Exotic crops are worthy of your plot, greenhouse or ornamental garden. One of them is the avocado (perseus) tree. It is distinguished by its height (reaches almost 20 m) and the presence of pear-shaped fruits, half of which are grains. Summer residents can learn how to grow avocados from seeds from the recommendations of gardeners and agronomists. Experts note the unpretentiousness of the plant, easy germination and the peculiarities of the formation of compositions.
Conditions to be observed
A deciduous tree is characterized by wide foliage, plastic trunks that intertwine like braids. Growing avocados is simple: start by finding a good, ripe fruit. Use a simple method: press down a little with your hands and release. The ripe fruit will take on its previous shape. An unripe avocado is more difficult to grow because you have to wait until it ripens. To speed up the process, place it in the same box with bananas or apples - the ethylene released from the fruit stimulates ripening.
Preparing the place and lighting
It is important to plant the seed correctly. Gardeners recommend:
- plant the plant in an open sunny area, but light partial shade is possible;
- try not to give direct streams of light access to the culture;
- At home, place the sprout on the windowsill.
The ideal place for the tree is the western side of the property, a windowsill or balcony.
Temperature selection
The tropical plant is thermophilic. If thermal indices decrease, growing an avocado yourself from a removed seed will not bring success. A draft will cause leaves to fall quickly. To create optimal conditions for hardwood, you need:
- maintain the required temperature regime. In summer, room temperature is enough, and in winter it is better to set the temperature to +20 degrees;
- take into account the dormant period and the risks of dropping leaves at +12 degrees.
Evergreen tropical plant requires temperature balance - control it carefully. 
Organization of watering
The tree is accustomed to heavy tropical rainfall, so it needs regular watering. It is worth caring for the crop correctly: avoid waterlogging the soil and increase the amount of water in the summer. Make sure that upper layer allow the soil to dry out (2-3 days), and then add some moisture. It remains inside the flowerpot for another 48 hours.
Maintaining normal air humidity
Avocados are grown in damp places, because its foliage suffers from dry air. The following activities will help create a normal microclimate:
- carry out regular spraying;
- humidify the air, not the stem itself;
- Avoid getting drops on the leaves.
A simple way to achieve the moisture content suitable for wood is to install a tray with expanded clay filler and periodically moisten it with water.
Application of fertilizing and fertilizers
Growing an avocado from a prepared seed according to all the rules does not require feeding in March - September. In other months, apply fertilizers for citrus fruits once every 30 days. Fertilizers based on sodium, phosphorus and potassium are fertilized twice a year.
Proper care of the avocado contributes to the rapid growth of the tree with a beautiful lush crown that saturates the air with oxygen. 
Current germination methods
You can cultivate the avocado seed yourself by planting it in the ground or in water. You can grow Mexican Persea at home. Germination in the ground takes a long time; shoots form in 2-3 months. The tropical tree grows faster in water, which makes the work of amateur gardeners easier.
Preparing the pit
Buy a ripe alligator pear, without rot. Before planting an avocado, prepare the seed:
- Carefully cut the fruit down the center. Try to cut the flesh 1 cm deep and, carefully rotating the knife, cut out the bone.
- clean the core. Be sure to rinse it under water without a brush so that the brown shell remains intact.
- When germinating the plant in water, make holes for toothpicks. Lift the sharp end of the bone up and insert several toothpicks into it, deepening them by 5 mm.
After preparing the grain, you can solve the problem of how to technologically correctly grow an avocado at home. 
Use of the aquatic environment
Planting the seed is done in a container with water, with the blunt side. The liquid should cover the grain halfway. To get an avocado to take root, grow it like this:
- Carefully, using a thick needle, pierce the surface of the shell.
- Place several toothpicks into the resulting holes.
- Place the thick side of the grain in a glass of water, placing toothpicks on its edges.
- choose the right liquid - boiled, cooled to room temperature.
- Watch the water evaporate and add it gradually.
Primary roots appear in 14-21 days. A shoot grown up to 3 cm can be placed in the ground. 
Landing in the ground
Before planting the seed, prepare the soil mixture. You will need peat, soil, sand and humus in equal proportions, to which 14 portions of lime will be added. To germinate persea, you need:
- To plant an avocado seed correctly is to choose one for it clay pot suitable size. The optimal vessel would be one with equal depth and diameter – 10 cm.
