Let's start our acquaintance with the question: “Avocado - what is it?” This tree is evergreen, it belongs to the genus Perseus and, surprisingly, to the laurel family, which means it is a relative of laurel. It is considered an important fruit crop.

The tree blooms with small, inconspicuous flowers located near the leaves in the axils. Can be of both sexes. Each flower has six petals and nine stamens.

Trees of this species grow quickly and reach 17-20 meters in height. Avocados have a straight trunk that branches actively. Avocado leaves are ellipsoidal in shape and up to 35 cm long; leaf fall is observed all year round.

Avocado fruit is exactly what the plant grows it for. They are often called berries, but in fact they are drupes. The fruit can be shaped like a pear, an ellipse or a sphere. Most of the fruit is occupied by the seed.

A ripe avocado fruit has a length from five to twenty centimeters, and a weight of up to a couple of kilograms. The pulp is oily and green, sometimes yellow-green), the peel darkens as it ripens. In addition to the avocado fruit, wood is also important. Due to their excellent taste and beneficial qualities, avocado fruits are used in vegetarian cuisine(great replacement meat products), for preparing sweet dishes and cocktails, salads and much more.

The pit, leaves and peel can be toxic because they contain persen, a substance with a fungicidal effect.

Types and name

The name of the tree comes from the Aztec word huacatl. The modern name appeared in the 16th century. Besides, they call it an alligator pear. His Latin name is Persēa americana(i.e. American Persea). Typically, all plants from the genus Persea are often called avocados. The word avocado itself means “oil from the forest.”

There are many varieties of avocado, but the most popular are:

  • Fuerto (one of the most delicious);
  • Zutano;
  • Ettinger (the leanest, its tastes may vary);
  • Ryan (tasty, but fatty, almost never ripen if picked unripe);
  • (known for their purple-black skin and have many fans);
  • Gwen (they have a small bone, but the size is not too outstanding);
  • Reed (fat and large);
  • Ardis (somewhat similar to hass);

Homeland and distribution

So, let's move on to the question of where avocados grow, in which countries? Fruit comes from South America, where it was actively cultivated several thousand years ago. Today, avocados are grown in all countries located in the tropics: the southern United States, Africa, Israel, South America, Hawaii, Australia, and Spain.

Photo

This section presents photographs of leaves, fruit, and trees that can easily be grown at home.

Pests and diseases

Late blight is a fungal disease that cannot be treated. At the same time, you can control its development if you remove all damaged parts of the plant. The main symptom is cankers on the plant.

  • Powdery mildew. Type of mold. In order to destroy it, spray the avocado with a fungicidal agent.
  • Spider mites and scale insects. Appear due to too dry air. In order to destroy a tick, you need drugs from the avermectin group: Fitoverm, Vermitek, Actofite. To combat scale insects, you can add washing the plant with water and tar soap to the preparations. You also need to make sure that the air in the room is humid.

You will find more detailed information about avocado diseases and their treatment.

Harm and benefit

Those who have at least once tried avocado and appreciated this unusual fruit will probably be interested in knowing how and where avocado grows. And avocados grow on trees that are called “avocado” or otherwise “Persea americana”. Today in the world there are several hundred species of avocados growing in different countries and even on different continents, and their fruits differ in size, color and taste.

What is an avocado?

For a long time, the avocado was known as “Persea americana”, and because of the outwardly rather rough dark green skin of the fruit, shaped like a pear, it was also called “alligator pear”.

Can be seen in markets and store shelves in many countries around the world. And although this inconspicuous-looking dark green fruit does not look very appetizing, if you try it once, and even more so if you learn more about what an avocado is and what its advantages are, it will become clear why it is so popular.


The main thing that will surprise you is that depending on the variety, these fruits have completely different tastes. Some will remind you of the taste of yogurt or processed cheese, others will be like fried mushrooms, the next variety has the taste of pine nuts, pears, pumpkins, and you may also get the taste of sausages.

