The Complete Guide On: Growing An Avocado Tree From Seed

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THE COMPLETE GUIDE ON

GROWING AN AVOCADO TREE FROM SEED

“Five out five avocados agree” How does an avocado even have an opinion?

“The avocado is a food without rival among the fruits, the veritable fruit of paradise” (A random quote from the internet)

“HOLY GUACAMOLE” Simple to follow instructions.

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AN INTRODUCTION TO AVOCADOS If you know anything about fruit, anything at all, you have probably heard of an avocado before. But how much do you really know about this fruit? Well, let's start with the basics. The avocado is one of the more popular fruits around, and while it may not have the same widespread consumption as the apples or the bananas of the world, it is still readily available in almost any country and region. It's a fruit that is popular around the world due to its tastiness and its adaptability, making it so it can be eaten in a myriad of different and creative ways, while still retaining its great taste.  Avocados are dark green on the outside, and light green on the inside. The first time you eat an avocado, you may be surprised at just how large the seed is. It is one of the largest seeds in terms of size of fruit to size of seed ratio, in the world. Although as a whole, the avocado itself is actually quite small and quite child friendly, as it is not big enough to potentially choke a small child, and you don't have to be as wary about giving your small child an avocado, the way you would be with a banana or an apple which are traditionally a lot more difficult for young children to swallow.  Avocados are actually extremely rich in fibre, too, which is always a good thing! An average sized avocado usually has about 10 grams of fibre in it. This really helps digestion and is a very beneficial advantage to eating avocados over other fruits. It is generally recommended by most doctors to incorporate foods that have fibre into your daily diet, and an avocado not only contains fibre but is also a fruit, which means it doubles as tasty delight that is also very good for your health.  î   Å  Ä  î   Å ^äë~ çI= Ç åïêÜ íÉ qãáóéäçÑ K ì~ = ífåÅ IÇ ëÜ êÉ áãÖ K  Finally, something you may have not realised about avocados is that they are really good for anti-aging! In terms of natural anti-aging remedies, you won't find anything better than the avocado. Its natural nutrients have long been known to slow down and reverse aging effects.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE AVOCADO FRUIT  Avocados, in their present incarnation, became a prominent type of fruit about 500 years ago. As seen from reports by the Spanish Conquistadores, during the time of the Spanish conquest avocados were actually known to be grown from the Southern border of Mexico, all the way down through Central America into the north west of South America. The stretch of land where avocados were grown actually extended down into Peru. This is one of the earliest series of mass production of the fruit on record, at least the fruit as we know it today. The fruit, in its earlier forms, is known to have been around for thousands of years, all the way back to the times of the Aztecs. In fact, the Aztecs had actually been known to use the avocado as a sex stimulant. They referred to the avocado as “ahuacatl”, essentially meaning “testicle. So even in these very early days, there was a lot of evidence that the avocado was being used as a common aphrodisiac.  Avocado trees became popular in the United States in about 1871, when the first successful introduction of avocado trees occurred, being planted by Judge R. B. Ord of Santa Barbara. These trees were originally brought in from Mexico. There had been attempts to plant trees brought in from other countries in the past, however this was the first successful attempt at planting the trees on American soil, at least from a public standpoint. Since then, the avocado has become a popular fruit and a part of the diet of many people across the world, as trade has increased and more and more people became exposed to the fruit. The oldest living avocado tree can be found at the Berkeley campus of the University of California. It was planted in 1879, only 8 years after the first ever successfully planted avocado tree on American soil, and still lives on providing fruit to this day.