- Make small holes in the container so that the liquid will not stagnate.
- Prepare drainage - expanded clay or foam pieces.
- The previous method will tell you how to plant an avocado seed - with the blunt end down to the middle.
The plant is planted only in a clay pot filled with soil up to 2 cm from the edge. Instead of soil mixture, you can mix equal parts of soil and coconut fiber.
Constantly moisten the soil and after 2-3 months the first shoots may appear. 
Growing process
How to properly grow homemade avocados? Start by carefully removing the cracked pit from the container of water. It is placed in a pot with a special soil mixture with the blunt edge down. Water the plant moderately, organize drainage and lighting. Correct procedures will speed up the growth rate of Persea up to 1 cm per day.
Transfer
The tropical tree reaches up to 20 m in height. By cultivating the Mexican avocado variety, gardeners will not get the same result. Avocados can be grown quickly only with frequent replanting:
- A 15-centimeter shoot is placed in a large container.
- Young stems are replanted once every 12 months, and then once every 3 years.
- The soil is prepared in a special way - you need loose soil, with a low level of acidity, fertilized wood ash or dolomite flour. A peat-based composition is prepared as a soil mixture, garden soil and coarse river sand in equal quantities.
How to plant a plant correctly without damaging the soil? Agronomists advise using the transfer technique - the tree is transferred with a clod of earth from a container that has become small. 
Shaping and sanitary pruning
Gardeners who are thinking about how to plant an avocado are guided by its decorative properties. Several persea plants are planted in one container, and then the stems are intricately intertwined. To reduce the intensity of growth, pinching is carried out. The optimal number of leaves for the procedure is from 8 pieces. First, the upper part of the trunk is trimmed to form lush branches on the side, which are subsequently pinched.
Formative pruning can be done in March. The procedure will improve appearance culture, will accelerate its growth and create a beautiful crown.
Why are there avocados in the house?
The fruit, the alligator pear, is unique: from a biological point of view, it is a fruit (it grows on a tree, has a seed), and in terms of sugar content it resembles vegetables. The pulp of a ripe avocado is needed for culinary purposes - it is used to prepare salads, appetizers, cold dishes, sushi and the Mexican dish guacamole.
Vegetarians know how to grow persea while preserving the taste properties of the fruit: in terms of potassium, vitamins and oleic acid content, it is an excellent alternative to meat and eggs. 
Tropical culture is valued not only for its decorative qualities, but also for its beneficial properties:
- strengthens memory, increases concentration and resistance to stress;
- eliminates the risks of heart and blood vessel disease;
- normalizes metabolic processes and blood pressure;
- strengthens the digestive system;
- carries out the prevention of periodontal disease, eczema and Paget's disease.
The beneficial properties of the fruit last for 5 days - that’s how long it can be stored in the refrigerator.
When thinking about how to easily grow healthy avocados, keep in mind that proper care does not always guarantee the formation of fruits. Thanks to patience and hard work, you will grow a beautiful tree with an unusual crown that will decorate your room, greenhouse or winter garden.
A surprisingly interesting activity is growing an avocado tree in your apartment. It is beautiful itself thanks to the large green leaves, and it can bear fruit quite realistically.
How to plant an avocado in room conditions? A seed is carefully removed from a ripe or even overripe fruit and its blunt end is placed in water. You can simply put it or hang it in a glass on toothpicks inserted into holes pierced with a needle in the bone. The water that needs to be boiled and cooled should cover half the seed, no more, but if it evaporates, the level must be maintained. After two weeks, roots appear. When they grow a little, it will be possible to plant the seed in the ground.
Into the ground - the kind that is prepared for indoor flowers, the bone is immersed with its roots down to half its size. The soil should be protected from drying out, but there is no need to over-water the plant. When a crack forms between the cotyledons, growth has begun: a reddish-colored sprout will soon emerge and begin to grow rapidly, up to a centimeter per day. 
In three months, the avocado will reach half a meter in size, covered with huge leaves (photo). At this time, you need to make a decision: what height and what type of plant you want to have. If you do nothing, it will continue to grow, reach the ceiling and die due to lack of space.
