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Avocado grows in regions with a warm climate. Belongs to the genus Perseus, the Lavrov family. The ubiquitous laurel is also one of them. More than 600 varieties of avocados are known. Other names of the plant: “American Persia”, “Midshipmen’s Oil”, “Agakat”, “Aguacate”. The people have an even stranger name – “Alligator Pear”. After all, the fruit has an elongated, pear-shaped shape and is covered with a rough, green skin, resembling a crocodile skin in appearance.
Valuable avocados are for cooking, cosmetology, perfumery. Fruits contain amino acids, fiber, iron, phosphorus, calcium. According to doctors, an exotic fruit is useful for digestive disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and oncology.
What does an avocado plant look like?
Avocado is an evergreen fruit tree. Has a wide crown. It grows in height from 6 to 18 m. The trunk is straight, 30-60 cm in diameter, branched towards the top. Foliage lanceolate, elliptical, leathery. The edges are pointed. The leaf plate is shiny. The upper side is dark green, the lower side is whitish. Length – 35 cm. The leaves are saturated with essential oils, contain toxic substances. The green part of Mexican varieties smells like anise. For a short time, the avocado sheds foliage, but the vegetative process does not stop, the tree continues to grow. This is affected by weather conditions.
Avocado flowers are inconspicuous, small, bisexual. The color of the petals is light green or pale yellow. Inflorescences are collected in panicles. Flowering is usually abundant, but the ovaries are solitary. This is due to the complex process of pollination. To get a crop, you need to grow several types of avocados at once in one area. But so that the periods of flowering during growth do not intersect.
The fruits are pear-shaped, oval or almost round. There is a neck. Avocado grows 8-33 cm long, up to 15 cm wide. The weight of one fruit, depending on the variety, varies from 50 g to 2 kg. The skin is dense. The color is dark green, purple, yellow-green. Under it is edible pulp. The consistency is oily, the color is bright green, soft structure. The pulp has a rich walnut flavor. In the center of the fruit there is a large seed, oval in shape and 5-6 cm long. The seed is hard, the shell is brown.
How does avocado grow in nature
The avocado tree easily adapts to weather conditions and location. However, there are differences between varieties:
- the West Indian grows in a tropical climate, prefers a humid and hot atmospheric regime, especially during the formation of fruits, flowering;
- Guatemalan varieties grow in the highlands, they are more resistant to negative factors and climate change;
- Mexican avocados are able to tolerate even minor frosts – 4-6 ° C. Grow quickly, but the size of the fruit is small.
In nature, the avocado tree grows well on red clay, limestone, volcanic loam. The main thing is the presence of drainage. The tree will not survive on excessively moist soil, areas of flooding, even temporary. Groundwater should be 9 m below the surface, then the root system develops fully. The less mineral salts in the water, the higher the yield of the tree. The pH value is irrelevant. The soil must be loose, with full access to oxygen.
Without problems, the tree grows in shady areas. Fruiting is possible only in open areas with intensive installation. In dry air, the pollination process is disrupted, which directly affects the yield. Avocados do not grow well in places blown by cold winds.
In which countries does avocado grow?
Botanists believe that culture could grow even among the ancient Greeks. The first mention of it appeared in 1518-1520. Sailors compared the fruit to a peeled chestnut. Determining exactly the country of origin of an avocado tree is difficult. Presumably it comes from the territory of modern Mexico. The Aztecs had an integral part of the national cuisine.
Israel can be considered a second home. There, avocados grew massively, so the locals began to sell the fruit. It is known that seafarers brought fruits from the American continent to Indonesia, then to Brazil, a couple of centuries later – to Australia and Africa. European countries became interested in exotic culture only in the 19th century.
Natural range – tropics and subtropics. An avocado tree grows in Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Peru, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, and the USA. New Zealand, the countries of Central America, the Caribbean, and Spain are no exception. Each region has its own species. Avocados are commercially grown in Mexico. It is Mexican fruits that can be bought throughout the year in Europe.
Does avocado grow in Our Country
In the summer season, avocados are also grown in Our Country. However, exclusively on the Black Sea coast.
