Avocado is usually thought of as a taste delight in a salad. At least that was my view until one day while discussing gardening at dinner with several green thumb friends, the subject of exotic indoor plants came up.
After running the gamut from elephant ears to the common begonia, I brought up miniature trees.
At the mention of indoor trees, one of those I’ll once gardeners told us about his avocado tree. Some laughed at the idea of growing a tree from an avocado pit. I, however, was all ears.
I, too, am one of those try-anything-once garden fiends. So I began giving an avocado pit the sweet-potato-vine treatment, which is all my friend’s advice on how to grow an avocado tree amounted to.
Preparing The Avocado Pit
At first, I was quite disappointed because the pit was slimy and slippery and seemed to have a hard outer covering on it. I just couldn’t get a toothpick through it.
I let it dry a little, following the old principle that all seeds must be allowed to dry and mature. In a week, the outside of the pit was dry, but I still couldn’t get a toothpick in it. I decided to wait a bit longer.
In another week, the hard cover began to crack. Two weeks and a pile of broken toothpicks later, I finally took four straightened paper clips, stuck them into the avocado pit, and placed them suspended halfway in a jar of water.
An Unusual Growth Process
Now, the real trial of patience began. In exactly one month, nothing had happened. Before two months were up, I had completely peeled off the hard outer covering.
A short time later, I discovered progress was being made. The pit had cracked, and I could see two sprouts in its center. This was encouraging, and I expected to see leaves in no time at all.
But it was another month before one of the sprouts crept out of the pit. To my utter surprise, a root came out of the top of the pit. And not far behind struggled a green sprout. Completely baffled, I left this odd thing alone. Nature took its course.
The root kept coming and, in due time, curved down into the water below. In the meantime, the second sprout came up beside the root and gave forth with two lush green leaves. Success. I had an avocado tree.
My seedlings continued to grow above and below. Above, I had 6″ of stems with four huge leaves.
Below, the quart jar was being packed with strong, wormlike roots. Six months after the whole affair started, I decided it was time to end the sweet potato treatment.
I potted the neophyte in a 10″ pot. It took to this rather nicely and continued to give a new set of leaves about every six weeks.
Before leaving for my summer vacation, I sank the pot in a sunny flower bed, hoping this would be enough to tide the plant over that period of neglect. I found a healthier and larger avocado tree when I returned. Seeing all was well, I left it in the flower bed.
With the threat of frost, I took my miniature tree in, repotted it, and set it in a sunny window.
For about two months, it was at a standstill. Then it began to grow, only this time starting with three branches. This slowed down the growth in height but added to its fullness and actual resemblance to a tree.
Cultivating The Avocado Sapling
By the following spring, I had a strong sapling that stood almost 2′ high and was filled out with large, healthy leaves.
When it was safe to do so, after repotting it in my largest flower pot, I again placed it in a flower bed as the summer before.
By the time fall and the first frost rolled around, it was obvious that this would be the winter to place my different miniature trees in the living room.
Avocado Tree Fame and Growing Tips
Since I didn’t have a larger flower pot, I made a wooden box for my tree’s tremendous root system. This added to its attractiveness.
It looked like a tree now. Its huge leaves made it quite noticeable in front of the living room picture window.
That first winter won fame for avocado trees in the home. Of course, I often had to explain how you went about growing an avocado tree. Just give the pit the sweet potato vine treatment.
44659 by Gerald Rietcheck