To keep the plant low, it is necessary to pinch its top to stimulate the emergence of new shoots from dormant buds. By correctly forming the crown by pinching, you can get not only a nice appearance, but also create circumstances for the successful appearance of fruits.
How to care for an avocado
People often ask how to grow an avocado from a seed at home to produce fruit. It is necessary to carefully care for this plant:
- Spraying. A tropical plant requires moisture, and the leaves must be sprayed. You can additionally place a bowl of water near the plant - it will evaporate and humidify the air.
- Watering during spring and summer should be generous, but excessive moisture should be avoided. In autumn winter time Water the plant carefully: only if the soil dries out.
- Avocado loves light, but direct rays of the sun can burn the leaves, which turn red from this. Range comfortable temperature– from 12 to 18 degrees Celsius. In the cold season, avocados require illumination with phytolamps to extend the decreased daylight hours.
- You can start feeding a grown tree by applying it 4 times a year. mineral fertilizers, best in spring and summer. Avocados are especially needed nitrogen fertilizers. Yellow leaves - a sign of a lack of zinc and iron, this must be taken into account when choosing the composition of the fertilizer.
Avocado care will also require annual replanting into a larger pot as the roots grow. Don't be afraid if the plant sheds its leaves when replanting. This is quite natural and they will soon grow back. If a complete replanting cannot be done, you can select soil from the top layer and spill the rest clean boiled water to eliminate soil salinity.
Avocado grafting
To grow a fruit-bearing avocado tree at home, it is best to graft or buy a tree that has already been grafted. Without grafting, fruiting is also possible, but after a long time. In addition, fruits grown in conditions far from tropical will not be as tasty. Pinching the plant also stimulates the appearance of flowers and fruits. But even if you fail to harvest, you will have a luxurious plant with large leaves that will perfectly decorate your home garden.
How to grow avocados at home
Is it possible to grow avocados at home? This question often arises among lovers of this exotic tropical fruit. It should be noted that culture is a large fruit tree and is poorly suited for growing at home. can reach a height of 20 m, but in rooms without special crown formation it grows in the form of a shrub with a weakly leafy long trunk and is not very decorative. In addition, avocados at home do not bloom or bear fruit.
However, lovers of indoor exotic plants are attracted by the opportunity to grow an avocado tree themselves at home, since it is easily propagated by seeds. As a result, you can get an evergreen ornamental tree; under favorable conditions and proper care, it grows up to 2.5 m and forms a fairly lush crown, and also perfectly purifies the air in the room.
How to grow an avocado at home correctly, so that the plant becomes a real interior decoration? To do this, it is not enough to plant a seed, wait for it to germinate and get a seedling, it is important to know biological features avocados, home care must definitely take them into account.
How to plant and grow an avocado in a pot?
Mostly American Persea, that is, a representative of the Mexican race, is bred in the rooms. Buy ready planting material It’s difficult to do in a store, but you can plant an avocado at home with a seed taken from a ripe fruit purchased in a store.
Propagation by cuttings is also used, but extremely rarely, since even after treating the cuts with substances that stimulate root formation, the survival rate of the cuttings is low.
The advantages of the plant include the fact that the specimen grown from seed retains the characteristics of the parent variety. When propagating by seed, the seed must be fresh, taken from a well-ripened fruit; the timing of its germination varies from 1 month to six months. Planting is done in the spring in pots with a diameter of 9 to 15 cm, which must have several holes in the bottom to drain excess water.
Use loose soil that absorbs moisture well, preferably with a neutral reaction. Caking and compaction of the soil is unacceptable, since due to the nature of the root system, the roots need to be provided with unimpeded access to air.
Details on how to plant an avocado at home using a seed are described above.
Features of caring for avocados at home
When choosing a place for a pot with a plant, take into account that avocados are light-loving, but at the same time tolerate partial shade; direct sunlight can cause burns on the leaves. It grows well near a north window, but prefers bright light with shading during the midday hours. For optimal tree growth in autumn and winter, it is illuminated using fluorescent lamps or special phytolamps.
- a representative of tropical flora, therefore it is thermophilic, in summer time requires high temperature, in temperate climates even in warm period It is not recommended to take it out into the garden or onto the balcony. In winter, the plant can be kept at 18–20 °C, in which case it develops without a pronounced dormant period. In the case of a cold winter, at 10-12 ° C, the tree sheds its leaves, which will reappear only in the spring. Avocados can overwinter in unheated winter garden, provided that the temperature there does not fall below 5 ° C and rare watering is provided.