It is worth noting that Mexican varieties are suitable for a temperate climate. In Our Country, there is no chance to get the West Indian variety. Only if the tree will grow in a year-round heated greenhouse. Which way to choose: planting a plant in open ground or growing in a container is determined depending on the weather conditions of a particular region.
If in winter the temperature drops below -5-7 °C, it is necessary to use containers. When it gets colder, they are brought into greenhouses or warm rooms and continue cultivation further. In this case, it is worth breeding dwarf varieties or you will have to systematically prune the tree. The tree grows rapidly, so it is recommended to choose large containers or containers with wheels. Then it can be freely moved, taken out to open areas in the warm season.
The growing shoots of a young tree are quite fragile, so an appropriate support is needed. This support will save the plant from deformation. In nature, the Mexican avocado variety grows in the shape of a cone. Pruning is performed in order to give a rounded contour to the crown. However, when the avocado tree grows, pruning is no longer required.
During periods of drought, soil monitoring is essential. If the soil at a depth of 25 cm is dry, crumbles, then it is required to water immediately. When there is sufficient rainfall, there is no need to specially moisten.
Feeding avocados is recommended once every 1-3 months. Mineral fertilizers or special complexes are optimal for feeding an exotic species. Mature trees need a moderate amount of nitrogen at the end of winter or early summer in order to grow vigorously.
There are amateur gardeners who are able to grow a whole tree from a stone. Good results show seeds from purchased fruits. Just make sure that the fruit is fully ripe beforehand. Avocado grows quickly, but does not tolerate transplantation well. Therefore, for planting, it is advisable to immediately pick up a large pot.
Before the first cold weather, the fruits must be plucked, regardless of the degree of maturity. Overcooling, they will definitely turn black and become unsuitable for eating. In the greenhouse, you need to create favorable temperature and humidity parameters so that the tree continues to grow. You can cover the trunk with foam rubber or other insulation. A young culture that grows on the street must be wrapped in heat-retaining materials.
Avocado season
The fruit ripening period is 6-18 months. This long period depends on the variety and climatic conditions of the area where the avocado grows. For example, six months is enough for Mexican varieties to ripen, and Guatemalan fruits grow for a long time and are fully ready only after 17-18 months from the moment of pollination. The tree blooms all year round on any continent. In Thailand, the avocado season begins in September-October. It is believed that the most delicious exotic fruits ripen from August to April.
Interestingly, the fruits continue to grow on the branches and gain volume even after full ripening. And purple avocados acquire a juicy color long before they reach maturity. Final ripening does not occur while the exotic fruit is attached to the stalk, as it continues to grow. Fruit ripening will occur at room temperature for another 10-14 days after the breakdown.
The California fruit grows and is sold year-round, while the Florida fruit is marketed from fall through spring. Guatemalan avocados can be stored at a temperature of + 5-7 ° C for up to a month and a half. Transportation of fruits is carried out at a temperature of + 4 °C.
For commercial sale, choose solid fruits. Mexican varieties of avocados, on the contrary, require immediate sale, as they lose color. Israeli avocados stop growing by November. It was during this period that the bulk enters the market.
Often unripe fruit is sold on Thai stalls. Firm to the touch, with dense pulp, and the taste is reminiscent of green melon. Such a product needs to catch up. The ripeness of the fruit is determined by the condition of the stem. At the finished avocado, it stops growing and disappears, and the place under it becomes a little darker. To speed up the process, the fruits are placed in one bag with bananas or apples. To keep fresh longer, sprinkle the pulp along the cut plane with lemon or lime juice. A ripe avocado tastes like green herb puree with butter and a hint of walnut. The fruits are used to prepare fresh salads, sauces
Conclusion
Avocado grows on a tall evergreen tree. Inside the fruit has a large bone. It is considered a fruit, but chemical analysis shows that the exotic product is more similar to vegetables. The sugar content in the pulp is extremely low, but the energy value is high. It does not evoke strong flavors. Avocado prefers to grow wild in tropical and subtropical climates. The main plantations are located in Indonesia. The climatic conditions of Our Country do not allow trees to grow and, accordingly, to grow avocados on an industrial scale, so the supply of fruits is made from abroad.