Moreover, if you eat a couple of crackers with avocado paste for breakfast, or just a raw avocado with a piece of loaf, you won’t feel hungry until lunch. And this is not surprising, because the calorie content of avocado, depending on the variety and ripeness, ranges from 110 to 250 kcal per 100 grams. That is, only a few avocado fruits are able to provide daily requirement adult. The flesh of a ripe avocado has a paste-like consistency that can be spread like butter.


Depending on how and where the avocado grows, it contains up to 48% of the weight of easily digestible vegetable fats.

In addition, 100 grams of avocado contains:

  • 1,6 grams of protein
  • 2,3 grams of carbohydrates
  • 0,5 grams of fiber
  • 5,0 grams of mono- and disaccharides
  • 0,5 grams of starchy substances
  • near 1 grams of ash

In addition, avocados contain: vitamins E, K, PP, D, beta-carotene, ascorbic, pantothenic and oleic acids, trace elements of iron, zinc, iodine, copper, manganese, dietary fiber and a number of polyunsaturated acids.

In which countries does avocado grow?

Avocado is a fruit that has long been used as food in Central and South America. It is known from history that people began to use avocados as food a long time ago, during the flourishing civilization of the Incas and Aztecs. Initially, these fruits were simply collected from wild trees, but later these trees began to be grown specially, choosing species that bear larger and tastier fruits. It is believed that it was on avocados in those days that people first used the grafting method to obtain new varieties.

Avocado is a heat-loving fruit and grows only in tropical and subtropical climates. The main countries where avocados grow are: Mexico, as well as countries Latin and South America.

Currently, the main producer of avocados in the world is Mexico, where 80% of the harvest goes to the domestic market, and the remaining 20% ​​makes up half of world exports. The main importer of Mexican avocados is the United States, which consumes 700 million tons of them per year.


Avocados also grow in California, but due to frequent droughts, harvests there are not stable. Thanks to its nutritional properties, avocados have become popular in many countries over time.

Israel was the first in the world to begin cultivating avocados as an agricultural crop. Over time, avocados have spread to many countries such as Chile, Peru, Colombia, Dominican Republic, South Africa, Kenya, Indonesia, the Caribbean and even Spain. Now they are grown on separate plantations, and most of the harvests are exported to Europe. This photo shows how avocados grow on such plantations.


For some time now, avocados have become very popular in China. For wealthy Chinese, eating avocado is considered one of the symbols of the American way of life and an indicator of status.

Since 2015, avocado imports into China have increased by 250%. However, in China, avocados do not grow on their own. China is trying to artificially cultivate avocados, but the prospect frightens environmentalists. After all, in order to grow 1 kg of avocado, 272 liters of water are needed, and in China there is a large shortage of water resources.

In Russia, avocado grows only on the Black Sea coast and in Crimea, where it is grown there mainly as an ornamental crop; its fruits simply do not have time to ripen. The main supplier of avocados to Russia is Israel.

Avocado varieties

Avocado, like laurel, belongs to the same laurel family. This is a tropical evergreen tree, scientifically “Persea americana”. The avocado has a wide crown, it grows up to 20 meters in height, the trunk is highly branched, the leaves are shiny, have an elliptical shape more than 30 cm long. The flowers are small and inconspicuous. The fruits vary in size and color depending on the variety.

The shape of the fruits is pear-shaped, spherical or oval from 6 to 20 cm in length. The peel is green or dark green. The usual weight of an avocado is about 300 grams, but there are also up to 1.5 kg. The taste of an avocado depends not only on the variety, but also on how, under what conditions and where the avocado grows. South African Fuertos are considered the tastiest, and they are also the fattest and most nutritious. Fuerto from Israel and Peru are less tasty, but are also considered one of the best.

The variety of the world's largest avocado was bred by a family of farmers from Queensland in Australia. These incredibly huge fruits were obtained from crossing two popular varieties from the West Indies and Guatemala.