Plants are watered with warm, settled water; the watering schedule depends on the time of year. In the spring-summer period it is abundant, but without waterlogging, after the top layer of the substrate has dried. In winter, the soil surface should be dry for 1-2 days. The lower the wintering temperature, the less often the avocado in a pot is watered.
Avocados are very sensitive to air humidity and require regular spraying with water at room temperature, especially in winter conditions. central heating. It is recommended to moisten not the leaves, but the space around the tree, or use a special humidifier. You can also place the pot on a tray with wet sphagnum moss or expanded clay, making sure that the bottom of the vessel is not in the water.
At home, avocados are fed only during the active growing season, in spring and summer, using complex mineral fertilizers or special compounds For citrus crops. In autumn-winter, feeding is stopped.
A mandatory care method that provides the plant with decorative look, is trimming. Without it, the avocado at home stretches out, there are few branches in its sparse crown, general form the bush is unattractive. To stimulate branching, pinch the top of young plants approximately above the 8th leaf. This causes increased growth of lateral branches, which in turn are also pinched, but after the 5th or 6th leaf. Pruning is recommended in the spring. If this procedure is done earlier, then with the beginning of intensive growth in early spring, unwanted shoots will appear on the trunk. At regular pruning you can form a tree with a lush spreading crown.
Avocados are fast-growing crops, so the plants must be regularly replanted into larger containers. The first time it is moved to a more spacious pot after the seedling reaches a height of 10-15 cm. Subsequently, the plants are transferred with a lump of earth into large containers once a year for young specimens, and at least once every 3 years for adults. The most favorable time for this is spring. The composition of the soil is the same as for planting a plant with a seed. The tree can grow to large sizes, so it is better to provide a large container for it.
Problems with growing avocados at home
When growing avocados at home, the plant can be affected by a number of pests and diseases. Among the pests, the crop suffers from spider mites and scale insects. Measures to combat them include increasing air humidity by spraying, manually removing insects using soap solutions, and last but not least, treating them with insecticides (actara). It is better to remove severely affected branches.
Diseases of homemade avocados are most often caused by care errors. Falling and drying of leaves is caused by excessive watering, drafts, low temperature water for irrigation.
The tree especially suffers from dry air; in this case, first the tips and then the entire leaves turn brown and even fall off.
Lack of water gives the same result. In order to avoid such problems, it is necessary to follow the watering regime, without drying out or waterlogging the plant, and also, especially in winter period When you turn on the central heating, increase the air humidity by regularly spraying the tree warm water or placing it on a tray with sphagnum moss or wet expanded clay.
Lack of lighting causes discoloration of leaves. In this case, you need to move the pot closer to the window or use additional lighting. It is better to accustom the plant to more light gradually, especially if it has been in a shaded place for a long time.
Powdery mildew is also a common avocado disease. When characteristic features the tree must be immediately treated with an appropriate fungicide, for example, topaz.
Which is increasingly found on the Russian table. It is called alligator pear, butter pear, persea and agacat. And, yes! This is a tropical fruit! Some people love avocados, while others, on the contrary, don’t like them at all. If you are a fan of this oily fruit and have wondered how to grow an avocado from a seed at home, this article will be useful to you. And even if you don’t like this fruit, you will learn how to improve your home beautiful plant with a lush crown.
How to plant an avocado seed
Regardless of the chosen method of germination, it is a simple and fun activity. In order to plant an avocado at home, first of all you need to purchase a ripe, good fruit in the store. Give preference to representatives with dark green skin. With light pressure, the fruit should easily regain its shape.
If you did not purchase ripe fruit, put it in paper bag together with a ripe tomato or banana and leave for a couple of days at room temperature. The ethylene released will speed up the ripening of the avocado. The fruit must be ripe for growing an avocado from a seed to be successful.
Carefully cut the alligator pear so as not to damage the seed from which the new tree will grow. If there are traces of rotting inside, it is better to choose another, unspoiled fruit.
