GROW AVOCADO – Slick Garden

Avocado is a fruit that is full of nutrition and flavor. You can easily grow your avocado tree with the help of pits. You can easily do it without facing any trouble. Here we are going to explain all the steps which help you to grow avocado trees in your garden. There are two methods of growing avocado trees from pits or seeds. Both methods are easy and you will grow a beautiful house plant. In the first method, we will discuss how we can grow an avocado tree using toothpicks. METHOD 1: GROWING AVOCADO FROM PIT BY USING TOOTHPICKS All the steps of growing avocado from pits and using toothpicks are going to explain. Hope all the instructions and information will be helpful for you. 1- REMOVE AND CLEAN PIT Extra care is needed to remove the pit from an avocado. You can also soak the pit in the water after that scrub all the remaining fruit, in this way, it will remove easily. You should be careful when scrubbing the pit because the brown skin on the seeds is seed cover. Buy Avocado Tree Growing Kit From Amazon 2- LOCATE WHICH END IS UP AND WHICH END IS DOWN The pits of avocados are found different in shapes like some are slightly oblong and some are in sphere shape. But remember all avocado pits have a bottom and top, the roots grow from the bottom and sprouts grow from the top. But the question is how you will recognize which is the top part of the pit and which is the bottom part. The answer is very simple: the slightly pointed end is the top of the pit while the flat end is the bottom. You have to place the pit in the right position in the water. If you want your pit will sprout then place the bottom side in the water so the roots will start growing in the water. Before piercing the pit with toothpicks it is recommended that you should confirm which is the bottom side of the pit. 3- PIERCE WITH TOOTHPICKS Now the process of piercing comes, you need toothpicks for this purpose. Stick all the toothpicks slightly downward angle into the seed of the avocado, around the circumference of the seed, you should leave even space. These toothpicks will allow the bottom half of the avocado to rest in water. It means you should fix the toothpicks firmly so they can lift the weight of the seed. To fix them firmly, you should stick them at a slight angle, which means pointing them down. In this way, the base of the avocado rests in the water when you set the toothpicks over the glass. 4- PLACE SEED HALF- SUBMERGED IN A GLASS OF WATER You should use a clear glass jar so you can monitor roots that will emerge from the seed and you will see when the water is lower in the jar. Set the jar on a sunny windowsill so it will get sunlight according to the need of the seed. It is recommended to change the water every day but you can also change the water every 5 days to a week. If you change the water regularly then it will prevent your avocado sprout from mold, bacteria, and fungus. 5- WAIT FOR YOUR AVOCADO SEED TO SPROUT It is said that sprouting can take within 2 to 4 weeks but usually it takes at least eight weeks to sprout. This is a long time so please be patient. You can witness the whole process of germination from the glass jar easily. First, the top of the avocado dries out and you will see a crack, the skin of the seed will slough off.The crack will expand to the bottom of the avocado pit. You will see a tiny taproot will emerge from the crack.The taproot will grow longer and after that, you will see a small sprout emerge from the top of the seed.Don't let tap roots dry out because this will become the reason for the death of your plant. Buy Avocado Tree Growing Kit From Amazon 6- PLANT IN SOIL WHEN TREE IS ABOUT 15cm TALL When you see the height of the stem is about 15 cm long, now you can cut it to about 8cm. In this way, the growth of the new plant will encourage. When you see it hits 15 cm again. Now, this is the time you can plant it in the pot. Fill the pot with rich humus soil, remember the diameter of the pot must be 25cm. Leave the top half of the pot for the seed to expose. Place the pot where it gets full sun exposure because avocado is a sun lover so more sun is better. Read More How To Make Potting Soil At Home For Container GardeningHow To Make Compost At Home Using Kitchen And Garden Wastes 7- WATER AND WATCH IT GROW Moist soil is needed for the healthy growth of avocado so water regularly in your avocado plant. Make sure your soil is moist, not saturated. If you're overwatering the plant then the leaves of the plant will turn yellow. In that case, let your avocado plant dry out for a few days. 8- PINCH OUT TOP LEAVES TO ENCOURAGE BUSHINESS When you see