The avocado, scientific name american persea, is a tree that has a bad reputation among gardening enthusiasts for, supposedly, being very difficult to care for. And while it is true that you have to be careful with some things, growing an avocado is not at all impossible. In fact, planting an avocado to bear fruit will ensure you have a large quantity of these rich fruits for a very low cost.
if you want to learn how to plant an avocado at homekeep reading us in this EcologíaVerde article in which you will see a gardening guide with the steps to plant this tree from a young age or from its bone and with advice on the season and more.
When to plant avocado
The avocado is a fairly demanding tree in terms of climate and temperature, especially when planting it outdoors.
If you are going to plant and germinate your avocado indoors, the time of year is not very important, since you will be able to control the temperature to which the plant is subjected. However, when it comes to direct planting outside or transplanting a small tree, ideally between late spring and early summerroughly between March and June in the northern hemisphere.
If you do it in winter, it is likely that your young avocado tree will not survive the low temperatures, while if you wait until summer your tree may not be able to absorb water well enough due to its young age and dry out.
How to plant an avocado in a pot step by step
If you do not want to wait for the avocado seed to germinate, you can speed up the process of having your avocado tree by directly planting a small tree that you can buy at a specialized gardening and horticultural store or from someone you know who already has these trees on their land. The process of planting an avocado tree is much simpler than doing it from the seed, and it will allow us to obtain the fruits somewhat earlier. at the time of knowing how to plant an avocado treethere are several especially important points.
- Choose the variety of avocado you are going to plant: One of the most important weak points of the avocado is that it cannot withstand low temperatures, especially during its youngest stage. If we choose one of the most cold-resistant avocado varieties, we will have more chances of success in temperate or less warm areas. Some of these are the Stewart avocado, the Mexicola and the Zutano.
- Prepare the pot: Once you have your small avocado tree, prepare the container. You will need a large pot, with a depth of at least 50 cm. It is important that the pot has drainage holes and that we prepare a slightly acidic substrate. The mixture of peat, coconut fiber and earthworm humus with perlite will be suitable for this, and it is very rich in nutrients.
- Plant the avocado tree: Make a hole in the substrate wide and deep enough to fit the roots well. Spread soil over the roots and base of the stem, making sure to gather and pack the soil a bit around the base of the stem to support the plant.
- Locate the pot: keep the plant in a well-lit area, with sufficient clarity and indirect light, or place a shading mesh that protects the leaves if it is exposed to direct light.
- Fertilize the avocado tree: In spring and summer, the avocado will need a supply of additional fertilizer. The ideal is to apply a new layer of earthworm humus to the pot, so that we will keep our avocado totally organic.
- Water the tree: watering should be frequent but not abundant. If you’re not sure if your avocado needs water, touch the substrate with your hand. If you notice the dry surface, give it a good supply of water, always without flooding. As is logical, in the warm months the risks will be more frequent.
- First pruning of the avocado tree: When the avocado is about 60 cm tall, it will be time to stand out in its first pruning, in order to favor branching and prepare an easier harvest, or the tree will become very tall.
How to plant an avocado from the pit
Planting an avocado from the pit itself is a longer process, but it certainly has a lot of charm. If you want to learn how to do it, at this point we explain how to plant an avocado with the pit step by step.
How long does it take for an avocado pit to germinate?
The avocado seed takes a while to germinate. You will see how between 15 and 29 days the outer and dark layer of the seed dries and wrinkles, until it ends up falling. Later, it will open both above and below, and approximately a month after the start of the germination process, you will see the main root appear. Here we explain how to germinate an avocado or avocado.
Steps to plant an avocado from the pit
- Extract and wash the seed.
- Stick four toothpicks into it so you can attach it to the edge of a container.
- Fill the container with water so that the bottom half of the bone is submerged.
- Change the water every 24 to 48 hours.
- When the main root is around 10 cm, transplant it into a pot or outside soil.
How long does it take for an avocado tree to grow?
The avocado tree can take a long time to give its first harvests. If you have planted a graft, it may take a few 3 or 4 years you are enjoying your first avocados, but if it is a pure avocado, you can take 6 to 10 years to receive these first harvests. Keep in mind that even so, climate and varieties play a role, and especially optimal conditions could speed up the process, just as if the conditions are not right they will slow it down a lot.
Now that you know what it is like to plant avocados from the bone and from a small tree, we encourage you to learn about how to graft an avocado and when to do it and also what are the avocado pests and diseases.
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