Why an avocado? The answer… “Pot Dynamics”.
by Elaine Higgins
Why an avocado? I absolutely love to grow my own food! There is nothing more satisfying than picking your own bounties. All of my favorite things seem to come from trees, like the avocado. Since I live in the wrong zone, growing an avocado tree outdoor isn’t an option. So how do I make something so big grow in my short, indoor space? The answer… “Pot Dynamics”.
The biology of a plant chemically changes when the bottom half is root bound, this is a gardening trick that has been used by all types of gardeners. This gives you, as the grower, a more manageable plant. Growing indoors can be very daunting – it can become a full time job. A shorter plant not only allows for easier maintenance, but it can also bare as much fruit with proper horticulture practices.
The first thing to do, of course is eat an avocado. Once you’ve enjoyed that delicious treat, remove the seed, clean it up with some water and set it aside. Avocado seeds are round, hard, heavy, and ivory in color. They are in enclosed in two brown, thin, paper like, skins that are often attached to the flesh cavity. The skin does not need to be removed, but will not hurt the seed if you choose to remove it.
In a 12 inch pot, fill the bottom with a 1 inch layer of mulch. It should be 15% height by volume or three-quarters inch of peat gravel will work well too. The peat gravel or mulch allows excess water to escape. Keep in mind that your plant, whichever kind it may be, absorbs what it requires and eliminates the excess. Leaving a plant in a saucer of water is like making a person sit in their own waste.
Continue to fill your pot with moist soil until the pot is half full – I prefer Promix or Sunshine mix. Place your seed in the pot, pointed side down. Bury it, so that the top half is exposed. Lightly water and place it under an Endomaxx150 watt CMH or in the sunlight. The Endomaxx 150 watt CMH can easily take the place of a 600-watt, in the right grow room environment.
The half full pot of soil will allow your root zone to become root bound. This will chemically set the height of your plant. This is very important, since an avocado tree can reach heights of 80 feet – If only my ceilings were that tall.
Once the plant is root bound, fill the pot to the top with soil. This encourages your plant to grow outward instead of upward. The plants energy will now be spent on sprouting new growth. This is known as “Pot Dynamics”.
Another popular method of controlling your plants height is called Femming. Once your plant has grown a couple of pairs of leaves cut off the new growth from in between the leaves (it’s a hard little nub). Pinch the nub off with your fingertips – scissors can be used, but be very cautious not to remove anything else. This is done so that your plant doesn’t grow into a three-foot-tall twig with very few leaves. This method also encourages your plant to fill out or grow outward. Once your plant has been femmed, place it underneath an Endomaxx 150 watt CMH or out in the sunlight and simply wait for your bounty of avocados!
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