My Avocado

[jerseycub]

This is a avocado that I grew this year from a few pits that I had saved after making dip.

This is a second plant that took much longer to sprout

I started them in small pots to force them to sprout faster

Maybe if I am lucky I can get them to grow six feet or more.

[hollyberrylady08]

Neat - I did that once too! Yours look pretty good. I never grew mine to 6 feet, but it did grow a foot or more for me.

Someone on another gardening forum was telling me about how they are sprouting a mango seed too. Makes an interesting houseplant. I love experiments. Thanks for sharing.

: )

[jerseycub]

My dad grew a Grapefruit tree from a seed and kept it in the house, after a year or so it grew tiny grapefruits but they never got any size to them. It was amazing that he was able to get it to grow enough inside to even have fruit on it.

I'm going to put the avocado outside as soon as the Temperature gets in the steady 70s. I think the open air helps plants thrive as long as they don't get to cold.

[hollyberrylady08]

I have no problems believing that your dad grew grapefruits inside - I've grown a dwarf pomegranate inside too. I had to hand pollinate the blooms myself. Pretty cool, indeed.

I have many neat and new fruit tree varieties I am going to experiment with over the winter - including blood orange, dwarf sweet lime, persimmons, loqoat, dwarf lemon, and a couple more that my friend in Ecuador is sending me. I have a metal halide HID light system, to support them over the cold, dark winter months, and give them a good start.

: )

[rivervalleymama]

Now I gotta get my hand on some avacado! It's guac season anyway right? Well, at least it's getting there...
I also want to grow orange, lemon and banana. You guys are enablers. Like I don't have enough projects!

[hollyberrylady08]

I am growing a dwarf banana plant this season too! I am doing a trade with someone from the International Banana Society, for some seeds, as well as a couple of pups!

I like the dwarf kinds that can be grown in a container. Banana plants are cool, huh? There's actually a place right here in London that sells many different varieties! I like to grow from seed or seedling though, so doing a trade with someone is perfect for me. I understand the seeds take about a month to sprout.

: )

[rivervalleymama]

Is that one that will grow edible bananas? My parents got a catalog sometime back that had one that would grow ones you could eat. It was supposed to be an outdoor plant for southern areas but it said that it could be grown in a container and overwintered indoors.....This was a young plant- not seeds. I'll have to find that catalog.

[hollyberrylady08]

Well they're all edible actually - just depends on whether you wanna have a mouthful of seeds or not! They call the seedy bananas inedible, even though they are still able to be eaten.

For the record though, yes, mine will produce edible (or seedless) bananas!

: )

[hollyberrylady08]

The pups will produce edible fruits, and the seeds will produce a dwarf ornamental variety, but I am told the fruits are still quite tasty. I am gonna eat 'em both!

: )

[rivervalleymama]

Well that's cool!
BTT-
My mom always sprouted avacado seeds to show me that it could be done I guess- growing up- but never did anything beyond taht. I think they were just forgtten about....

[hollyberrylady08]

Yeah I think a lot of people who are into plants have tried the old avocado germination experiment - it's so fun to watch.

: )

[rivervalleymama]

JC- Are those two different types of avacado? Did the first one look the same as the second at that stage? They look quite different so I'm curious.

[jerseycub]

Jun 4, 2009 18:56:24 GMT -6 @rivervalleymama said:

JC- Are those two different types of avacado? Did the first one look the same as the second at that stage? They look quite different so I'm curious.

CK: First I apologize for no answering this post, but I had forgotten about it until I stumbled on it today.

Those are the same verity of Avocado, they were planted at the same time however the smaller of the two took much longer to sprout. Which tells me you have to put them in a potting mix and just forget about them for a while, just make sure they get water.

Plant the pit (seed) fat side down pointy side up with just enough potting mix to cover the top. That's it. I used a small pot thinking it would force the plant to grow faster because they do have a large root system as they grow. OH one other thing I mixed bone meal with the potting mix nothing else. You should have success with them, this was the first time I had tried it and they both grew.

[jerseycub]

Jun 1, 2009 14:09:27 GMT -6 @hollyberrylady08 said:

I have no problems believing that your dad grew grapefruits inside - I've grown a dwarf pomegranate inside too. I had to hand pollinate the blooms myself. Pretty cool, indeed.

I have many neat and new fruit tree varieties I am going to experiment with over the winter - including blood orange, dwarf sweet lime, persimmons, loqoat, dwarf lemon, and a couple more that my friend in Ecuador is sending me. I have a metal halide HID light system, to support them over the cold, dark winter months, and give them a good start.

: )

HBL: Question what is a (metal halide HID light system)? And how does it work? Is it the same as a heat lamp?

I know I should have said questions

[Rita]

www.jasons-indoor-guide-to-organic-and-hydroponics-gardening.com/indoor-grow-lights.html

Here you go JC ... they are awesome but a little over my budget

[jerseycub]

Jun 5, 2009 11:44:37 GMT -6 Rita said:

www.jasons-indoor-guide-to-organic-and-hydroponics-gardening.com/indoor-grow-lights.html

Here you go JC ... they are awesome but a little over my budget

Dag!!! Mine too

[Rita]

Yup a few florescent grow lights in the early spring and I am good to go .. Ya really only need that if you want to grow some veggies inside the house ... Think I am set if I can and freeze enough I will at least have a few things to get me through the winter ..

Your avocado plants look great tho

[hollyberrylady08]

Jerseycub:

It's like a fluorescent, which I have too, but it's brighter and has a high intensity discharge = HID. It enables me to grow many veggies, fruits and flowers over the winter.

A flourescent too though, which is way cheaper, can still support many cool plants! I like them both for different times of the year.

: )

[rivervalleymama]

Well, i bought an avacado yesterday and will be enoying it on crackers today- maybe wit some salmon salad, mmmmmmm. And then I off to grow my plant!!!! THanks for the pointers!

[hollyberrylady08]

Makes me want to grow another avocado plant! I like them too.

: )

[msbsgblue]

I kept 3 mango seeds and have them dried, what is best way to plant them and what about soil?