AVOCADO VARIETIES There are a number of different avocado varieties, all often having their own special features and their own facets that make them stand out from the rest of the avocado family. There are hundreds upon hundreds of different avocado types, but here are some of the most wellknown varieties. Bacon The bacon avocado is of the green skinned variety, and usually becomes available at the late fall or into early spring. It is an avocado of good quality, and is very well known for its special oval shape. Its seed is pretty large compared to most fruits, although when you look at just the avocados, it would fall closer into the medium range. It can be easily peeled, as its skin is softer than a lot of its counterparts. Its taste is also light, somewhat reflecting the texture of its skin. The smooth, thin skin covers a yellowish-green flesh that is also light and rather soft in texture. You know that this type of avocado is ripe when it begins to yield to gentle pressure, meaning it has become sufficiently ripened. The skin doesn't usually change as it ripens, although occasionally it may darken slightly compared to its unripe form. Fuerte  As already discussed, there is strong historical significance behind this avocado. The Fuerte is the original California avocado, the first of its kind to be brought from Mexico, and planted in the United States in a concerted, professional effort to bring avocados to America on a large scale. It differs from other types of avocado, such as the bacon, as it has a pear-like shape. Its seed is medium when compared to other types of avocado seed. It has soft skin and tends to peel really easily. Similarly to the bacon avocado, it tends to be harvested either late autumn or in early spring. It has green skin, with a smooth and thin texture. Its flesh is not yellowish green like the bacon, but rather a creamy, pale green color. You can tell that it has been ripened enough when it get softened to the point where it yields to gentle pressure, such as the touch of your hand. The skin does not change color at all, so the skin cannot necessarily be used as a way to differentiate between a ripe avocado and an unripe one. Gwen The Gwen avocado has one of the more lopsided ratios of seed to avocado size. It is very similar to the Hass avocado, especially when it comes to the texture and the taste. The appearance is slightly different though, as the Gwen is a little larger than the Hass. It is an oval shaped fruit, appearing rather plump and although the seed may look huge in comparison to the fruit itself, it is actually rather small compared to the majority of avocado seeds. It is really easy to peel, and has a great taste. Its skin is rather thick compared to other avocados, possessing a somewhat pebbly texture. The flesh inside however is really soft, a creamy gold-green color. You can tell this avocado is beginning to ripen as its skin will start to go a dull green color.

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AVOCADO VARIETIES Hass The hass avocado is very similar to the gwen, aside from being slightly smaller. They share many similarities, including their appearance, their texture and their taste. The hass is famous for its skin, which turns from green to purplish-black once it becomes ripe. When you look at the whole variety of avocados grown in California, the hass is the most popular and the most mass produced. Due to its thick skin, and the texture of its flesh, it has the longest shelf life out of the California based avocados. Once it ripens, it will last longer and be edible for longer than any of its counterparts. It has an oval shape, similar to the gwen and the bacon, and is very easy to peel, despite its hard skin. It is great tasting, and has very sweet and juicy flesh inside its hard outer layer. Its seed is quite prominent, but still rather smallish compared to the seeds of certain other avocado types. Its dark, pebbly, rough skin is the outer layer to a soft, creamy and pale green colored flesh on the inside. Lamb Hass The lamb hass is very well known for its exceptional flavour, surpassing many of its counterparts in that particular facet. It is a robust fruit, with a size that is quite a bit larger than usual. It is of the California summer sun variety, often taking longer to go through its growing process due to the amount of nutrients and nuture it needs, as well as its impressive size. It is known for its pebbly skin, which is not too hard although is not one of the softest avocado skins around! Its green flesh, and smooth, creamy and nutty taste make sure it stands out from the rest as one of the more unique avocado varieties around. It displays really well, meaning that people who grow fruits as part of competition often use this avocado as it often has a great display while it is being grown. This is partly due to its impressive size and symmetrical shape, as it really catches the eye. As it ripens, its skin darkens slightly.

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GROWING AN AVOCADO FROM SEED

PROPAGATING AVOCADO TREES & GROWING AVOCADO TREES IN COLDER CLIMATES

Step 1 – remove the pit and make sure it is clean The very first step of growing an avocado from the seed is to firstly identify the pit (which is where the seed is held), and then remove it. You have to take care as you do this, as it is possible to damage the pit, which in turn will damage the seed and it will be a struggle to grow. You need to remove the pit from the avocado, and then wash off the fruit residue to make sure it is completely clean. Soaking the avocado in some water is often a good way to make sure it is sufficiently clean, followed by scrubbing the remaining residue off.