Today there are many varieties of avocados in the world, but they are all bred from three main ancestors taken in different regions of America, and are therefore divided into three types:

  1. West Indian type avocado. Varieties of this type differ in shape, seed size and taste, but all have thin and smooth skin. They bloom in the spring and bear fruit in the summer of the same year. West Indian type avocados are not cold tolerant.
  2. Guatemalan type avocado. Varieties of this type have rough, thick skin. Their peculiarity is that they bloom in the spring, but bear fruit the following year. Since they were brought from the mountainous regions of Guatemala, where frosts often occur, they are quite resistant to temperature changes and can tolerate slight cold.
  3. Mexican type Avocado includes many varieties. They have a distinctive anise smell and tolerate cold well. Mexican avocados bloom in the spring and bear fruit the following year in the summer or fall. These fruits usually have a thin and smooth skin.

There are several of the most famous avocado varieties that most often go on sale.

- developed in Mexico in 1911. Fuerte have a pear-shaped elongated shape, they have white flesh, high fat content, a small droplet-shaped seed, a smooth, thin and easy-to-clean green peel. Average weight fruits from 200 to 250 grams. The harvest season is summer and autumn. Fuerte is now successfully grown in South Africa and Israel.


Avocado Ettinger- grown in Israel since 1947. Ettinger has an elongated pear shape and has a smooth, very thin green skin that is difficult to peel. The pulp is yellowish-greenish, the taste is creamy yoghurt, cheese or pine nuts, the fat content is low or medium. Drop-shaped bone, large, unusual white. The average fruit weight is from 150 to 300 grams. Harvest season is September - January.


- grown in Israel since 1926. Zutano has pear-shaped fruits elongated shape weighing from 170 to 400 grams. The peel is smooth, thin and easy to clean, the color of the peel is green. The pulp is white or white-yellow, high in fat, and the stone is large and round. Harvest season all year round


The wide variety of avocado species does not stop breeders, and work to obtain more hardy and qualitatively new varieties continues to this day.

Therefore, you should not be surprised to soon see new varieties of this increasingly popular exotic fruit on sale.

Did you know that laurel and laurel are close relatives? These trees belong to the same laurel family. Many people are interested in which countries avocados grow in, and where exactly this plant can be found in wild and cultivated forms. Let's find out what this plant is, what it looks like and where it grows.

Where does avocado grow in nature?

So, the avocado is a tropical evergreen tree called Persea americana. It has a wide crown and grows up to 20 m tall. The straight trunk of the avocado grows quickly and branches heavily. The shiny, leathery, elliptical leaves reach a length of up to 35 cm, and the flowers, on the contrary, are small and inconspicuous. But the most valuable, of course, are avocado fruits, which are usually pear-shaped. They are used in cooking, perfumery, and cosmetology.

According to literary information, avocado was popular among the ancient Aztecs, who knew about its medicinal properties. As you know, avocado normalizes blood circulation and is very beneficial for the digestive system.

Avocado grows in the tropics and subtropics: in Central America, East and Southeast Asia, Oceania and Africa. Individual varieties are common in each of these regions. In total, there are more than 600 varieties of avocados, the most famous of which are the West Indian (Antillean), Guatemalan and Mexican varieties. Avocados bear fruit best in Peru, Chile, Mexico, Spain, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. But in Russia, where avocados grow on the Black Sea coast, they are grown mainly as an ornamental crop.

Avocados also grow at home – it’s easy to grow them yourself. To do this, you must first germinate the seed in water, and then plant the sprout in a pot with prepared soil. If desired, you can transplant the grown tree into open ground, however, in winter it will need good shelter. When caring for an avocado tree, keep in mind that it loves constantly moist and loose soil.

Since ancient times, man has been familiar with such an evergreen fruit plant like an avocado tree. Thanks to its oily, pear-shaped fruits, it is also called alligator pear, agacat, and American persea. Today, many people want to grow such a miracle fruit at home, but to do this you need to know some secrets for caring for it.

What does an avocado tree look like?

In nature, an adult avocado tree, which belongs to the laurel family, grows up to 20 m. It has a wide crown, a trunk up to 60 cm in diameter, sharp leathery leaves with a shiny dark green upper surface and whitish lower surface. Sometimes a tree sheds its leaves, but then grows them back. It is found in tropical and subtropical regions of India, America, and Africa. The avocado fruit is a large, single-seeded, dark green berry, shaped like a pear.

