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From: seb@mtgzz.UUCP (s.e.badian)
Newsgroups: net.garden
Subject: Re: avocado pit transplantation
Message-ID: <1298@mtgzz.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 22-Oct-85 17:46:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: mtgzz.1298
Posted: Tue Oct 22 17:46:15 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 23-Oct-85 06:13:39 EDT
References: <2008@kestrel.ARPA>
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	The care of avocados is rather simple. They seem to be very
tolerant plants. Most people stick toothpicks in pit and suspend
it in some water until roots start to form. From experience I have
found that avocados bought in February and March have the best chance
of sprouting. Often they'll be growing roots when you open the avocado
up. And there are some avocados that refuse to sprout roots, or after
the roots refuse to sprout a stem. Just stubborn, I guess. Though
the avocado in the glass seems to be the most common way of sprouting
an avocado, I have read that planting the pit in a regular pot with
regular potting soil is a better way to do it. You don't get a
transplant shock when you move the avocado from water to dirt. To
each his own.
	Avocados are semi-tropical plants. They like LOTS of sun.
The more the better. And with good light they grow very quickly. I've
read about people putting their avocado plants out on the patio for
the summer and being unable to fit the thing in the house at the end
of the summer. They also like it damp, but no more damp than other
plants. If you live where you need heating in the winter, you will have
to provide additional moisture for your plants. Mist them every day
or if you really want to do your plants and yourself a favor, invest
in a humidifier. It is worth every dime.
	When your avocado first starts out clip off the top of the shoot
as soon as it gets to be about 5 inches long. Continue to clip back the
plant to encourage branching. Avocados will grow straight up and have only
2 leaves if you let them. They don't make very attractive houseplants
this way. Don't worry about hurting the plant. They're tougher than you
think.
	Fertilize with ordinary houseplant fertilizer for foliage plants.
Indoor avocados will rarely flower and besides you need a male and female
tree to make more avocados. 
	As for watering, keep them damp, but not soggy. Don't let them
dry out, but they're pretty tough, so if it dries out once in a while
it probably won't kill it. Might stunt its growth a little, but after
a while you may wish for that. A better way to stunt its growth is to
keep it in a small pot. When it comes time to transplant (about once a
year until it gets pretty big, and then whenever you feel ambitious)
put the plant in the same size pot with new soil. The plant won't grow
much bigger since its roots are cramped, but it will stay healthy since
it has fresh soil.
	The above information is gleaned from books and personal 
experience. 

Sharon Badian
ihnp4!mtgzz!seb