Avocado Tree

Avocado trees have an extended history of cultivation in Central and South America, likely going back as far as 5,000 BC. The avocado is taken into account one among the healthiest and tastiest fruits on the earth (avocados are literally just an enormous berry, containing one large seed). The avocado’s rich, creamy inside is crammed with nutrition and flavor, and growing your own avocado may be a fun adventure for any gardener. At Logee’s, we currently offer the subsequent two avocado plants purchasable that are customer favorites:

1 – Avocado ‘Day’ (Persea Americana)

Native to Mexico and Central America, Avocado ‘Day’ is during a ll|one amongst|one in every of”> one among the simplest avocados to fruit in a pot. These avocado trees will fruit at about 3’ tall producing a medium-sized, tapered-neck avocado that’s easy to peel, with a delicious, buttery sweet taste:

Avocado ‘Day’ (Persea Americana) Avocado Plant

The fruit holds on the plant for 6 months with ripening occurring from July to September. Each fruit weighs about 1 pound. Another plus for Avocado ‘Day’ is its cold tolerance, having the ability to handle temperatures down into the mid-twenties. We sell grafted plants that will start bearing fruit in 2 to three years.
⇨ Learn more about Avocado ‘Day’

2 – Avocado ‘Oro Negro’

Also referred to as ‘Black Gold,’ this popular avocado may be a vigorous grower producing 1 to 2 pound fruit that ripens within the winter:

Avocado ‘Oro Negro’ (Persea Americana hybrid) Avocado Plant

The shiny, black fruit features a rich, creamy flavor and a high healthy oil content. It originated in South Florida as a sport, a plant mutation that’s different from the parent variety, and is now highly wanted for its delicious fruit. We are excited to supply this rare, hard-to-find variety to our customers. Don’t hesitate, as supplies of this avocado are very limited. this is often a grafted tree that blooms and fruits sooner.
⇨ Learn more about Avocado ‘Oro Negro’

Growing Avocado Plants & Trees

When left on their own, avocados can grow upwards of 20′ tall. Judicious pruning can restrict the peak significantly and this is often wiped out commercial plantings for simple harvest and spraying. As a container plant, the peak of the avocado is restricted by the dimensions of the container also as pruning. The cycle of growth begins in winter to early spring with the expanding and opening of flower buds. In northern greenhouses and sunrooms, this starts before the top of December and continues until late winter or early spring counting on the variability.

Flowering Time

Flowering time is said to grow temperatures and day length. Grafted varieties flower quickly, usually the primary year. These young plants, however, aren’t mature enough for the fruit to carry onto the tree therefore the young fruit will often fall off. This happens until the plant is large enough to touch fruit.

Avocado Plant Flower

Fruiting an Avocado

As container plants, trees got to get to 6-8′ tall with a trunk caliber of 1.5″- 2″ before they’re going to set fruit. this needs an outsized, 24″ pot (15 to 25 gallon). It takes a couple of years for young grafted plants to succeed in this size.

Avocado Tree Growth

Once the flowering cycle is finished, plants return to vegetative growth over the spring and summer months. Healthy plants, even in pots, can be placed on 2′ or more on the strong upright branches. During the mid to late summer’s growth, the plant will form flower buds, and although they’re not visible, they swell because the fall and winter season approaches, and therefore the cycle begins once again.

Pruning an Avocado Plant

Pruning right after the flowering cycle is complete will give the smallest amount of disruption to the bud formation. Generally, plants are pruned back at this point making strategic cuts that lessen the peak and width of the tree but trying to not disturb the shorter lateral branches where most of the flowers and therefore the fruit will form.

What sort of container is best for an avocado plant?

Terracotta containers are porous and permit the roots to possess better aeration. This causes the soil to dry quicker thus reducing potential pathogens. Plastic pots are often used as long as a well-drained potting media is employed. you’ll increase soil drainage by adding more perlite or sand to the combination.

