Making Sure Your Avocado Tree in a Pot Produces Fruit
Avocados contain a wealth of healthy fats and other nutrients, and they also appear in some of the most delicious foods. However, growing them isn’t as easy as tossing a seed into the ground and just letting it do its own thing.
In fact, growing an avocado tree, particularly in a pot, takes a little finesse and extra care, especially if you’re growing the tree from its unique and giant seed. If you think you have the patience to give to a growing avocado tree, read on to discover how to accomplish and enjoy the reward of growing a healthy avocado tree.
Can Avocado Trees Grow Where It’s Not Tropical?
First things first: you probably associate the avocado tree with the warm and inviting tropical environment of Mexico, but avocado trees do grow naturally north of the border in the United States.
Avid gardeners have also grown these trees much further north of the border, too, so you don’t need to live in a tropical clime to grow an avocado tree.
If you’re residing in one of the colder regions of the country or planet, you might want to put your fledging avocado tree in a pot anyway so you can keep it warm during the winter if you live in a place where it snows.
The general minimum at which a young avocado tree can survive or at least grow happily is about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, so make sure your pot is portable if temperatures get much colder than 50 degrees. The trees can bear colder temperatures when they’re most established but not when they’re very young.
Starting Your Avocado Tree with a Toothpick
The traditional method of starting an avocado tree is by cleaning the seed and sticking four toothpicks into four sides of it so as to balance it on the rim of a cup filled with water.
You’ll keep the seed suspended in its water cup for about three weeks until it starts to sprout some leaves, and then you’ll transfer it to a pot. You’ll want to make sure to give the seed fresh water each week to keep it from rotting.
Bear in mind that if you’re particularly lazy, you can actually grow an avocado from its seed by placing it in the ground to start and waiting for it to germinate. However, it’s easier to keep track of its progress when you use the cup method.
Getting the Soil Right is Important
Some plants will grow without a lot of effort put into their soil, but ensuring your little avocado tree thrives means paying attention to its dirt. The appropriate pH level for avocado soil is between 5 and 7, which you can reach by mixing standard potting soil, peat moss, and some sand.
One of the goals that this mixture achieves, too, is ensuring the soil doesn’t remain waterlogged, which can harm the plant. You never want the plant to remain in standing water or soggy soil for too long. Even though an avocado tree is a tropical plant, that doesn’t mean it loves sitting in a flood.
Once you have the soil mixture, you’ll also need to figure out the fertilization schedule. Avocado trees appreciate fertilizer most in the warm seasons, so you can start fertilizing in the spring and into the summer.
Earthworm humus is an excellent fertilizer for avocado trees, and all you have to do is apply it to the surface of the soil for it to have a beneficial effect.
What do Avocado Trees Need for Water and Sun?
Avocado trees do love the sun, but they’re somewhat vulnerable to sunburn when they’re young. If you live in a southern climate, make sure your avocado tree doesn’t get sun for the entire day. Try to make sure it gets some shade in the middle of the heat of the day, or it may start to wilt.
As far as the watering schedule is concerned, watering your tree weekly is usually a good schedule, but you can adjust your watering visits with the weather. If it’s particularly dry, give your avocado tree an extra drink or an early drink. If it’s humid and wet, make sure the soil gets a little dry before you reapply the water.
When Should You Start Pruning Your Avocado Tree?
At a certain point, every tree needs pruning, but you don’t need to take your shears to your avocado plant until it’s a few feet tall. You can prune it lightly once it reaches about 24 inches, which can help you maintain a pleasing shape for the plant and promote more growth season after season.
The best time to prune an avocado tree is in the late wither or the early spring. You want to prune the tree before it reaches its growing season, so all the cuts you make encourage new growth that year. If you find it’s too late to prune, just forget pruning for that year and get your shears ready for a trim next year.
Avocado Trees are Fun and Rewarding to Grow
Growing an avocado tree certainly isn’t the easiest introduction to growing a fruit tree, but it’s definitely one of the most rewarding experiences, especially when you grow your new tree friend from a seed. As long as you line up the right watering schedule, fertilizer, and plant placement, your avocado tree will look bushy and healthy in no time.