Tropical miracle: growing avocados at home

Avocado is a tropical evergreen fruit tree. Refers to the family of laurels. Scientifically called Persea American (Persea Americana), in everyday life has the name of the alligator pear. Its homeland is the hot tropics.

Despite this, growing avocados at home is a real and not very difficult occupation. Although this is not a houseplant, but in an ordinary apartment the avocado feels quite normal and, with proper care, grows into a very beautiful tree. Unlike their tropical counterparts, in nature reaching a height of 20-30m, indoor avocados grow to a maximum of three meters, often no more than a meter, rarely blooms, and, therefore, rarely fructifies. This defect is compensated by beautiful, dark green oval leaves, the length of which is about 20 cm, and the width is about 10 cm.

The very cultivation of avocado at home can begin by buying an exotic fruit and planting it in a flower pot, after having checked the bone for germination. Use two options for this test: standing in water or in a special substrate.

Method one - water. The avocado seed is placed in a narrow shallow vessel with water, at the bottom of which is charcoal. The sharp end of the stone should be above the water. You should constantly monitor the water level and pour warm water as needed. Waiting for the result will have to wait quite a long time about 3 - 6 weeks. Sunflower seeds must be pierced.

The second way is in a special substrate. For this option, a heavily moistened mixture of crushed expanded clay with peat is used. The stone is placed under a glass cap (an ordinary can) into the mixture so that its sharp part is above the soil. You can use a plastic bag instead of a can. A cup with a mixture and a bone is placed in it. The package is tightly tied.

And in that, and in another way the whole design is placed in a warm, bright place.

After the sprout appears, the seed is transplanted into an ordinary flower pot of a small size, the bottom of which is drained - pebbles or expanded clay. It is not necessary to use watering for the future, placing the pot with a tree on a pallet with water. This will negatively affect the health of the avocado. As the tree grows, the pot can be changed, but no more often than once a year, for a larger one. The best time for transplant is spring.

With regular watering, shoots will appear in a month. The avocado tree loves light, heat and moisture very much, therefore it is better to grow avocados at home on the south or south-east side, maintaining as constant humidity as possible, combining watering with spraying. In the summer, the plant can be taken out into the garden. People experienced in the issue of how to grow avocados in the home, advise to ensure that the plant does not get direct sunlight. The temperature minimum in winter is not lower than 16 degrees.

Even the cultivation of avocados at home does not cancel the natural rhythm of plant life - the tree sheds foliage. This occurs at a temperature below 12 degrees.

In order to grow an avocado home gave you a beautiful, powerful plant, you need to form the crown of the tree, pinching the tops of shoots, this will lead to the growth of lateral branches, feed it with mineral fertilizers.

About the diseases of avocado. Most often, the cultivation of avocados at home can be accompanied by powdery mildew, damage from the thyroid gland and spider mites. You should carefully monitor the condition of the plant and take timely measures, otherwise the avocado may die.

So, to grow avocados at home is quite feasible occupation not only for a professional, but even for an amateur. With proper and regular care, the plant will grow, bloom and bear fruit.