Fertilizing Your Avocado Plant

Liquid Fertilizer

In containers, avocados are moderate feeders. it’s best to use a balanced fertilizer with a rather elevated middle number (phosphate) like 7-9-5. We recommend Dyna-Gro Grow fertilizer 7-9-5:

Dyna-Gro Grow fertilizer 7-9-5

Feeding is often done through irrigation. once your water, add small amounts of liquid fertilizer once every week or every fortnight during the active season. Remember the more often you fertilize container-grown avocado plants, you would like to scale back the quantity of fertilizer that’s added to the water. for instance, if you fertilize hebdomadally, add 1/4 tsp per gallon or if you fertilize every fortnight, add 1/2 tsp per gallon.

Top Dres’s Fertilizer

Another option is to use a slow-release fertilizer that’s sprinkled or top dressed on the surface of the soil. These typically last for 3-6 months and release fertilizer slowly into the pot. Use slow-release fertilizer within the spring or early summer therefore the fertilizer dosage will taper off before the onset of weather and therefore the plant will have time to harden off for winter.

Granular organic

You can also use a granular organic which, just like the slow-release, is sprinkled on the soil surface and allowed to leach into the potting mix. Organic fertilizers generally have a slow release component to them then only a few applications are needed per season. We recommend Dr. Earth Organic Citrus, Avocado, and angiospermous tree Fertilizer:

Dr. Earth Organic Citrus, Avocado, and angiospermous tree Fertilizer

Fertilizer Caution

Like any plant, avocado plants are often over-fertilized. This leads to excessive lush leaf growth, burned foliage, and reduces fruiting potential, also aggravating the basis disease issue. If you’ve got used an excessive amount of fertilizer, it’s important to leach the fertilizer out of the soil by watering the plant continuously until you see water flowing out rock bottom of the pot. do that for several minutes.

Caring for Your avocado

Growing Avocado Plants during a Container

If you reside in planting zones 9-10, avocado trees are often planted in your outdoor garden or landscape. for patrons in colder zones, we recommend employing a large container (15-25 gallon pot) for a mature avocado. It’s best to maneuver the plant outside during the nice and cozy spring, summer, and fall months when temperatures are above 40°F and the danger of frost has past. Avocado plants thrive in natural sunlight since it stimulates healthy growth, flowering, and fruiting. During cooler months, avocado trees got to be brought inside until warm weather returns. Keep the plant in a sunny, warm location until it can return outside the subsequent spring.

Sensitive rootage

One of the issues with container-grown avocado plants is plant disease. As is that the case with most root disease, the cold damp conditions of winter often initiate the matter. make certain to stay the plant’s rootage warm during cooler temperatures. Once soil disease organisms affect the basic system, it’s very hard to return the plant to health.

Manage Soil Moisture in Winter

When growing plants that are getting to winter over during a northern greenhouse, conservatory, or sunroom, where the night temperatures are below 60˙F, it’s important to manage the soil moisture accurately. Bring the potting media to almost dryness, then thoroughly soak the soil. touch wilt is best than constant soil moisture. The organisms that cause the basis collapse thrive in damp cool soil and don’t proliferate under dry conditions.

Potted Avocado Plant Pests

In northern climate culture, few insects bother the plants with the exception of mealy bugs, and that they are generally not much of a problem.

Insects to seem for if Avocado Trees are Grown within the Garden

In areas where avocados are grown outside year-round, there are different pests that do affect the plants; a number of which are mites, thrip and fungi. If you reside in an avocado growing area, it’s best to see together with your local agricultural county agent for pest problems and recommended controls in your area.

Growing Avocado Trees – Summary

Avocado trees are both rewarding and challenging to grow as container plants. The longer your plant spends outside in natural sunlight and outdoor conditions, the healthier it’ll be. (If you’ve got limited light available, you’ll have better success with a number of our popular low-light houseplants.) If grown as a container plant inside during the winter months, maintain warm soil temperatures to stop root diseases. Attentive plant care will make sure that your avocado will start producing fruit within a couple of years for you to enjoy. you’ll learn more about our avocado plants, and the way to grow avocado trees by exploring the links below:

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