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TOP END

Step 2 – Locate Which End Is 'up' And Which Is 'down' Okay, well, this can be a little tricky. Avocado pits can be a few different shapes, depending on what variety of avocado you are taking the seed from. Some of them are oblong, or more of an oval shape, while others may be close to perfect spheres. One thing they all have in common though, is that they all have a top and a bottom. The bottom is where the roots will grow, and the top is where the sprout will (hopefully!) start to grow. You obviously want to make sure which end is which, because if you plant it the wrong way, the roots won't get enough water, as avocado seeds need to be in water bottom end first. So make sure you know your ups from your downs before you go any further!

BOTTOM END image source: http://www.blackgirlhealth.com/wpcontent/uploads/2016/04/avocadopit.jpg

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Step 3 – pierce with four toothpicks Yes, you read that correctly. You are going to have to start poking your seed with toothpicks. Don't worry, I'll explain. You take four toothpicks and stick them into your avocado seed, spacing them out evenly and covering the circumference of the avocado. This will be the base, which will act as a type of scaffolding for your avocado. It will let you lay the bottom half of the avocado in water, so you need to make sure they are sufficiently wedged into the pit so that they don't fall off at a later point, which could be critical for the health of your potential avocado tree.

GROWING AN AVOCADO FROM SEED

PROPAGATING AVOCADO TREES & GROWING AVOCADO TREES IN COLDER CLIMATES

image source: http://www.offthegridnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/avocado-2-wikipedia.jpg

Step 4 – place the avocado seed with the bottom half submerged in a glass of water  Okay, at this point you have done a lot of work with the preparation for growing your avocado tree. Now, you will set it on a windowsill or a similar place where the tree can get sufficient amounts of sunlight. The glass that you use should be clear, so you can have a clear view of the growth of the roots, which is an important part of the process. Also, you need to be able to see when the water needs to be changed, which will be regularly. Some people tend to change the water every day, but it is probably best to change it every five days or so. Changing the water is pivotal, as without regular changing, problems like mold, bacteria and fungus growth will set in, which can cause untold damage to your avocado sprout. So make sure the water is changed regularly, it is possibly the most important step from here onwards!

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GROWING AN AVOCADO FROM SEED

PROPAGATING AVOCADO TREES & GROWING AVOCADO TREES IN COLDER CLIMATES

Step 5 – Now, Just Sit Back And Wait For Your Avocado Seed To Sprout! There isn't an exact science for when your avocado should start sprouting. Sometimes in can happen in as little as 2 to 4 weeks, but if it doesn't happen in that timeframe, do not be alarmed. It is completely normal for sprouting to take at least 8 weeks, and sometimes a lot longer. So keep at it, and don't give up on your seed prematurely. Patience is an important part of this process. As this happens, these are a few things you will signs you will see to let you know things are on the right track. Firstly, the top of the avocado pit (if you placed it in correctly, of course!) will begin to dry out. Then, you will notice a crack forming on the top of it, and the skin will start to slip off a bit. This means it is preparing to sprout. The crack will likely extend all around the avocado pit, even reaching the bottom. Through the bottom, a tiny root will appear, and continue to grow larger and larger, possibly even branching out into other roots. This is a very good sign, as it shows the seed has taken to the environment, and the moment when your sprout finally emerges is not far away. Here is a vital tip. Never let this root dry out, which it will do if you take too long in between changing the water. If it does, the whole plant will die immediately, and it will be the end of the process. This is extremely vital to remember. Also, remember to expose your plant to the sun as much as possible. Avocados are fruits that love the sun, and it is difficult to overexpose them to it. The more sun, the better as far as this plan is concerned. image source: http://www.arteblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Plantarabacate.jpg

