How to Grow an Avocado tree....

Avocado tree via Flickr

Who doesn't love Avocado? Sliced on toast with ripe vine tomatoes, a little lemon juice and salt... Mmmmmm, Heaven!! I eat so many of these a week and the Pod goes straight into the compost, but I have a jar, some cocktail sticks and just found some instructions to grow my own tree.

I have been told that I probably wont get any avocado from it, but it is worth a go, and they are pretty trees...

Here are the directions I will be following, if anyone has any handy pointers please comment below.

Directions:

• Wash all the flesh off the pit, pat dry and set aside for a couple days.
• After the drying time, remove the skin and insert 3 toothpicks 1/2″ deep into the pit equally distant from each other around the fattest part (circumference).
• Suspend in a dark glass (pointy side up) with the toothpicks resting on the rim of the glass.
• Fill the glass with water until the bottom 1/3 of the pit is submerged.
• Place glass in a sunny spot. Change water every two days so there’s fresh water instead of stagnant.
• Once you have a 6 inch stem with a couple leaves (this will take several weeks), cut the stem down to 3 inches.
• Wait several more weeks until you have a few stems with leaves, you’re then ready to plant. The roots should now be about 2″ long.
• Taking a 10″ diameter pot, fill with good, well draining potting soil (sandy mix works great). Removing the toothpicks, plant the pit roots down (pointy end and stems up), the top of it should be level with the soil surface.
• When soil is dry, water. Feed regularly with houseplant food once or twice a month.
• If the leaves turn yellow, you’re watering it too much. If leaves turn brown, you’re not watering enough. If it looks sickly, make sure you’re feeding it.
• If you want a bushy tree, pinch the leaves after it grows every 6 inches.
• Can be left outside during the summer months.

Directions from TipNUt