One of the bonuses for growing your own fruit is not having to worry about buying avocados at your local supermarket. Avocados are a great food, and a favorite of many people, but they can be quite expensive when you buy them from the grocery store. With some time, patience and effort it is possible to grow healthy avocado trees that will provide plenty of fruits that you can harvest yourself without paying any money on them.
In addition to this if you start early enough in life then there is a chance that you might even get fruit from the tree while still living with your parents or renting an apartment somewhere.
If all goes well then by the time you have moved out into your own house or apartment and want to plant your avocado tree, all it will take is a little bit of space in your backyard and you can have an avocado tree growing successfully on its own. Even if you don’t have enough space for a separate fruit garden then there is no reason to worry as avocados are more than happy to grow in containers using some soil from your local nursery blended with nutrients from compost. How To Grow Avocados In Containers And Indoor?
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Hassle Of Planting A New Avocado Yourself
You shouldn’t feel too bad about buying some fruits instead, after all even though they were grown locally some distance away from where you live, at least this way some money is going to support a local farmer and you can pick out the fruit yourself at your leisure.
Not only this but there is no reason why you cannot buy avocados even if they are not in season, as it is possible to preserve them for several months by placing them in the freezer where they will last far longer than fresh fruits.
Can Avocado Trees Grow Indoors?
You do not need to worry about growing avocados outdoors, as they are very versatile and can survive in some harsh conditions. However what is less well known is that you can also grow an avocado tree indoors by following a few simple steps.
The first thing that you need to do is find the perfect spot where there will be plenty of sunlight shining through it during all times of the year. Although most light bulbs available these days contain UV rays which mimic outdoor sunlight, there are still many people who would rather place their trees near natural daylight instead.
How To Grow An Avocado Houseplant?
In order to successfully grow a houseplant from an avocado you will first have to obtain a pit from your kitchen. This can be done by using a knife and chopping the avocado cleanly in half, before scooping out the pit with a spoon. The next step is to place the pit on some damp tissue or paper towel so that it has plenty of contact with the surface below.
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A good technique would be to put it inside one of those glass jars whose base is covered with tissue paper, as this way you know that there will always be moisture available for the plant as it starts to sprout its roots into life. In about two weeks or so (depending on where you live) you should start seeing thin tendrils starting to emerge from the middle of the pit, and after another 2 weeks or so you should see roots growing from these tendrils.
Once this happens it is time to carefully place your plant into a pot that will barely fit inside as you want as much room as possible for the tap root to grow as well as plenty of space for top growth too.
The next step involves placing your plant near a window where it can receive some sunlight during the day but away from direct heat sources such as heating vents which could dry out its leaves or surrounding air too quickly. Once your avocado tree starts growing healthy green leaves then you know that your hard work has paid off and soon enough you should start seeing fruit developing on your indoor avocado tree!
Growing Avocados in Containers
Avocado trees can be grown in containers, and there is no need to worry about how much sunlight it receives or if the soil is too wet. As long as you follow these steps, then your avocado tree should flourish: Find a container that will easily fit the tree when it has reached its final size (at least 3 feet tall).
Use well-draining potting mix such as 1/3 perlite and 2/3 peat moss. Fertilize regularly with an all-purpose fertilizer once every 5 weeks during the growing season (spring through summer). Make sure your plant gets enough water so that it never dries out. Avocados hate being over-watered, so err on the side of too dry instead.
Seed starting is the most common way to propagate avocado plants, but it can also be grown from cutting. To start with seedlings, bury the seed up to its neck in moistened growing medium and place in a warm sunny area or under grow lights until leaves appear. Then transplant into individual pots and grow until strong enough to transplant outside.
If you want to grow an avocado plant by cuttings, take your cutting one-fourth inch below a node (where leaves branch off) on last year’s wood. Remove lower leaves so that only 2 remain at the top of the cutting; rooting hormone will help speed up root growth. Plant or pot in well-draining soil mix and keep moist during rooting period. Avocado cuttings root best in warm weather.
Buying a houseplant can be expensive, but you can grow your own avocado tree from the pit of a store-bought one for little cost. Buy an organic avocado with a large pit and use a knife to carefully cut away the flesh surrounding the pit. Place the pit on its side with about 1 inch of flesh above the roots in potting mixture (made of equal parts peat moss, perlite, and garden loam).
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The soil should come up to barely cover the top of the root area; water thoroughly after potting. Keep it in bright light with good ventilation during germination (a cool location will slow down sprouting). Once sprouted, transplant to its permanent location.
Avocado trees are highly ornamental, which means some homeowners plant them for their looks instead of their fruit. If this is your primary motive, then you can grow smaller varieties indoors that will only reach 5 feet tall at most (such as the dwarf Mexican or Guatemalan types) or go with a large outdoor variety that can reach 30 feet in height if provided good growing conditions.
Keep in mind that freezing temperatures will kill an avocado tree so there is no point trying to keep one outside year-round unless you live in a frost-free climate with Zones 8-10.
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Indoor Avocado Plant Care
- As long as you follow these simple instructions for indoor avocado plant care, your tree should grow well inside.
- Keep it in bright indirect sunlight; if the leaves start to turn yellow, then move it to a sunnier location. Water frequently to keep the soil moist but not saturated (it will rot if kept too wet).
- Fertilize once every 2 weeks during spring and summer with an all-purpose liquid fertilizer diluted by half.
- Never allow the potting mixture to completely dry out or remain soggy; both can stunt growth or cause root rot, respectively.
- Once per year in early fall, transplant into a slightly larger container filled with fresh potting mix prepared from peat moss and garden loam (1/3 each).
