Plant*Growth: Avocados/ Citrus

Hey plant fam! 👋 Following up on my last post where I shared my lovely avocado and citrus plants, I wanted to dive a little deeper into how I got them thriving, especially for those of you curious about starting your own! It truly is such a rewarding journey, and I promise, it's not as hard as it seems, even for beginners. Let's talk about those avocado seeds! I've tried a few methods, but my favorite is definitely the soil method, or sometimes starting in water. For soil, I just clean the seed and plant it about halfway down in a small pot with good drainage, using regular potting mix. Make sure the flatter, wider end is down. Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. You'll need a bit of patience – sometimes it takes weeks, or even a couple of months, but watching that first little taproot emerge is pure magic! If you want to try the water method, just suspend the seed with toothpicks over a glass of water, making sure the bottom is always submerged. Once you see a good root system and a stem, transfer it to soil. Once your little sprout appears, it's so exciting! You'll see tiny leaves unfurl. My youngest avocado plants (like the two tiny, newly sprouted ones I showed ready for repotting) usually stay in their starter pots for a few months until they've developed a solid root ball and are about 6-8 inches tall. That's when I move them to a slightly larger pot. When repotting, I try to disturb the roots as little as possible. Good drainage is key for these guys. I've found that giving them a slightly bigger home encourages more vigorous growth, especially during summer! Caring for potted avocado plants indoors has been a learning curve for me. They love bright, indirect light – a sunny window is perfect, but avoid direct scorching sun. Watering is crucial: I let the top inch or two of soil dry out completely before watering thoroughly until water drains from the bottom. Overwatering is a common mistake that can lead to root rot. During the growing season (spring and summer), I'll sometimes give them a diluted liquid fertilizer every few weeks. They also appreciate a bit of humidity, especially indoors, so grouping them with other plants or using a pebble tray can help. Now, about how big they get! In their natural habitat, avocado trees can become huge, but in a pot, you have more control. My older potted avocado plants of different ages (like the ones in the white, dark brown, blue, and red pots from my post, which range from a few months to over a year) show that they can grow quite tall even indoors. To keep them bushy and manageable, I've started pruning them. When the plant is about 12-18 inches tall, I'll 'pinch' off the top two sets of leaves. This encourages the plant to branch out, giving you a fuller look instead of just one tall stem. I do this periodically as they grow. While I'm not aiming for an 'avocado bonsai,' this kind of regular pruning helps maintain a nice shape and size for my indoor space. It's amazing to see their 'summer growth' after a good prune! And those citrus plants? They truly were a happy accident! Sometimes nature just takes over. I just threw a few seeds into an existing pot, kept watering, and boom – tiny citrus plants sprouted accidentally from seeds! It just goes to show that sometimes, the simplest approach works. It reinforces what I said in my original post: don't get discouraged if a plant dries up or if you don't get it right the first time. Every plant parent has successes and failures. It's all part of the learning process. Keep trying, keep learning, and enjoy watching your green babies 'grown significantly' and bring so much joy to your home!