not particularly complicated. Basically you only need to keep three things in mind.
This is what your young avocado needs:
- a bright location without direct sunlight
- a warm location without drafts
- water regularly but not excessively (the soil should be moist but not wet)
You can let the soil dry out occasionally; your avocado can tolerate a lack of water quite well. The rule of thumb here is: It's better to water too little than too much.
Does the avocado need to be fertilized?
Basically, young plants do not need to be fertilized. However, applying a little citrus fertilizer every month doesn't do any harm, on the contrary.
Pruning an avocado
Avocado plants always grow upwards and usually only develop side shoots after a few years. Since the trees can grow very tall, they should be pruned in good time. As soon as the fourth leaf shoot appears, you can snip it off (e.g. with rose scissors (€25.00 on Amazon)). As a result, your avocado will develop more side shoots and therefore become bushier.
Tips & Tricks
Treat your avocado with fresh air: As soon as night frosts are no longer expected in spring, the plant can be placed in a sheltered spot in the garden. However, it should be brought back in before the first cold days of autumn are expected.