An adult avocado tree whose flowering does not look very attractive can be grown at home. Its inconspicuous flowers have a greenish tint. They bloom twice a season. Initially, their stamens are pollinated by pollen from other trees, and after about a day the anthers ripen and insects transfer their pollen to other plants. Experienced gardeners recommend planting several avocado trees nearby, whose flowering times overlap.

Many novice gardeners are interested in what an avocado tree looks like at home. This exotic plant can be grown at home on a windowsill. However, its height does not exceed 2.5 m. Often its growth is limited by the size of the pot. In areas with a warm climate in the summer, the plant can be taken outside, avoiding drafts. Avocado fruits at home grow smaller in size compared to garden specimens.


Planting avocados at home

Do you love exotic plants and would like to grow avocados at home? Then you need to find out everything about this tree: how to plant and care for an avocado, whether it can bloom at home and bear fruit. Only after this, having gained patience and armed with the necessary knowledge, can you begin the long process of growing this unusual alligator pear. An avocado tree can be grown at home on a windowsill, in a heated greenhouse or in a winter garden.

How to prepare an avocado seed for planting?

To grow an avocado tree at home, you must first select a ripe fruit. You can buy it in the store, but first check the selected avocado for ripeness: hold it between your palms, squeeze lightly and release. A ripe fruit will quickly restore its original shape. This means that it is ripe and you can safely buy it. You can also buy an unripe avocado, but before removing the pit from it, you need to let it ripen among bananas and apples, which emit ethylene gas, which accelerates the ripening of the fruit.

Cut the ripe fruit in half lengthwise and carefully remove the seed using a spoon. We thoroughly rinse it to remove any remaining pulp. There are three ways to plant an avocado seed:

  1. We stick toothpicks 3 mm deep into the cleaned bone on three sides, and place it with the blunt side in a glass of water. In this case, you need to make sure that only the bottom of the bone is in the water, and the puncture sites are above the water.
  2. We plant the peeled seed immediately in a pot of soil, leaving a third part above the surface. Its blunt end should be buried in the ground. We water once a week.
  3. Peel the avocado pit and immerse two-thirds of it in water. It will grow faster, and through the glass you will be able to watch the roots and stem grow.

Water for germination must be settled. You can add activated or charcoal to it. As it evaporates, water must be added. It is better to choose a large bone, which contains more nutrients. It can germinate in different periods - from a week to two months. The best time for this is spring. After the seed cracks and splits into cotyledons, roots appear from it and soon it can be transplanted into the ground.

Avocado pot

To plant an avocado seed, it is better to choose a plastic pot with a diameter of 9-15 cm and a height of about 15 cm. The container must have drainage holes to drain excess water. As soon as the sprout grows 3 cm, it is transplanted into a pot. We pour a 2 cm layer of drainage onto the bottom of the container. We make a small depression in the ground, into which we plant the sprouted seed so that its third part is above the surface of the soil.

The sprout grows very quickly at first. The avocado tree is heat-loving; growing it at home largely depends on the temperature regime. In cool summer weather, you should not take the pot with the plant outside. IN winter time When the temperature drops below +10ºС, the tree can shed its leaves, and new ones will grow only in the spring.


Avocado soil

This crop does not grow well in heavy, clayey, acidic soil, so for planting it is better to prepare in advance an earthen mixture consisting of peat, coarse sand, humus and garden soil in equal parts. You can add a pinch of lime here. The day before planting the seeds, boiling water should be poured on the ground to disinfect it. In such a soil mixture you can grow an avocado tree from a seed.

Planting avocados outside

In areas with a temperate climate, you can plant an avocado tree in a special hole, which will protect the plant from freezing in winter. To do this on sunny area you need to dig a trench 1.5 m deep and 1.2 m wide. The fertile top layer of soil is thrown in one direction, and the rest of the soil extracted when digging the trench is thrown in the other. Wall with north side make it vertical and cover it with plywood or brick. The opposite slope is made flat and covered with black film.

