How to Grow Avocado Tree
By Divya Shree
Edited By Stephanie Dawson
There are many health benefits to the avocado fruit, this delicious fruit can be obtained easily from the supermarket, however chances are high that it contains chemicals or may be genetically modified. Cold storage avocados are not as beneficial as fresh. Today’s article is about how to grow your own avocado tree from a seed. It’s fun but requires patience and care. Here is how to do it:
Take a full-grown avocado and cut into 2 halves. Scoop out the fruit and enjoy as usual, remove the seed from the center, wash with fresh water and ensure there is no fruit on it. Dry the seed fully as a wet seed might get slippery and become hard to use.
The next thing you need is 4 hard toothpicks. Push the toothpicks inside the seed from four sides into the middle. After pricking the toothpicks into the seed, place in a glass full of water so that the pointed end of the seed points upward while the round part is immersed in the water by an inch. Keep the glass in a warm place away from direct sunlight. Leave for 4-6 weeks, monitor regularly to see if water needs to be added. The seed will sprout a stem and roots. Once the stem is 6 inches long, cut it to 3 inches. The stem will again start to grow and will grow leaves.
Remove the seed from the glass to a large pot, 3 feet wide and 3 feet deep. Add rich fertile soil to the pot and plant the seed. The root of the seed should be pushed inside the soil about 1-3 inches. The top half of the seed should remain outside the pot.
Place the pot where it can get good sunlight, air, and water. The soil should remain moist but not saturated. Use a pot with good drainage. Keeping the pot out in your garden is a good idea. Pinch the top leaves of the plant every time the stem length increases by 6 inches. Doing so encourages growth of the pant.
Start planting in the Spring. If you do not have a garden, daily take your plant outside for sunlight and fresh air. Now is the time for patience. Usually it takes 7-15 years for the avocado tree to yield fruit. While some home-grown trees do not yield fruit at all, those who do yield fruit quite different from the avocados sold in stores.
Since all plants do not yield fruit it is advised to grow more than one plant simultaneously depending on the space you have.
Source– http://www.avocado.org.au/howto/grow.aspx
Source– http://www.californiaavocado.com/grow-your-own-tree/