Make sure to water to plant very frequently. The soil should remain moist throughout the duration of the growing process. Make sure not to oversaturate the soil with water, however. If the leaves begin to turn yellow, it is a sign you may have overwatered the plant, and let it dry out a little bit over a few days.  Another problem you will likely experience at some point during this process, is the unwanted attention your plant will receive from small insects that cannot resist the tasty avocado leaves. You want to make sure these little critters are taken care of, as they can impact negatively on the growth of your avocado tree. You can get rid of them by spraying down your plant with water, to wash of the little insects inhabiting it. Using a teaspoon of neem oil on your plant will not damage it at all, but will help in keeping the critters away. Make sure you check your plant regularly after this, and make sure to clean it every few days to make sure they stay away.  î   Å  Ä  Å  Ä  î  dêçï~  Å = áåÖ Å íÉ Ç ëâóì î  Ü ã Å Iáå= ï~ êíçäëÖ É Ç Ñ ãìéK Ü  î  h= áå Å êçäí~ Ç É óëIâ î  ãïÜ Å áK å=  Ä f Å Ñ É êóí~ ëéÇ çäI= Ö ïÜ áãêåíóÇ É Ä ~ ëçÖ féäÉ = K ãåáÑ íÜ  óìêçïëÖ = Ç ~ âä>

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WILL IT FRUIT?

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How to get your tree to fruit Now, even after doing all that perfectly, there is still huge question mark over whether your plant will actually fruit. It is actually very difficult to say. The aim for most people who grow avocado plants is for them to fruit, but the process is long, arduous and there is no guarantee that there will be any fruit at the end of it. Sometimes you will find your plant starting to grow fruit after 3 or 4 years, while others take 20+ years to grow fruit! And then there are those which just never grow fruit at all. It is pretty wise to grow multiple avocado fruits at once, so you can improve your chances of getting fruit that grow. Also, you should not expect the fruit that is grown to mirror the one that you originally took the seed out of. Common consensus would imply that the child fruit should mirror the parent fruit, but the one you took the seed out of was likely a commercially grown avocado, meaning the people who grew it used specially grafted branches and controlled much of the process in order to engineer the fruit they wanted, making the most aesthetically pleasing and tasty avocado possible, seeing as the whole aim for them is to make something that will succeed commercially as a product. With your naturally grown avocado, it will likely end up looking very different to the parent avocado simply because it grew with more freedom and its makeup will look a lot more random. So don't be surprised if it looks nothing like the avocado you originally to the seed out of, it's completely normal! Some people decide to bypass this whole process and buy an avocado tree that has been ready made. This isn't a terrible idea, but there are a few things you should really know before you do this. The most important thing will be to be able to know how to inspect the tree, and how to know if it is healthy enough to survive long term. You don't want to spend your money on a dying tree. Often looking at the colour and quality of the leaves and the roots really helps, as they often show telltale signs of any ill health the tree is suffering through.

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BUYING AN AVOCADO TREE

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How to buy an avocado tree  Also, you should know the type of avocado tree you are buying and what kind of avocado it will eventually fruit. This is imperative, as you don't want to get a nasty shock years down the line when it bears fruit. Choosing a cold-hardy avocado tree may be useful if you live in a colder climate, as these types of avocado trees are able to survive through much harsher weather. These are just some of the things you really should spend a lot of time considering before you decide to commit to buying an avocado tree. Make sure you do your research, and you are sure to find a tree that you will love.

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THE AVOSEEDO Advantages of using the Avoseedo over the toothpick method  As already mentioned earlier, the toothpick method is the way most people create a stabilised base of support for their avocado pit when they are going through that stage of the process. However, did you know that there is actually a much better and more reliable way to do this, without having to use toothpicks?

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Using Avoseedo is a proven way to improve the likelihood of your plant surviving through this vital early stages. Avoseedo is a small plastic bowl, and it has an indentation and hole inside of it. The seed can be inserted into the bowl, and it is set in a way that guarantees the bottom of the seed will always be in the water, while the top of the seed gets some leeway up top. The Avoseedo bowl is created in such a way that it always remains at water level, changing its position as the water level goes up and down.  Avoseedo has been proven to drastically improve the chances of success during this early period, with the Avoseedo bowl providing a lot of sturdy and reliable stabilisation of the seed, in comparison to the old school tooth pick method. One of the best things about Avoseedo, is that is eliminates completely the need to poke at your vulnerable seed with toothpicks. This is a dangerous stage of the process, and many seeds have taken irreparable damage at this point in the process. So Avoseedo eliminating this completely is a huge step towards a higher standard of successful  Avocado growth.  Avoseedo is essentially a perfect tool for any Avocado tree grower to use, and one that is becoming more and more irreplaceable as an integral part of the avocado tree growing process.