A drainage layer in the form of pebbles, crushed stone or gravel is laid at the bottom of the pit. The excavated top soil is poured on top of it and a plant is planted in the trench, and a polycarbonate shelter is made on top. In such a shelter, an exotic avocado tree can comfortably overwinter. Those who live in the southern coastal areas can try to grow avocados in open ground.

Where is the best place to plant an avocado?

For planting avocados, an excellent option would be a place protected from cold northern winds, for example, gentle coastal southwestern and southeastern slopes. Areas with high humidity, where cold air can stagnate in winter, are not suitable for growing trees. A large avocado tree will do well in the company of another similar species, but single plantings are also possible.


How to care for an avocado tree?

To grow an avocado tree at home, you need to provide it with careful care. This plant loves light, but will develop normally in partial shade. In summer, it should be shaded from the bright rays of the sun, and the most the best option there will be a pot of avocado placed on the west window. The tree does not tolerate sudden temperature fluctuations, and in a draft it can lose all its leaves. The same can happen when the room temperature drops to +12ºС and below.

The street avocado tree is replanted once every three years. If you decide to leave the avocado tree outside in winter, then it must be carefully insulated using any covering material. When grown in a greenhouse, it must be provided with additional heating, and the trunks must be wrapped in foam rubber. It happens that a tree blooms in winter, but the buds cannot withstand the cold and fall off, although with the arrival of spring, flowering will occur on time.

How to pinch an avocado tree?

To make the avocado a real decoration of the room, you can initially plant three plants in one pot. As they grow, their flexible branches can be intertwined with each other in a pigtail. To form a lush, beautiful crown, the tree must be pinched. This is done after eight leaves appear on the stem. As a result, the side shoots of the plant will begin to grow, and as soon as they grow, their tops also need to be pinched. This is how you can get an adult avocado tree grown indoors.


How to water an avocado?

When growing avocados at home, you need to monitor the air humidity, which should be at least 70%. To maintain it, you can spray the plants with a spray bottle. In summer, an avocado tree in a pot should be watered generously; in winter, watering should be reduced. It is better to follow this rule: the warmer the air in the room, the more frequent and abundant the watering should be. This plant is especially sensitive to both drought and overwatering because its roots do not have small root hairs. During prolonged drought, the tree stops growing, sheds leaves and even fruits.


How to fertilize avocados?

When growing avocados at home, they are fed only during the period of active growth, in the spring and summer. Do this once every 2-3 weeks using a special organic fertilizer for avocados or a balanced fertilizer for citrus fruits. In autumn and winter, the plant does not need supplements. Before fertilizing your home avocado tree, you should carefully study the instructions for using fertilizers.

How to shape an avocado tree?

For fast and uniform growth, a mature avocado tree must be pruned. Do it better in early spring or in the fall, after harvest. The work should be carried out very carefully, since the branches of the tree are brittle and can be easily damaged. The side shoots are cut off by about half, this should stimulate branching of the plant. On trees, all dry, damaged branches and those that grow into the middle of the tree are removed, thereby thickening its crown and preventing air exchange.

Avocado diseases and pests

The exotic avocado tree in the country and indoors can be affected by various pathogens and insect pests. Avocados that are grown in home conditions different from natural ones become especially vulnerable in this regard. The following diseases and pests are especially dangerous for this plant:


Over the past few decades, many exotic plants have entered the lives of domestic people. However, even in relation to the most common of them, our knowledge remains very meager and limited.

At the same time, an accurate idea of, for example, avocado is valuable not only for gardeners and gardeners who love experiments. Ordinary consumers also need this knowledge.

What it is?

Avocado is a fruit that is grown in tropical and subtropical climate regions. The main plantations of this crop are located in Indonesia.

Russian climatic conditions do not make it possible to industrially cultivate avocados, so all deliveries are made from abroad and cost a lot of money.

