Growing avocado
 

Just for fun I stuck an avocado stone in a pot and watered it. It erupted
into a little plant rather more vigorously than I expected, but I'm
wondering about its future.

I suppose it's not likely to grow into anything significant in this country,
but might it be an interesting plant? Will it survive outside, or in an
unheated greenhouse? Is it destibed to die?

--
Androo

Growing avocado
 

"androo" wrote in message
...
Just for fun I stuck an avocado stone in a pot and watered it. It erupted
into a little plant rather more vigorously than I expected, but I'm
wondering about its future.

I suppose it's not likely to grow into anything significant in this
country,
but might it be an interesting plant? Will it survive outside, or in an
unheated greenhouse? Is it destibed to die?

--
Androo


It makes a rather boring houseplant and you are unlikely to get fruit

Growing avocado
 

"androo" wrote ...
Just for fun I stuck an avocado stone in a pot and watered it. It erupted
into a little plant rather more vigorously than I expected, but I'm
wondering about its future.

I suppose it's not likely to grow into anything significant in this
country,
but might it be an interesting plant? Will it survive outside, or in an
unheated greenhouse? Is it destibed to die?

It's not that interesting because you will have a job getting it big enough
to become so unless you have access to the Palm House at Kew or similar. It
is tropical and will not survive a frost, or even the cold, either outside
or in an unheated greenhouse.
Sorry.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

Growing avocado
 

In message , androo
writes
Just for fun I stuck an avocado stone in a pot and watered it. It erupted
into a little plant rather more vigorously than I expected, but I'm
wondering about its future.

I suppose it's not likely to grow into anything significant in this country,
but might it be an interesting plant? Will it survive outside, or in an
unheated greenhouse? Is it destibed to die?

I grew one a few years ago. Very boring. Not worth the effort.
--
June Hughes

Growing avocado
 

"androo" wrote
Just for fun I stuck an avocado stone in a pot and watered it. It
erupted into a little plant rather more vigorously than I expected,
but I'm
wondering about its future. snip

I did exactly the same thing a few months back, put it on the
conservatory windowsill and forgot about it.

It didn't do anything until I recently brought it into the kitchen
whereupon it sprouted up several inches in days. I was chuffed as
anything... until I googled previous threads and found out people
thought they were completely boring as houseplants! :-/ Oh well, it's
fun to try these things anyway, and I've pinched out the tip to stop it
going up to the ceiling, which growing so fast it seemed well set to do.
Shall keep it until I get fed up with it and want its space for
something else. I don't think they survive being frosted outside in this
country.

--
Sue

Growing avocado
 

It didn't do anything until I recently brought it into the kitchen
whereupon it sprouted up several inches in days. I was chuffed as
anything... until I googled previous threads and found out people
thought they were completely boring as houseplants! :-/ Oh well, it's
fun to try these things anyway, and I've pinched out the tip to stop it
--
Sue


I suspected as much. It may have to give up its pot if it's as boring as it
sounds.

ta.

Androo

I'm having to post via the dreaded Garden Banter (can't be arsed to sort out a Usenet provider and am still looking for a sensible and viable ISP [Wanadoo is the pits!!!]- nuff of that) so I'm not sure how many replies you've had. If you live within the Greater London conurbation, along sheltered parts of the south coast or in the far south west, you can successfully grow avocados to near tree-like proportions if you can provide wind shelter. As a 3-5 foot high, spindly 'twig' in a pot, it is a very dull plant indeed. Grown to a few to several metres high and across, it makes a very impressive shrub or tree with fine foliage.

It does produce in the UK and if you are geographically fortunate, you may even pick a moderate crop of palatable fruits after a decent summer. They will not be as large as those in the shops, but be grateful - this is England and they normally do their stuff in far warmer places. If you are so inclined, grow your seedling on for a year, keep it frost free next winter and plant it out during late May in a sunny corner. Nay-sayers may think otherwise, but I rate it quite highly, but only for the south.

Growing avocado
 

"Dave Poole" wrote in message
...

I'm having to post via the dreaded Garden Banter (can't be arsed to sort
out a Usenet provider and am still looking for a sensible and viable ISP
[Wanadoo is the pits!!!]- nuff of that) so I'm not sure how many replies
you've had. If you live within the Greater London conurbation, along
sheltered parts of the south coast or in the far south west, you can
successfully grow avocados to near tree-like proportions if you can
provide wind shelter. As a 3-5 foot high, spindly 'twig' in a pot, it
is a very dull plant indeed. Grown to a few to several metres high and
across, it makes a very impressive shrub or tree with fine foliage.

It does produce in the UK and if you are geographically fortunate, you
may even pick a moderate crop of palatable fruits after a decent
summer. They will not be as large as those in the shops, but be
grateful - this is England and they normally do their stuff in far
warmer places. If you are so inclined, grow your seedling on for a
year, keep it frost free next winter and plant it out during late May
in a sunny corner. Nay-sayers may think otherwise, but I rate it quite
highly, but only for the south.


