How and why to pinch an avocado?

Growing exotic plants at home, you need to be prepared for the fact that they need special care. For example, you need to pinch an avocado so that a pretty tree with an even dense crown grows from it. This culture does not belong to indoor species, but you can still plant it at home using the bone of a ripe fruit.

Avocado crown formation

The peculiarity of the avocado (American Perseus) is a weak leafiness. By nature, the plant is not prone to branching. If you plant an avocado seed and wait for what will grow out of it, without doing anything, then the decorativeness of the tree will not be so high. It is for this reason that it is proposed to form the crown of the Perseus by pinching the shoots. This procedure is carried out according to a certain scheme:

1. After 8 leaves appear on the trunk, pinch the crown. This will start the branching process.
2. Lateral shoots will also need to be pinched after 5–6 leaves appear.
3. Do the same with all the shoots that form in the future.

As a result, in 3 years the avocado crown will become thick and voluminous. The procedure should be carried out in the spring, when active growth of branches begins.

To obtain a decorative composition, you can plant 3 avocado seeds in one pot at once. In the future, flexible stems are braided into a pigtail.

An adult plant needs annual pruning, which is done in the spring or fall, to contain the overgrowth of the crown. Lateral branches are shortened by half, at the same time cutting out all broken, diseased or twisted shoots.

In theory, a home-grown avocado may even begin to bear fruit, but it will take a long time to wait. Fruiting can be accelerated by grafting. At the same time, ideal conditions must be created for the tree, close to the natural environment. Florists advise growing the plant at home for decorative purposes, and ripe avocados can always be bought at the nearest supermarket.

How to plant a bone correctly?

The avocado seed should be used for planting after the fruit is fully ripe. Ripening can be accelerated by wrapping the "alligator pear" in foil and heating in the oven at 200 ° C for 10 minutes.

For planting, use loose nutritious soil.

The soil can be compiled by yourself, taking in equal parts:

• garden land;
• coarse sand;
• humus.

The components are mixed, then a little moss or peat is added to them.

Initially, the seed is planted in a container 15 cm high.After the sprout reaches 3 cm, a larger pot is required for the avocado.

Drainage must be laid at the bottom during planting. The bone is planted with a blunt end in the ground, deepening 2/3 of the height. The soil in the container is regularly moistened, preventing it from drying out.

Potted plant care

In order for the tree to take root and grow well at home, it needs to create suitable conditions. It is best to place the potted avocado on the west side of the window. The plant needs a lot of ambient light. If the Perseus pot is located on the sunny side, the plant needs to be shaded in the midday heat.

The crop is very sensitive to drafts, so avoid placing the avocado next to a frequently opening sash. The flow of cold air can cause the plant to shed all its leaves. The same thing can happen if the room temperature drops below 12 degrees.

Avocado requires proper care:

• Being a tropical plant, Perseus likes high air humidity (at least 70%). You can provide the desired indicator using a humidifier or spraying a tree from a spray bottle.
• The amount and frequency of watering depends on the season. In summer, the plant is watered more often and more abundantly. In winter, watering should be moderate. The stress of prolonged drought can cause shedding of foliage.
• In the spring and summer, avocados are fed every 2-3 weeks using industrial citrus fertilizer. In autumn and winter, feeding the tree is not needed.
• Young actively growing trees require annual replanting. An adult plant is transplanted every 3 years by transferring an earthen coma.
• At high humidity and low temperatures, the culture can get sick with late blight or powdery mildew. Late blight is practically not amenable to treatment - most likely, the tree will have to be thrown away. You can use a fungicide to remove powdery mildew from avocados. The disease is best treated at an early stage.
• The scale insect is a frequent guest on avocado leaves. If there are few pests, wipe the leaves with soapy water. Large trees are more convenient to treat with insecticides.

Over time, the tree can grow up to 2.5 m in height. Pruning and moderate pot volume helps to keep it from growing at home.

Growing exotic plants is a fun experience. Even a child can plant and grow an avocado from a seed. So that the tree does not lose its decorative effect, it is important to form a lush crown in it by pinching, as well as to provide suitable conditions and care.