Avocado, otherwise known as the alligator pear is an edible fruit from the family of Lauraceae is native to the western hemisphere from Mexico South to the Andean region and abundantly grows in warm climates.
Scientifically known as the Persea Americana, it is a tall and spreading plant that has elliptical egg-shaped leaves.
Avocados have yellowish or greenish flesh with a rich nutty flavour and butter consistency that is often used in salads, and deserts in many parts of the world as it has numerous health benefits.
Avocados plant are first domesticated in tropical America as individual seedling trees. Highly rich in vitamins, thiamin, riboflavin and 25 per cent unsaturated oil, it adds a high flavour to your food and is abundantly used in Mexican Cuisine.
The flowers of the avocado are small, green in colour, lack true petals and are born in dense inflorescences with nine stamens that are arranged in three series.
Although it is heavily consumed by humans and has a lot of health benefits, it can also be toxic to a wide range of animals.
Avocadoes are divided into three main types horticulturally that include Mexican, West Indian, and Guatemalan with more than 1000 varieties in them. Click To TweetVarieties of an avocado tree
Avocadoes are divided into three main types horticulturally that include Mexican, West Indian, and Guatemalan with more than 1000 varieties in them.
Mexican avocados
Mexican avocados are characterised by their small, thin-skinned fruit of rich flavour and excellent quality with an anise-like odour of the leaves. Being native to Mexico, these plants are the hardiest and grows in the cold regions.
The plant bears fruit in the winter season which got ripens in the summer season of that year.
West Indian race avocadoes
West Indian race avocadoes are more tropical in character, thus limited to the united states to western Florida.
The west Indian race avocados are characterised by their thin and smooth skin, with no anise scent of the leaves. The plant bear fruits in the season of spring which got ripens in the season of summer.
This species is a poor cold tolerant plant that is generally grown in less cold regions.
Guatemalan avocados
Guatemalan avocados are characterised by their thick woody skin and a different ripening season than the other avocados.
Being native to the highlands of Central America, it is a less frost resistance species than the Mexican varieties that bear medium to large-sized fruits.
How to plant an avocado seed
It is required to plant the tree outdoor in the season of spring so that the plant got established before the arrival of the winter season.
Following are the steps to plant an avocado seed
- The first step in planting an avocado is the collection of seeds which can be removed from a fresh, ripe avocado.
- Place the seed in a damp paper towel or a tea towel.
- Look for the seed until it starts germination.
- Choose a perfect location that will provide ample room for this plant to grow.
- Plant the seeds in that area by spacing them around 10 feet apart. If the roots are longer than 3 inches then cut them out and plant them. Take the utmost care when planting the tree as planting it deep and shallow can cause problems.
- Replenish water if needed.
- After the stems start growing up to 6 to 7 inches, cut them down to half.
Caring guide to avocado
Taking proper care of the avocado plant can offer you a good, healthy plant in a few days. You don’t need to put a lot of effort into the growth of this planet. The caring guide of this plant is very easy which is as follows.
The avocado plant requires infrequent, deep watering with an occasional deep soak for stronger and deeper growth of roots. Click To TweetWater
The avocado plant requires infrequent, deep watering with an occasional deep soak for stronger and deeper growth of roots.
Keep the soil moist consistently but not overwatered. Overwatering may cause the stems to soften and leaves to curl. Just like that water also cause the foliage to wilt, dry and drop.
Young trees and mature trees in the summer season may require frequent watering to establish and survive in the hot and warm climate.
Light
Being avocado is a tropical plant, it requires a lot of sunlight to grow and bear fruits. so it is required to keep the plant in a warm and sunny location where it can receive at least 8 hours of direct sunlight.
In warmer seasons, it requires a partially shaded area.
Soil
The avocado plant grows well in rich, loamy and well-draining soil. If the soil is unable to drain the water and holds an excess amount of water, it can more likely have rootrot.
The pH of the soil must be 5 to 7 which is acidic to neutral as they can’t grow well in alkaline soil.
Temperature
Being a tropical plant, avocado can grow well in tropical and subtropical regions in USDA hardiness zone 9-11.
This plant can thrive well in temperature of 50 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and are froat-sensitive.
Fertiliser
For better growth, better fruit production, and healthy deep green foliage, the avocado plant requires regular fertilization in every three months distance with a small amount of water-soluble fertilizer.
The plant requires a heavy amount of nitrogen for its growth. So ensure that the fertiliser you choose for your avocado plant must have some nitrogen content in it.
Harvesting of avocado
Harvesting all fruits and vegetables is always satisfying and brings happiness as a lot of hard work and effort came into force. That’s in avocado too. If you are growing fruits from seeds it may take 13 years. However, if you are bringing nursery plants, it may take 3 to 4 years to bear fruits.
If your plant is bearing fruits, once the fruit attains the mature size, you can pluck it from the tree as the fruit doesn’t ripes in the tree. You can store it in a container in your house after plucking it until it ripens.
Pruning of avocado tree
Pruning is necessary for the manageable bushy growth of the plant. Pruning can be done anytime to the avocado plant as long as you are doing light pruning. If you are willing to do heavy pruning, it should be done in late winter and early spring which is the growing period of the plant.
Pruning of the plant can be done by trimming the tallest branch of the tree. If you want to decrease the width of the tree, it can be done by trimming the longest, unruly branch of the tree. But just make sure that you should not prune the one-third branch of the tree.
Avocado plant propagation
Avocados can be propagated by different methods that include planting seeds, rooting avocado cuttings, layering and grafting.
The propagation and cutting method is less expensive and a fun project and ultimately a more certain method as the new plant produced by propagation is a clone of the parent plant.
The first step in the propagation of the avocado plant by a cutting method is to take the cutting from the mature plant in early spring which can be done by cutting 5-6 inches diagonally from the tip of the stem. Then remove the leaves from the one-third part of the stem.
Make a small cut on either side of the cut area that increases the chance of rooting. Put the wound area in growth hormone to facilitate the growth of the plant. Plant the cutting area of the plant in the soil required.
Provide the sunlight, water, fertiliser ad required.
Common pests and diseases
Avocadoes are prone to various pests and diseases. The pests that may harm an avocado plant may include spider mites, caterpillars, borers, lace bugs, and thrips. To keep them away from your plant wash them off by spraying a hose outside or in the sink/shower.
To keep the insects from returning, spray your plant with a mixture of water with a small squirt of dishwashing liquid and a teaspoon of neem oil, once they get off your plant.
Various diseases to which the plant is prone to include root rot, fruit rot, sun blotch, and cankers.
So stay alert before the diseases and pests attack your plant and take necessary steps as required so that all your efforts don’t go into vain.
conclusion
As you have read this far, you might be aware of the growing guide of the avocado plant. Planting the tree from seeds can consume a lot of your time, hard work and effort. However, buying a younger or mature plant can save all of these.
Growing the guide of this plant might be nerve-wracking and time-consuming, but once you have grown a tree from seeds and plucked the juicier fruit, you will be happier with this super fun long project.
So start growing your avocado plant today.
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