Growing avocados at home is easy and you can always have them on hand to make guacamole sauce.
growing avocados
A step-by-step guide to growing avocados
Avocados are very popular because they are used to make the delicious guacamole sauce. If you want to always have avocados at home, read on to discover the step-by-step guide in which we explain how to easily grow avocados.
Avocados have the particularity that, as well as having numerous nutritional and therapeutic properties, they are really easy to grow, so much so that they are often recommended as one of the first crops to plant at home when we want to teach the youngest members of the household how to grow fruit or vegetables. So let’s see what we have to do in the case of avocados.
Steps to grow avocados
growing avocados
Start by gently removing and cleaning the core of the avocado, i.e. the seeds. Be sure not to wash the thin brown skin around it, but only the pulp residue.
Some avocado seeds have an elongated shape, while others are almost perfect spheres, but all have a lower end (from which the roots develop) and an upper end (from which the sprout will grow). The slightly pointed one is the top, and the flat one is the bottom.
Take four toothpicks and insert them (half a cm deep) into the seed, spreading them evenly over the circumference of the avocado. Fill a glass with water and place the seed in it. The toothpicks, which serve as a support, will have to keep the seed afloat on the rim of a glass, while the flat part of the seed will remain submerged in water.
The next step will consist of patience because, from experience, we tell you that it will take at least 8/9 weeks before you see the first roots. But don’t forget to change the water at least once a week to avoid the proliferation of fungus and bacteria. Also choose a transparent glass so that you can see the roots of your avocado growing.
After this period of time, the roots will continue to grow and branch out until a small sprout emerges at the top.
When the sprout is 10-15 centimetres long, cut it off halfway up to stimulate further growth. When it is 15 centimetres tall again, it is ready to be buried in a pot of humus-rich soil, leaving the top of the seed slightly uncovered – never forget to put it in a very sunny spot!
On the other hand, you should make sure to water your avocado frequently, so that the soil is always moist. But don’t overdo it. If yellowing leaves appear, it is a sign that you are giving them too much water.
When you see that the shoot is already thirty centimetres long, it is time to prune the leaves to stimulate the growth of thick foliage. Repeat the operation when it has reached this height again.
In hot weather, you can leave your avocado outdoors, but during cold spells place it in a place in the house where it will stay warm.
Planting avocados is really easy, so by having your own avocado plant, you can have guacamole or any other recipe made with avocados all year round. We recommend this one, an avocado tart that is delicious.