A mistake that almost everyone makes when growing avocado

Everyone knows the round stones of Persea americana, commonly known as avocado, but almost no one uses them… Here is an idea. Do you want to grow an interesting houseplant? Well, if you do, do not remove avocado stones from the flesh with a sharp knife tip.

If you damage the protective coverthe seed will not germinate and that would be a shame because with just a little care you can have an impressive houseplant that everyone will like.

Place the stone in the water and wait

People who have already experienced with avocado stones know the first and most important step of avocado growing. Carefully insert toothpicks or skewers into the wider end of the stone. This will ensure that when you drop the stone in a glass of water only the bottom half of the stone will be submerged.

That is basically it. Now you have to wait and watch the water level. How long? Well, avocados usually germinate within 6-8 weeks, but many seeds are quite stubborn, so to be on the safe side, add two to three weeks to the estimated time.

Photo: Pixabay

IMPORTANT: Change the water regularly twice a week. This way you will prevent development of mould and fungus.

What the germination process looks like

First, the upper part of the avocado stone gets dried and wrinkled. Later, the entire piece will peel off and crack. The crack will gradually spread down to the part from which the main root will form later grow. It will grow very slowly and start to branch out. Few weeks later a green sprout appear on the top of the stone.

The biggest mistake people make

The plant looks very fragile, so it’s no wonder that most of us wait until it gets a little stronger and then rush to transplant it into a pot. This will not help the plant in any way. If you want a really strong and healthy plant, let the avocado root grow to approximately 15 cm in length, cut a half of its length and return the seed back to the water. Only when the root reaches its original length before you cut it (and when it forms many new branches) you may go ahead and transplant.

How and where to transplant

Choose a flower pot 15-20 centimetres in diameter and plant the stone in it – in the same position as it was in the glass. In other words, the part that was above the water must now be above the surface. As for soil, a regular soil for houseplants will suffice.

Now let it grow for a while, but measure it from time to time. As soon as it grows to a height of about 35 centimetres, get scissors and remove the top two rows of leaves. This will encourage additional branching. Do this every time the plant grows by some 18-20 centimetres.

By cutting the top rows you will force the plant to branch and will not end up with a tall and skinny plant that does not look good and cannot be viewed as an interesting decoration.

Preview photo: Pixabay