A few decades ago, this fruit was allegorically called “alligator pear.” This name was given due to the characteristic rough and dark green skin of the fruit, as well as its shape, similar to that of a pear.

Avocados grow on evergreen trees and have a large seed inside. However, chemical analysis shows that this fruit is closer to vegetables, since there is very little sugar in the pulp, and the energy value is quite high. The taste is rather faded and not exciting. Such properties make it possible to use avocado as a component in various salads and other combined dishes.

The fruit contains many valuable microelements and organic substances:

  • calcium;
  • iron;
  • phosphorus;
  • cellulose;
  • various amino acids.

The dietary properties of this culture are combined with its ability to have a preventive effect against many common diseases (primarily cardiovascular diseases and cancer disorders). According to doctors, eating avocado is very useful for digestive disorders.

The fruit also improves the body’s water supply, but for this reason it is contraindicated for anyone who suffers from water-salt imbalance. It is not advisable for allergy sufferers to use it: there is some specific intolerance.

Origin

Avocado grows on a tall tree (reaching 20 meters). Botanists consider this culture close to noble laurel, abundantly cultivated by the ancient Greeks. For the first time, avocado culture began to be cultivated en masse in Israel, so this country can be considered its second homeland.

She originally came from North America, more precisely - from the territory of modern Mexico. Both the Aztecs and our contemporaries living there do not neglect this culture. It has become an integral part of Caribbean cuisine.

The first description of avocados was given by Spanish invaders back in 1526. Colonizers compared the fruit to a peeled chestnut. Based on the results of archaeological excavations, it was possible to establish that avocados were known back in the 8th century AD. If we start from ancient drawings, then it can be considered proven that this fruit grew 7 - 10 thousand years ago in the gardens of the distant ancestors of the Aztecs. It was possible to find out that even then the seeds cultivated plants were larger than in the wild.

Linguists believe that the word “avocado” comes from the Aztec language Nahuatl, the literal translation is “egg tree”. Apparently, these are the associations that arose among the ancient Indians.

The main exports of avocados are now from countries such as the USA, Chile, Dominican Republic and Indonesia. The ancestral home of avocados is Mexico.

What does the tree look like?

In nature, the avocado (or Persea americana) is the only edible representative of its botanical genus, which is part of the laurel family.

The height of an adult tree reaches 6 meters, it has a wide crown. Despite the fact that the plant is an evergreen species, there are varieties that shed leaves (albeit for a very short time). The diameter of the trunk after the end of the growth period varies from 0.3 m to 0.6 m.

At the bottom the trunks are straight, closer to the top they branch. The foliage is sharp, elliptical in shape. It is dark green on top and whitish on the bottom edge. Mexican varieties can be recognized by their characteristic anise aroma. Avocado leaf is very rich essential oils However, they also contain substances harmful to human health.

The flowers are small, inconspicuous in appearance. The predominant color is pale green or yellow-green. The inflorescence is a panicle type. Most flowers have 1 pistil with a pair of cups containing 9 stamens. Flowering occurs profusely, however, complicated pollination leads to the fact that only 4% of flowers develop an ovary.

During the flowering season, the opening occurs twice. Avocados can be cultivated in several varieties at once. The avocado fruit is considered a type of pear-shaped drupe berry. The length can be up to 330 mm and the width up to 150 mm. Weight varies over a fairly wide range: from 50 g to 1.8 kg.

You can find avocados with skin of four shades:

  • dark green;
  • yellow-green;
  • red-violet;
  • dark purple.

The edible pulp begins immediately under the skin. Following it is a single seed, growing in the shape of a circle, egg or cone. If pollination was poor (or due to other reasons), some of the berries may not contain seeds.

The root system of an unusual plant allows it to grow successfully on the most different types soil. Good results are achieved on red clay and sand, limestone and loam of volcanic origin.

A prerequisite for successful avocado cultivation is good drainage. Excessive moisture, even if it does not reach a temporary flood, is contraindicated. There should be at least 9 meters of soil between the surface and the water horizon.

