If you like avocados, you have probably planted an avocado in a pit at some time in your life.
Although this planting technique will produce an avocado tree, it won’t produce avocado fruit. And what is the purpose of growing the tree if there is no fruit?
Learn the best technique to grow avocados from this article and plant your avocado tree for once! Keep reading to find out.
Can Avocado Grow From Cuttings?
Avocados may be grown using avocado cuttings, seeds, grafting, and layering. When growing a new avocado tree from cuttings, the resulting tree is a clone of the mother plant.
You can buy an avocado seedling, but growing avocados from cuttings are less costly and a fun gardening activity.
Remember that avocado cuttings will still take time to root. Most likely, the tree will not produce fruits for the first 7-8 years.
How Do Avocado Trees Grow From Cuttings?
If you want to cultivate a particular avocado variety like Hass, propagation from cuttings is your best option. The cuttings will develop into clones of the mother plant, giving you more assurance over your later harvest. Below are steps you should follow while planting cuttings.
Prepare an Avocado Cutting
Cut a shoot about 5 to 6 inches in length from a thriving avocado plant to get a cutting. Use a sharpened pruning knife to cut and remove any extra leaves from the shoot’s base.
Prepare the Planting Medium
Combine half perlite and half peat moss to create potting soil. Fill the medium size planting pot at roughly three-quarters capacity. This pot is used to grow the cutting until it becomes a sapling and has established roots.
Set the pot in a warm location that gets indirect light, like an east-facing windowsill. Water the soil well before planting.
Apply Root Hormone
Create two minor incisions on each side of the cutting’s bottom. Dip the bottom of the cutting in a liquid rooting chemical (Indole Butyric Acid) for a few seconds. IBA is a growth hormone that stimulates root development on the shoot.
Plant the Cuttings
Using a pencil, create a hole approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep in the planting medium of the prepared container. Insert the bottom of the cutting, then compact the surrounding soil mixture firmly around it. Keep the shoot well-hydrated, but water the soil only when it seems dry.
After 2 weeks, roots should have grown at the bottom of the shoot. You will feel a little resistance when you gently pull on the cutting, indicating the presence of roots.
Transplant the Seedling
It is ready to transfer the seedling after another three weeks of observation. Either transplant it into a bigger indoor container containing fertilized, sandy soil or into your backyard. When transplanting avocado plants outside, keep in mind that they shrink when exposed to direct sunshine.
Avocados need both heat and shade. Ensure the outdoor avocado has enough space for its roots to expand.
Apply Fertilizer to the Avocado Plant
The avocado tree requires appropriate fertilizer and water for its ongoing upkeep. Fertilize the indoor plant once every three weeks and the garden plant monthly.
Once the avocado plant reaches one year of age, fertilize about 4 times annually and water whenever the soil becomes dry. They are hardy when grown and can tolerate most environmental conditions, except cold.
How to Establish and Care for Young Avocado Trees?
Once a seedling is established, its maintenance is the same regardless of whether it was produced from a cutting, seed, or grafted root material. In northern regions, seedlings may be grown in containers.
The size of the container will assist limit the tree’s growth. The avocado tree makes a beautiful interior foliage plant.
In southern regions, seedling trees may be placed outside, where they can mature into trees as tall as 40 feet. They need a damp, but not drenching, environment and appreciate nutrient-dense soil.
How Long Does It Take for Cuttings to Root in Water?
Normally, rooting occurs within three to four weeks, although some plants may take longer. The cutting may be potted when the roots are at least 1 to 2 inches long.
The cutting may be potted when the roots are at least 1 to 2 inches long.
Wrap Up
Avocado trees are a fascinating plant to cultivate. They are cultivated from cuttings or seeds taken from an established plant.
It might take up to 15 years for an avocado tree produced from seed to reach the size and maturity required to give fruit, but plants grown from cuttings typically bear fruit within 3 to 4 years.
Pollination is another key factor to consider. Female and Male flowers are found within the same tree but do not blossom simultaneously. All of these factors make cultivating avocados a fascinating and sometimes rewarding hobby.