- The first method is closed, more familiar to gardeners and flower gardens - planting the seed in the ground. The soil for avocados should be loose with good drainage system. Place expanded clay, pebbles or other small stones in a layer of a couple of centimeters in a clay pot. For soil, mix garden soil, sand and humus in equal parts, add additional peat or charcoal. Plant the seed with a blunt tip in a pot of soil to a depth of 2-3 cm. good conditions, 30 days after planting, the seed will germinate and the first roots will appear on its surface.
- The second way to get a sprout is more unusual, one might say exotic, by germinating an avocado in a container with water. The peeled avocado pit is prepared as follows. Use 3-4 toothpicks to carefully pierce the seed so as not to damage it too much. The toothpicks will act as a support when fixing the avocado with the bottom side in a small container. It is important to monitor the water level. The blunt part of the seed should always be in the water, and the sharp tip should be on the surface. After 20-30 days the first root will appear. When it grows to 3-4 cm, you can transplant the seed into the ground, and soon admire the young avocado sprouts.
Both methods require care and attention during the germination process. Maintaining temperature conditions correct landing and fixation of the bone, a sufficient amount of heat and light - the main conditions for obtaining a beautiful decorative house plant.
How to grow an avocado
In nature, this plant reaches 20 meters in height, but avocados at home grow no more than 2.5-3 meters. It is possible that the tree will begin to bear fruit in 3-6 years, but this happens very rarely. This happens more often if you germinate several seeds in one pot. During the flowering phase, the plants will be cross-pollinated, and possibly fruits will appear in the future. They taste good, but differ from the usual taste of their tropical counterparts. But the lush crown perfectly purifies the air and adds comfort to the home atmosphere.
If you decide to plant an avocado at home, be prepared to care for it. First of all, you need to plant the seed so that its sharp part always remains on the surface. It is necessary that the soil humidity and air temperature be as close as possible to tropical conditions.
The avocado pot should be placed in the brightest place in the house. Once a month it is necessary to use top dressing and fertilizer to ensure fast growth plant. Water the avocado as needed, but do not over-water it. To determine whether watering is required, dig your fingers 2-3 cm into the soil. If it's dry, then it's time to add water.
If the butter pear is stretched to the top due to lack of sunshine, lightly pinch the top. You can also plant not one, but several seeds to intertwine the trunks as the plants grow, creating beautiful compositions from young trees.
Features of caring for an avocado tree
Avocado care includes correct temperature conditions, timely fertilization with minerals, watering, replanting and compliance light mode.
You need to water the tree as needed, and do not allow too much water in the pot. In cold winter times, the plant is watered 2-3 days after the soil has completely dried. In the summer, for home care, avocados are watered no more than 1-2 times a week.
Tropical fruit is not compatible with dry room air. For creating favorable conditions and suitable air humidity, plant plants with massive leaves that evaporate large amounts of moisture next to the young tree. You can also spray the leaves with a spray bottle 3-5 times a day. During heating season optimally hang wet towels on the battery or place the pot with the plant on a tray with wet sand.
Location and lighting
As already mentioned, the soil for avocados should be loose so that excess moisture does not remain in the pot. Its excess, as well as its deficiency, can destroy the plant. Alligator pear is a tropical fruit, but direct sunlight is contraindicated for it. An adult tree, like a planted seed, is best placed on a windowsill on the south, east or west side. In autumn and winter, daylight hours for avocados are extended to 12 hours with the help of fluorescent lamps, and during the flowering period to 15.
How to pinch an avocado
Pinching or formative pruning of the tree for decorative growth is carried out in March. In the first year, the plant is pruned at the level of 7-8 leaves, and 5-6 on the side shoots. After which the height is maintained at the desired level. This is necessary to young tree formed the crown, developed evenly, and not just in height.
Diseases and pests
There are a number of avocado diseases that affect the condition of the leaves. With poor watering, the leaves dry out. With a lack of light, the leaves turn pale. And when the temperature is too low or too high, the leaves fall off the plant.
Like all house plants, avocados are afraid of scale insects and spider mites. Spider mite is capable of destroying all the leaves on the plant, and the scale insect completely deprives it of juice. Also, this tropical tree is susceptible to powdery mildew, which covers the leaves with a white coating and gradually kills the entire plant. You can control pests with special drugs And traditional methods.
