With their wonderfully buttery flesh and mild, slightly nutty aroma, avocados are not only a real delicacy, they are also very healthy. The large seed core - after all, the avocado is not a vegetable but a fruit - does not have to end up in the trash, but can be grown into a pretty houseplant.

Bring the seeds to germinate

Sprouting an avocado seed into a pretty plant is actually not that complicated. You just need a lot of patience, because it can take a few months for a seed to germinate and the first tender shoots to appear. There are two proven methods of germinating an avocado seed. The water glass method is perhaps used very often, but is not recommended for practical and breeding reasons. Instead, the avocado seed can also be put straight into fresh potting soil and will also grow reliably there - in contrast to the water method, which often leads to mold growth. The important thing is to always keep the soil moist (not wet!) and to place the pot in a warm and bright location.

What you need to germinate:

  • a water glass / a small plant pot (depending on the selected method)
  • stale, room-warm water
  • a spray bottle
  • (Toothpick)
  • (fresh potting soil with the soil method)
  • Possibly foil for covering (household cling film is sufficient)

Plant the avocado seedlings

After a few weeks or months, a small tree has grown from the core, which is now shooting up very quickly. Avocados have the habit of mainly growing upwards for a few years and hardly developing any side shoots. A bushier growth can usually only be achieved by annual pruning or grafting. But before that happens, first pot your little plant in a pot that is not too small. The core should also be potted and about two-thirds of it should stick out of the ground - your young plant will continue to get its nutrients from the seed until it is four to six months old. You can only remove the seeds the first time you repot in the following winter. After potting, spray the avocado with room temperature water.

Tools for planting the tree

  • a larger plant pot
  • fresh soil (potting soil mixed with peat or sand or palm soil is ideal)
  • a spray bottle with room temperature water

Caring for the avocado properly

Your homegrown avocado will grow splendidly if you take care of it properly. As a tropical plant, the avocado is used to lots of sun and warmth as well as high humidity. Therefore, it is better not to water the plant, but rather to spray it. Older plants can spend the summer in a sheltered and sunny spot in the garden or on the balcony, but should not get frost. Fertilize about every two to three weeks with a good liquid fertilizer, e.g. B. for citrus plants.

Will my avocado bloom and bear fruit too?

From around the age of six to ten years, it is possible for your avocado to develop flowers. The small, green-white flowers can appear in large numbers, but will most likely not lead to fruit in our latitudes. There are several reasons for this: avocados grown in this country usually do not grow big enough to set fruit, and the central European summer is simply too short and not warm enough for a corresponding development. The most important reason, however, is the complicated pollination of the flowers, because the avocado is a hermaphrodite that needs other trees for pollination.

tips and tricks

To achieve bushier growth and increase the chance of eventual fruit, you can graft your avocado. Then you have two trees, so to speak, growing together on one trunk - and perhaps developing the appropriate flowers of the opposite sex.

Category:

Trees