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GREAT WAYS TO EAT AVOCADO

Whirl it in Hummas

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When you have your avocado fruit, I think it's safe to assume that you will want to eat them. Enjoy the labours of your hard work with these ingenious avocado meals.

 Avocado Fries This is a really unique way to eat avocado, and a really tasty one too! Just cut the avocado into slices, dip in egg and roll it up in bread crumbs. Then cook it and find a unique little side dish, which tastes amazing.  Avocado Fries

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 Avocado Gelato What can be better than avocado ice cream? Not much, that's for sure. Experience a tasty, creamy and fruity gelato that will leave you oohing and ahhing for sure.

Whirl it in Hummus Hummus is good, but you know what is better? Hummus with avocado swirls. Take your hummus up a level by adding some creamy, sweet avocado.  Avocado Gelato

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 Add Avocado to Guacamole

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 Add Avocado to Guacamole  Adding that extra special avocado flavour to your guacamole can make your whole meal. Although, its advised that you hold the lime… that may be a flavour explosion you may struggle to recover from!

COMMON QUESTIONS

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 A lot of stuff has been covered here, but there are still a couple few common questions that people often have about avocados that may have been left unanswered. So here we go! Why are avocado seeds so big? Well, the avocado usually grows in the wild in subtropical jungles. The fruit has always had to fight with its many competing neighbours for nutrients and sunlight, so it has evolved a way to make itself more successful in surviving the early stages. The reason the seed is so big is because the sprout often has to grow several feet tall, in order to compete for sunlight with its neighbours. So while it continues to grow through the shadows, it needs a large seed to be able to compensate. If its seed was any smaller, it likely would not be able to survive the initial growing process. image source:http://www.melaniecooks.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/06/giant-avocado-half.jpg

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Why are avocado face masks good for you? The most popular fruit used for facial masks has always been the avocado. But, have you ever wondered why that is? Well, the avocado contains the vitamins A and E. These two vitamins are very crucial in the battle against dry skin and ageing. The vitamins help repair damaged skin, and the avocado mask has been more than proven to help fight aging, dull skin, dry skin and a lot of other related skin issues. There are also a lot of lotions that incorporate avocado into their mix, to fight against aging and damaged skin.

REFERENCES GUACWARD

“Persea americana Mill., The Plant List, Version 1". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden. 2010. "What's in a name?". University of California. Retrieved March 27, 2016. Morton JF (1987). "Avocado; In: Fruits of Warm Climates". Creative Resource Systems, Inc., Winterville, NC and Center for New Crops & Plant Products, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. pp. 91–102. ISBN 0-9610184-1-0. Storey, W. B. "What kind of fruit is the avocado?" (PDF). California Avocado Society 1973–74 Yearbook 57: 70–71. Galindo-Tovar, María Elena; Arzate-Fernández, Amaury M.; Ogata-Aguilar, Nisao; and Landero-Torres, Ivonne (2007). "The avocado (Persea americana, Lauraceae) crop in Mesoamerica: 10,000 years of history" (PDF). Harvard Papers in Botany 12 (2): 325–334, page 325. doi:10.3100/1043-4534(2007)12[325:TAPALC]2.0.CO;2. JSTOR 41761865. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2015. "Fossil avocado leaves found in California" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-08-25. Villanueva, M. and Verti, S. "El aguacate: Oro verde de México, orgullo de Michoacán" (PDF). Gobierno del Estado de Michoacán. Retrieved 2007-11-06. Smith, K. Annabelle. "Why the Avocado Should Have Gone the Way of the Dodo". Smithsonian Magazine. The Smithsonian. Retrieved 25 October 2013. Barry, PC (2001-04-07). "Avocado: The Early Roots of Avocado History". Canku Ota. Archived from the original on 15 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-29. "Avocado History". IndexFresh.com. Bloomington, CA: Index Fresh Avocado. 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-29. www.desima.co