How to Grow Your Own Avocado? | A Superfood at Your Home
Healthful Vitality | 09/02/2021 | By Guest Contributor | How to Grow Your Own Avocado?
As you decide to have a healthy lifestyle, you have to plan your dietary habits accordingly. Avocados, also known as the superfood, come with a plethora of health benefits. It is rich in nutrients and includes vitamins, omega-3 Fatty acids, magnesium, fiber, folates, etc.
Adding this tropical fruit as a star ingredient in your recipes, you can garner several health benefits. Even though you have the option to purchase avocado, it is always an excellent option to grow your own avocado. It would be tastier and, at the same time, a healthier option. Here are the different factors to consider while growing avocados in your home.
Conditions to Grow Your Own Avocado
Avocado plants have to grow into trees for them to bear fruits. It would take around 13 years for a seed to become a full-grown plant. Here, you can either decide to get a bigger tree or start from scratch.
When you opt to start from scratch, it could be time-consuming. However, you can play an integral part during the plant’s growing stages. Once you have planted the seed in a pit, it would take about two to six weeks to show growth.
Ensure that you use toothpicks while planting the seeds. When you consider the best time to sow avocado seeds, it is between March and June. However, it would vary from one place to another and depends highly on the weather conditions in these regions.
Soil Type and Taking Care of the Plants
Even though you can grow your own avocado in different soil types, it is best to opt for soil with a pH between five and seven. It is beneficial to avoid saline soil or those with poor water drainage capacity. You have to prefer well-aerated soil as well to enhance the growth.
Once your avocado plant starts growing, you might have to move it to a larger pot. It is best to select one that has around 10 meters in diameter. When it comes to taking care of the plant, initially, ensure that the plant receives four to six hours of afternoon sunlight. Other than that, ensure that there is a drainage facility in the container. During the first year, you have to avoid adding fertilizers to the plant.
During this time, you can trim the plant if you want it to maintain a particular height. While planting avocado, you have to water the plants once or twice a week. However, you have to opt for deep watering. Besides that, the soil has to be moist for maintaining the plant’s healthy growth. But, ensure that you are not overwatering the plant as it can cause damage.
Harvesting Avocados
The harvesting of avocados depends on several factors. Predominantly, it relies on the type of plant, weather conditions, temperature, and soil. When it comes to the type, there are mainly three types of avocados. They include hass, condo, and cold hardy.
For instance, the best time to harvest avocados is between February and September. While harvesting, you have to pluck the avocados using your hands.