The fruits ripen in 0.5 - 1.5 years (the exact period is determined by the climatic conditions of the growing region and the variety). Final ripening occurs only after separation from the stalk (in 7 - 14 days at room temperature).

Features of growth

The plant has a number of growth characteristics that must be taken into account.

Under what conditions?

Avocado grows in tropical and subtropical climates, but there are certain differences between its groups.

  • So, Mexican selection of varieties most resistant to bad weather. It will be able to withstand short-term frosts of 4 to 6 degrees. Wherever oranges ripen, avocado plants from Mexico will also produce a good harvest.
  • West Indian group of varieties dies even from the slightest frost. There is simply no chance of growing them in the Russian Federation (outside of a year-round heated greenhouse).

Avocados tolerate shade well, but all development goes into the crown. Fruiting is possible only in open areas of land with intense insolation. Loose soil with deep drainage is a must, but the acidity or alkalinity of the soil is not particularly important for growth.

A prerequisite for successful avocado cultivation is loosening the root ball for effective aeration.

The American “guest” feels bad if strong winds blow. In dry air, the pollination process is disrupted and the harvest is reduced. Persea should not be overfed with fertilizers.

The less mineral salts in the water that is used to water the tree, the higher the yield.

Traditional areas for avocado cultivation: Southeast Asia, Australia, Peru, Philippines, countries of Central and South America. In Malaysia and Thailand, the exotic tree grows easily and confidently. In Russia, it can be grown exclusively on the Black Sea shores (only representatives of the Mexican group of varieties are suitable for cultivation). Abkhazian conditions are also favorable: fruits with a high concentration of oils are obtained here.

The choice between direct soil and container planting methods is determined by the climate of a particular region. If in winter there is at least a slight risk of frost of -7 degrees or more, then you need to use containers. During the cold season, it is necessary to transfer the plant to greenhouses or heated rooms. Therefore, you have to use dwarf varieties or systematically prune trees. The high growth rate of avocados necessitates its regular replanting.

At later stages of development, the largest pot no longer copes with its task. You need a barrel or some other large container. It is recommended to use containers on wheels, which are easier to move.

Note: avocado branches need special support. It will help avoid deformation of young shoots of the plant. Watering is required only during drought. When there is sufficient natural precipitation, there is no need for special soil moisture. The dryness of the soil is monitored at a depth of up to 0.25 m. Dry soil that crumbles when pricked with a stick should be watered immediately.

Fertilizing is carried out once a quarter; for this purpose, mineral and complex fertilizers, and special mixtures are used. Mature trees require nitrogen input at the end of winter and in the first days of summer, as well as annual addition of microelements.

If in nature the variety forms a cone-shaped crown, then its pruning is aimed at rounding the contour. Mature plants should not be pruned.

Before the onset of frost, each fruit should be picked (regardless of the degree of ripeness). The thing is that when cooled, the fruits will turn black and become unsuitable for food. Young avocados should be protected from frost with special covering materials. If the plant is grown in a greenhouse, then it is worth taking care of additional heating and insulating the trunks with foam rubber.

For amateur gardeners, it will be easiest to grow avocados using a seed. There is no need to buy sprouted seeds in a special store, since embryos from purchased fruits also give good results. You just need to make sure that the avocado is ripe and use the seed for planting immediately. It is recommended to plant the seed directly into the ground, since this crop tolerates replanting without much enthusiasm.

Season

Avocados bloom almost all year round (and on any continent of the globe). But, according to experts, the most delicious fruits ripen from the beginning of August to the end of April.

California avocados are available throughout the year, but Florida avocados are available only from fall to spring. Israeli fruit is available from late autumn to early winter. This is when the bulk of avocados appear on Russian store shelves.

Only hard fruits are selected for commercial shipment. And to check the maturity of the fruit by the consumer, agronomists recommend focusing on the condition of the stalk: in a ripe fruit it disappears or becomes darker.

The bone is not suitable for human consumption; it is not only tasteless, but can also be hazardous to health.

To learn how to grow an avocado from a seed at home, watch the following video.