Avocado
Botanical Name
Persea americana
Family
Lauraceae
Plant Type
Broadleaf evergreen fruit tree
Mature Size
30 to 60 ft. in the landscape; potted plants can be pruned to remain small
Sun Exposure
Full sun
Soil Type
General-purpose potting soil
Soil pH
6.0 to 6.5, tolerates acidic or alkaline soil
Bloom Time
Seasonal bloomer
Flower Color
Greenish-yellow
Hardiness Zones
10-12 (USDA), any zone as a houseplant
Native Area
Mexico
Toxicity
Toxic to animals
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Contents
Watch Now: How to Grow and Care for Avocados as Houseplants
Avocado Plant Care
When avocado is grown as a houseplant, it is frequently grown from seed ( the fruit pits ) that can be sprouted in body of water or immediately in potting land .
Established plants will do good in cheery windows. Fertilize them regularly in spring and summer with a balanced chondritic fertilizer .
Avocados grow indoors are largely freshness plants. If you want it to bear yield and turn into the tree it actually is, you ‘ll have to move your avocado outside, but this may alone work if you live in a warm climate .
The Spruce / Fiona Campbell
The Spruce / Fiona Campbell
The Spruce / Fiona Campbell
light
Like banana trees, avocado plants thrive in full moon sun. They will tolerate some nuance, but potted indoor plants broadly need the brightest smudge you can find. If you ‘re starting from a seed, the seed can be kept on a bright windowsill until roots form, and the first leaves emerge .
body of water
Give the plant water when the territory is dry to the touch. avocado plants should be kept endlessly damp, but never doughy, and adequate drain is all-important. Watch for leaf yellow, which is a sign of besides much water .
temperature
avocado plants prefer warm growing seasons, but can take winter temperatures down to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, when growth will slow .
land
A full-bodied, fast-draining pot dirty shuffle is ideal .
fertilizer
Indoor avocado houseplants have vastly different fertilizer needs than outdoor avocado trees. To keep your avocado houseplant ‘s trench green leaves, fertilize it with a humble sum of water-soluble food about every three months.
Types of Avocado Plants
Although there are about 1,000 varieties of avocado, the one most probably to find its way into your home is the Haas avocado, which is grown in frightful quantities in California and throughout Latin America. These are little, gravelly avocados with high-fat content and delightful pulp. Larger, lighter green Florida avocado are besides found in season. You ‘ll find plenty of healthy pits inside any of these types of avocado that you can use to grow your plants .
Pruning
The beginning serious trim should occur when the plant is lone 12 inches grandiloquent. At that clock time, cut it back to 6 inches and allow for newfangled leaves and stems to form .
As it gets improbable, pinch off new growth throughout the summer to force modern branches to form, because avocado fruit develops on new emergence. Keeping the new growth pinched off will besides keep the plant bushy while controlling its size .
Propagating Avocado Plants
Avocado plants can be propagated in a count of ways., but it is normally done for avocado trees planted in the landscape. Professionals graft desirable avocado varieties onto disease-resistant root-stock to produce a healthy corner with the desire kind of fruit or prefer size .
They can besides be propagated by air-layering : encourage roots to grow by scarring a tree ramify, wrapping the hurt area with a small total of rooting medium, and allowing a bunch of roots to develop while the branch is still on the tree. once a network of roots is developed, the branch is snipped off and planted in land .
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How to Grow Avocado Plants From Seed
precisely like a papaya houseplant that cursorily grows from an easily accessible seed, you can use the seed of an avocado plant to propagate a new implant. The seed of an avocado is the big brown scar. here ‘s how to grow your avocado houseplant :
- To sprout an avocado seed, insert three toothpicks into the seed and suspend it with the broad end down over a glass of water.
- Cover about an inch of the seed with water.
- Keep it in a warm place, but not in direct sunlight.
- The seed should sprout in two to six weeks. Let the young plant grow to 6 inches, then cut it back to 3 inches to encourage stronger root growth.
- When the roots have grown thick and the stem has new leaves again, plant in soil in a pot about 10 inches in diameter, leaving half the seed still exposed above the soil. Make sure the pot has a drainage hole.
Potting and Repotting Avocado Plants
Repot your avocado every leap when the plant begins to grow again. For the first gear few years, trimming your avocado is necessary to encourage a bushy plant. You can place the avocado outside during summer, and bring it inside before the first frost .
Overwintering
Bring your plants inside if it ‘s going to be below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter ‘s miss of humidity may cause your plant to lose leaves, but they will come back when the upwind is affectionate .
Common Pests & Plant Diseases
look for symptoms like leaf yellow, which can indicate besides a lot water or dull drain. They may develop root decompose in excessively wet potting territory .
When originate outdoors, avocado trees are threatened by laurel wilt, caused by the Raffaelea lauricola fungus. It is transmitted by respective different species of ambrosia beetle. Infected trees normally succumb within 4 to 8 weeks .
common Problems With Avocado
The most park problem with the otherwise easy-to-grow avocado houseplant is excess salt in the dirt. Keep an eye out for a white crust on the soil, which means there ‘s an excess of salt build-up from the fertilizer. Flush the potentiometer regularly .
faq
Are avocado houseplants easy to care for?
These houseplants are very slowly to care for and rarely require any bustle .
How fast do avocado houseplants grow?
avocado plants are fast growers, sprouting up to 30 inches a year. You may need to stake your avocado houseplant as it grows tall, but you can prune it to the height you desire .
How long will an avocado houseplant live?
An avocado tree planted outdoors can live for hundreds of years. It ‘s likely your houseplant can live just as farseeing .
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