Making Avocado Growing Easy
We talk to a lot of people about avocados. One of the most common things we hear is that they are hard to grow.
Let’s dispel the myth of avocados being hard to grow.
One of the primary reasons that avocados either die or struggle is the potting soil in which they grow. If you buy a potted avocado tree from a store, then you’re most likely buying an avocado that has been grown in shit soil. Yes, it literally probably has shit in it. Avocados are sensitive to rotting organic matter in their root zone, maybe more than any other plant.
Furthermore, if you take that potted avocado tree and plant it in clay, heavy soil, then you’re planting rotting shit in a hole that won’t drain or breathe. Recipe for death and destruction of avocado tree. What you want to do is find avocados that have either been grown the right way by someone else or grow them the right way yourself.
Laguna Hills Nursery grows avocados the right way and if you live in Southern California, then go check them out and take some of their avocado trees home with you.
We’re not sure of other growers that only grow avocados in non-organic potting soil. Alternatively, you can plant an avocado seed and grow a tree this way. Sure, it will take longer than a grafted tree would to fruit, but you can also get a new variety. All grafted, potted trees you would buy from the store were once seedling trees. The likelihood of getting a good avocado variety from seed is pretty high.
When you plant your avocado seed, plant it in a mix of peat moss / coconut coir with pumice / perlite / sand. Look to create a ratio of 2 parts aeration to 1 part water retention. For example, 2 parts pumice to 1 part peat moss. This creates a long-term, non-organic potting soil that will be breathable and will not promote root rot.
When planting avocados in the ground, you can amend clay with peat moss and pumice. The peat moss and pumice will make the clay soil lighter and promote better airflow. Don’t amend clay soil with compost. You can top-dress your avocado with compost like you would with a mulch.
If you’re amending sandy soil, you can just use peat moss. This will help the sandy soil hold water more. Again, only top-dress with compost or wood chips after you’re done planting.
There’s really not much more to growing healthy and productive avocados. There’s really a ton of mystifying misinformation out there that muddles the whole process. As long as you’re avoiding potting soil that has organic components, then you’ll be fine. Keep feeding your avocados plenty of organic fertilizer, rock dust, and compost every month and they will give you tons of fruit within a couple of years.
