How to Grow Your Own Avocado Tree for Endless Organic Avocados

Avocados are a wonderful nutritious packed fruit. When in season the avocado is fairly affordable. However, when they are not in season they can become quite expensive.

One of the best ways to have this great food at your fingertips at all times is to grow your own avocado tree. The process is a bit messy and will take quite a bit of time. However, the rewards are definitely worth the wait.

The first thing that you need to know about growing your own avocado tree is that you will need to start with a seed from an organic avocado.

If you do not purchase an organic avocado you will typically not see results as the pesticides and other chemicals used to grow non-organic avocados will keep the seed from rooting and sprouting. In addition, organic avocados are just simply healthier for you.

Steps for Growing an Avocado Tree

The first thing that you need to do to grow your own avocado tree is to carefully remove the seed from an organic avocado. Once you have removed the seed you will then need to carefully wash it off.

The next step is called rooting. Every avocado seed is an oval shaped. The high part of the oval is where the tree will grow upward. The bottom part of the oval or the bigger part is where the roots will create a frame for the tree to grow.

In order to accelerate the germination of the seed you will want to cut off a small part of both the top and the bottom of the seed. Keep the seed wrapped up in a wet paper towel in a dark spot for up to 4 weeks. During this time the taproot of the seed will start to rise.

When the taproot reaches a length of about 2 inches it is time to plant the seed into soil. A six inch pot is good to start with. A mixture of equal parts perlite, coco peat, and gardening soil is ideal for planting your tree. During the first week you should keep the dirt mixture really wet.

You will want to water the plant continuously. However it is important to not let the water become oversaturated. If the leaves start to turn yellow it means that you have given it too much water. Hold off on watering for a few days and let the dirt dry out. Then lightly water the soil once again.

Pruning the leaves on a regular basis will help it keep a bush like form. You can grow your avocado tree indoors or out. If leaving the plant outside it is important to make sure that you bring it inside if temperatures go below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Avocados offer many health benefits and growing your own is a simple process. Along with the method listed above there is another method involving toothpicks that you may want to try as well.

Sources:
http://www.dailynutritionnews.com/grow-your-own-avocado-tree-and-get-an-endless-supply-of-organic-avocados/ http://authoritynutrition.com/12-proven-benefits-of-avocado/ http://simpleorganiclife.org/grow-avocados/ http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/all-about-avocados http://www.hgtvgardens.com/guac-n-roll-grow-an-avocado-tree http://www.instructables.com/id/Growing-Avocado-Plants-From-Seed/