It turns out that growing a tropical tree at home is not at all difficult. The main thing is to be patient and approach the process thoroughly. If you choose a healthy, ripe fruit, correctly extract and germinate the seed, provide the sprout with proper attention and favorable climatic conditions, you will soon become the happy owner of a luxurious ornamental house plant.
The avocado pit usually makes up half of the total weight of the fruit. And we also buy it to add to the edible part. The question naturally arises: how to use it? Is it possible to plant avocados at home? At the same time, it must be taken into account.
It turns out you can grow an avocado tree from a seed at home! Avocado pretty unpretentious plant and growing it at home won’t require much trouble.
Sprouting avocado seeds at home.
The first step is to select a seed ripe fruit. It is impossible to grow an avocado tree from very unripe fruits in an apartment. The brown peel can be removed; it will soon fall apart anyway. Then the bone needs to be planted in water about halfway, with the blunt end down. To do this, you can use toothpicks inserted into the drilled holes no more than 5 mm deep, on which it is convenient to hang the bone over a glass of water.
You can do without toothpicks: just place the avocado seed at the bottom of a glass filled with a little water. And we wait... We'll probably have to wait a long time, so we put the glass with the future tree away on the windowsill and don't forget to add water as needed. A live seed should hatch after a period of 3 weeks to 3 months.
Having noticed a crack between the cotyledons, you can safely rejoice - the avocado seed has come to life! This means it’s time for the next, most interesting, stage of growing an avocado tree at home. The broken seed needs to be planted in the ground, using a small pot to start with. Avocado is not capricious in choosing soil, so to plant it at home, we use purchased soil for indoor flowers, or soil from your dacha.
We bury the bone halfway, with the blunt end down. Watering throughout the entire period of growing avocados at home should be moderate, but the soil should not dry out. Good drainage is needed. In a week or two a reddish sprout will appear and it will begin rapid growth. About 1 cm per day.
Conditions for growing homemade avocados.
Avocado is a tropical plant and therefore loves humidity. Regularly spraying the leaves with water will help the plant feel comfortable in an apartment. If the leaves begin to dry out, the air is too dry. The place allocated for the avocado should be bright, but without direct sunlight. Due to excessive exposure to the sun, the leaves of the tree turn red and can get burned. The temperature should not fall below 12 degrees Celsius. In 3 months, the avocado grows up to 50 cm in height.
At the same time, the speed of tree growth at the very beginning is amazing - what is called “growing before our eyes.” Then growth slows down. Homemade avocado is getting started beautiful leaves reaching 35 cm in length from the base. When growing it, you can notice that the tree tends upward. There is no way to expect side shoots without outside intervention, and the tree will quickly die when it reaches the ceiling. Therefore, when the plant reaches the height you need, you need to pinch the top, thereby stimulating the tree to develop lateral branches. This is how the crown is formed.
To grow an avocado of decent size, you need to replant the tree approximately once a year. new pot and new soil. The size of the pot needs to be increased each time. In the process of growing an avocado at home, it may lose its leaves, but this does not mean the death of the tree. Continue to look after it and new greenery will not take long to arrive. You can easily grow avocados at home large sizes However, we should not forget that in nature this plant reaches 17 meters in height and even more. It is unlikely that you will be able to give so many of your hard-earned meters, even to a tree that is exotic for our area.
To summarize, it is necessary to highlight following points, requiring attention for successful landing and growing avocados at home:
- for planting, use only the seed of a ripe avocado fruit;
- placing the seed in water initial stage will significantly speed up the appearance of the first shoot;
- Planting a sprouted seed with the root in the ground, with the blunt end down, will give additional strength to your homemade avocado in the shortest possible time;
- indoor avocado needs regular watering and a well-lit place, but without direct exposure to the sun;
- Avocados grown at home are sensitive to air humidity and need to be sprayed. Dry air will quickly dry out the foliage;
- Avocado is a very massive tree in nature. Moderate its ardor by pruning, otherwise a long twig will grow to the ceiling without side shoots;
- indoor tree requires a lot of food. Arrange annual transplants with a gradual increase in the volume of the pot;
- love your avocado tree and it will be healthy and beautiful for many years.
Sooner or later the tree will die, but at the same time it will have time to delight you with unusual huge leaves for several years and perhaps even bloom. You shouldn't expect fruit, but a beautiful tropical miracle grown with my own hands, will undoubtedly become the pride of indoor flora.
