The avocado is a fruit that has become more and more popular in recent years. The fruit that can be used in many different ways is not only very tasty, but also very healthy because of all the fats that the fruit contains. With the large seed in the fruit, it is very easy to grow an avocado tree yourself and grow this healthy fruit yourself.
Germination of the kernel
Carefully cut the avocado open without touching the stone with the knife. Remove the stone from the fruit and clean it completely to prevent rotting pulp. The wick seems round, but there is a kind of point on one side. This is the top of the wick. The bottom of the wick should hang in the water. This can be done on a special glass for flower bulbs, but if you don’t have it, that’s no problem. Then carefully insert three toothpicks or cocktail sticks into the sides of the wick. Do this slightly below the middle. Do not insert the toothpicks or skewers too deep, but firmly into the sides of the wick. Fill a glass with tap water and hang the avocado pit with the bottom in the water. The wick will stick to the skewers and not sink into the glass. Make sure that the skewers do not touch the water, because then water can get into the wick and it will eventually rot. Place the glass in a warm and sunny place and wait quietly. The outside of the avocado pit is very thick and hard so it can take a long time to show any change. Check daily whether the water is still high enough and change the water once a week. After a few weeks and sometimes even months, the pit will burst and a root and tree will start to grow.
Taking care of the avocado tree
When the roots are longer than 10 centimeters and the plant is already growing well, it is time to repot the tree. The plant can then move from a glass with water to a pot with soil. The avocado wants to have room to grow, so don’t put it in a pot that is too small. The now small tree does need a minimum of 20 centimeters. Do not put the pit completely under the potting soil, or it will rot. The tree will have to get used to the earth. Keep the soil moist, because the pit only has water roots in the beginning. The growth will stand still for a while after repotting, because a lot will happen to the tree, especially underground. Many new roots are being created. If the tree is well rooted, it will continue to grow. The avocado tree is a tropical tree and therefore hates the cold. It is best to keep the tree indoors as a houseplant and only place it outside during warm summers. It is a tree that can grow very large, but the tree is strong enough to be pruned if necessary.
Growing fruits
Only mature trees will bear fruit, so it will take at least eight years for fruit to grow on your own avocado tree. The avocado tree can self-pollinate, so no second tree from another genus is needed. To aid the pollination process, a cotton swab can be rubbed through the flowers to transfer pollen. The maturation process of the tree can be shortened by grafting two plants. To do this, grow two types of avocados and cut both stems diagonally. Place the top half of one log on top of the bottom half of the other log and tape them together. Eventually both trunks will fuse together and the tree will bear fruit a year to two years earlier.