--
Dave Poole

David your post confirms what I have been told by a few friends living in
London.
One has been so successful that they are attempting to grow Mangifera Indica
(Nam Doc Mai). This variety is supposedly more suited to our climate.
Do you know what varieties the supermarkets sell?

Growing avocado
 

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:

David your post confirms what I have been told by a few friends
living in London.
One has been so successful that they are attempting to grow Mangifera
Indica (Nam Doc Mai). This variety is supposedly more suited to our
climate.


Ummm, I've got a carefully selected multi stem (multi sprouts from the
original seed) avocado about 10 years old which has now got too big
(2.5mtall) to keep bringing in and out of the house each winter (or so the
boss tells me!) so I was planning one more year on the patio then the dump
but I may give it a go in the ground close to the spot where my loquat
fruited last summer.

Any advice to give it its best chance?

pk

Growing avocado
 

Sue wrote:
It didn't do anything until I recently brought it into the kitchen
whereupon it sprouted up several inches in days. I was chuffed as
anything... until I googled previous threads and found out people
thought they were completely boring as houseplants!

the trick is to sprout many seeds. Most will sprout and grow a single stem,
but occasionally a seed will sprout multi stems and gowth will be less tree
and more shrub like with no need to pinch out

pk

Growing avocado
 

"Dave Poole" wrote

I'm having to post via the dreaded Garden Banter (can't be arsed to sort
out a Usenet provider and am still looking for a sensible and viable ISP
[Wanadoo is the pits!!!]- nuff of that) so I'm not sure how many replies
you've had. If you live within the Greater London conurbation, along
sheltered parts of the south coast or in the far south west, you can
successfully grow avocados to near tree-like proportions if you can
provide wind shelter. As a 3-5 foot high, spindly 'twig' in a pot, it
is a very dull plant indeed. Grown to a few to several metres high and
across, it makes a very impressive shrub or tree with fine foliage.

It does produce in the UK and if you are geographically fortunate, you
may even pick a moderate crop of palatable fruits after a decent
summer. They will not be as large as those in the shops, but be
grateful - this is England and they normally do their stuff in far
warmer places. If you are so inclined, grow your seedling on for a
year, keep it frost free next winter and plant it out during late May
in a sunny corner. Nay-sayers may think otherwise, but I rate it quite
highly, but only for the south.


Dave, how far South are we talking?
I would expect them to perhaps grow in the Central London area in a
sheltered walled garden but you intimate they will take frost to a couple of
degrees or more as in the South every winter. Decades since I tried it
without success but do they really grow here now with things getting warmer?

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

Growing avocado
 

In article ,
Dave Poole writes:
|
| It does produce in the UK and if you are geographically fortunate, you
| may even pick a moderate crop of palatable fruits after a decent
| summer. They will not be as large as those in the shops, but be
| grateful - this is England and they normally do their stuff in far
| warmer places. If you are so inclined, grow your seedling on for a
| year, keep it frost free next winter and plant it out during late May
| in a sunny corner. Nay-sayers may think otherwise, but I rate it quite
| highly, but only for the south.

Interesting. I didn't get around to posting, but it is definitely a
SUB-tropical plant, and it takes light frost in California, Africa etc.
Apparently, there are a couple of species that are hardier, but I don't
think that any would survive in my garden :-(

On an unrelated matter, my Feijoa came through last winter in a pot
with no protection and without dropping leaves - and the soil froze
several times. That is most definitely a plant that deserves more
attention. My pomegranate did, too, but I didn't expect that to
worry too much about frost as such.



Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Growing avocado
 

"p.k." wrote
Sue wrote:
It didn't do anything until I recently brought it into the kitchen
whereupon it sprouted up several inches in days. I was chuffed as
anything... until I googled previous threads and found out people
thought they were completely boring as houseplants!

the trick is to sprout many seeds. Most will sprout and grow a single
stem, but occasionally a seed will sprout multi stems and gowth will
be less tree and more shrub like with no need to pinch out

Thanks for the tip, pk. I'll try a few more and see what happens.

--
Sue

Growing avocado
 

DavePoole Torquay wrote:

PK It may be worth giving your plant a try on the most sheltered side
of your loquat. Its chances of survival depends entirely the duration
and severity of the frosts in your garden. Covering with a couple of
layers of fleece during cold spells in the first winter will improve
its chances, but even this will not be enough if you live in a cold
part of the country.

I've got nothong to lose amd a divirce looming if i bring it back in next
winter so i will give it a try!

I'll report id ue course!

pk

Curious to know how you got on with the avocado ;-)

I'd love to grow them myself and am interested to hear if anyone else has done it successfully.

I live in Kent.