the stem is about 12cm tall, pinch out the top two sets of leaves from your avocado plant so it will get bushy form. This will also encourage the plant to grow more leaves. Each time, when your plant grows another 6 inches pinch out the 2 newest sets of leaves on the top of the plant. METHOD 2: GROWING AVOCADO BY USING DAMP PAPER TOWEL OR TEA TOWEL Most gardeners think that growing avocado by using a toothpick is not a reliable method. So they use another method in which you use just a paper towel or tea towel for the germination of seed or pit. It is another easy method to grow avocado from seed or pit. In this method, the seed of avocado takes 4 to 6 weeks for sprouting. Now we will discuss step by step how the seed of the avocado is used to grow a tree. STEP 1: REMOVE THE PIT This step is the same as we discussed in the previous method. First, you will have to remove the pit from a fresh avocado. Avoid using the knife for this purpose because it has a seed cover that should not damage. So do this step very carefully and otherwise, it will not be able to produce a new plant. STEP 2: CLEAN THE PIT In this step, you need to clean the pit under running warm water. You can also use a soft brush or cloth so the flesh of the fruit will remove. STEP3: WRAP THE SEED IN DAMP TOWEL Make sure your seed is clean and all the flesh is removed from the seed. After that wrap the seed in a sheet of damp paper towel or tea towel. Remember the towel is not dripping wet. STEP 4: PLACE IT IN A DARK PLACE After wrapping, place the seed in a plastic bag but do not zip shut. Now keep this bag in a dark place. A dark cupboard is the best place for keeping it. STEP 5: MONITORING THE SEED GERMINATION Check the seed every 4 days and make it possible for the paper towel to remain damp. Within a few weeks, you will see the sign of germination. First, a crack appears and a tiny root comes out from the seed from the bottom part of the seed. This tiny root is very delicate so handle it carefully. STEP 6: PLANTING IN A POT When you see the size of the root is 3 inches long then this is the time you can plant your seed in a flowerpot. You need an 8 inches deep pot for this purpose, if you see the roots of the seed are more than 3 inches then cut them to the size of 3 inches.Fill the half pot with potting mix and gently place your seed in the soil. The root is very delicate so place the seed with care so it does not break. The bottom part of the seed in the soil while the top part of the seed should be above the soil. Because the stem of the seed grows from there. On the top add a layer of soil if needed. Water the pot to make the soil moist.Place the pot in a warm area where it gets indirect sunlight. CARING FOR AVOCADO PLANT Your avocado plant needs care. So you should make it possible that all the necessary needs of the plant should be fulfilled. LIGHT: Full or indirect sunlight is needed for healthier growth. So choose the location where your plant gets proper sunlight. HUMIDITY: Moderate to a high level of humidity is required for this purpose. FERTILIZER: Use 7:9:5 fertilizer for the best result of your hard work. SOIL: Keep monitoring the soil because if the soil is dry out it is not good for your plant. ROOM TEMPERATURE: The indoor temperature required for the avocado plant is 60° to 85°F or 16° to 30C°. If you are living in a hot climate then plant your tree outside when it is big enough. WATER: Water it frequently but avoid overwatering. Keep the soil moist not over saturated. TROUBLESHOOTING BUGS: Aphids and little critters are dangerous for your little avocado tree. You can make your insecticide spray at home which is chemical-free on the plant. You need liquid dishwashing, neem oil, and water to make liquid to get rid of pests that are harmful to your plants. Keep an eye on your plants if necessary then use the spray again. INTERESTING INFORMATION It is important to know that growing avocado from the seeds is a slow and least reliable process. It is true you will not get the fruit the same as the parent from the seed. The commercial growers do not use seeds for growing avocado, they use grafting methods. By adopting this method they get high quality of fruit. A home grower can't do this. It is not easy to get fruit from the homegrown avocado because it will take 8 to 10 years to produce seeds which is a long period. On the other hand, in the grafting method, you will get fruit within 2 to 3 years. Growing avocado plants indoors will not provide you fruit but you will get a stunning and cute house plant for free. Read More How To Grow Mulberry Tree From Mulberry How To Grow Tomatoes From Seeds In Containers