How to make Avocado Bonsai : care and maintenance

Avocado Bonsai- Any tree can be grown as bonsai when pruned in correct intervals and shaping is done once every three weeks. Avocado is a large tree that grows up to a height of 40 feet and is native to Tropical America (particularly in Mexico and Central America) which can be grown indoors as bonsai. Surprising right? Avocado is well known for its large and oily fruit, which is a single-seeded berry. It is an alternative to meat, as a rich source of fat and beta-sitosterol.

Contents show

What is Bonsai

The art of growing miniature trees in pots or containers, by training and pruning them regularly is called bonsai. It originated from a Chinese art called penjing and when the Japanese imperial embassy and Buddhist students visited China in the 6th century, they brought back many new ideas and potted trees. Soon these container plants began showing up in areas all around Japan and also spread to other countries. These potted trees have become a stress relief hobby for many in Western countries for their aesthetic value.

Some basic facts about the avocado tree are given below

FACTS	DESCRIPTION
Scientific name	Persea americana
Common name	Avocado (or) The Alligator Pear
Family	Lauraceae
Native	Mexico and Central America
Height	35 – 40 feet
Lifespan	200 – 400 years
Leaves	Medium to long (7.62 -25 cm), Oblong to elliptical in shape and alternatively arranged.
Fruit	Bright green fruits with a large seed and dark leathery skin.
Trunk diameter	0.3 – 0.6 m
Cultivation	As plantations and as Bonsai
Symbolism	Love

SHIFT FROM PLANTATIONS TO BONSAI

The gradual shift of people from Tree to Bonsai cultivation occurred primarily because of its popularity and usefulness. Bonsai avocado supplies fresh fruits under proper maintenance both indoors and outdoors. And it’s quite easy to grow an avocado bonsai.

HOW TO GROW AN AVOCADO BONSAI?

STEP 1: GETTING THE SUPPLIES

To grow an avocado bonsai, proper maintenance and training is essential. That can be achieved by regular pruning and early training. To make a bonsai avocado tree we need :

Avocado seed
Potting mixture
A small pot
Sterilized pruning shears
Fertilizer

STEP 2: SELECTING THE CORRECT VARIETY:

There are over 900 species of avocado and not every one of them can be grown into an avocado bonsai. Hence it becomes a little challenging to choose the correct variety for your bonsai. The varieties that grow well and have good-quality fruits are:

Hass
Gwen
Lamb hass
Wurtz
Little cado
Whitsell

STEP 3: PLANTING THE AVOCADO SEED

We can plant a seed in the pot and let it germinate under the set conditions or the nursery grow a seedling and then prune and transplant it. The nursery transplant technique is widely adopted as the seedlings do not face any stress in the nursery environment and can be easily maintained.

To grow a brand-new plant, we will need a glass jar filled with water, toothpicks, and an avocado pit. Use the toothpicks to suspend the pit in the water, by supporting it in the rim of the jar. After it grows to a height of 15 cm, cut it back to half its size. When you see leaves in the seedling transplant it to a pot leaving half the pit exposed.

STEP 4: REQUIREMENTS OF AN AVOCADO BONSAI :

FACTORS	REQUIREMENTS
Temperature	15.5 – 29.4 ºC
Soil	Well-drained and free-draining soil Particularly sandy loam soil is recommended.
Water	Once every 2-3 days. pH should not exceed 7 (5.-6.5)
Sunlight	5 – 6 hours
Nutrient Management	Requires Nitrogen and a little bit of Zinc. Add some slow-release fertilizer to the potting mixture each time you repot

TEMPERATURE

The avocado tree is native to tropical America and requires a slightly warmer climate than other bonsai trees. It can tolerate a temperature range from 30-32ºF ( -1 to 0ºC). But the optimum temperature range for the bonsai is 60-85ºF (15.5 – 29.4 ºC).

SOIL

Basically, for bonsai cultivation, horticultural soil can be used. The plant grows well in sandy soil which is mixed with compost. Sandy loam soil is recommended as the roots will be able to hold firmly, especially hence it grows in size.

WATERING

Avocado bonsai requires regular watering but cannot tolerate water logging. Water the plant on the day of planting and then skip to every two days. During the rainy season, water the bonsai 2 times every week and during hot summer it should have at least 2 inches of water every week.

SUNLIGHT

The plant requires an ample number of sunshine hours (5-6 hours) every day. Even where direct sunlight is deficient, artificial lighting should be provided. Bright light even indirect is beneficial for the growth of the plant.

NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT

The essential element that helps the avocado grow better is nitrogen. Hence, we have to supply fertilizer rich in nitrogen and a little bit of zinc to enhance the growth of the plant. We can also use hydroponic nutrient supplements for the bonsai.

STEP 5: CARE FOR AVOCADO BONSAI:

PINCHING:

Usually, avocados are not grown as bonsai because of their quick growth and large-sized leaves (which grows to a length of 10 inches). to control the growth rate and size of leaves a process called pinching. Pinching is the process of pruning the leaves and branches of the plant while it’s still growing. This will increase the trunk’s stability and prevents the leaves from growing to their full size.

Sterilize the pruning scissors with a 1:9 ratio of bleach to water and soak it for 5 mins. Decide on the bonsai style and prune the branches and gently trim the leaves to bring them to the desired shape and size.

TRAINING:

Before training the tree, the style of bonsai (out of 10 different ones available) should be decided first. The avocado trees can be trained using flexible copper or aluminum wires. The wire should be tied firmly but not too tightly as it may prevent the growth of the plant.

Fishing lines can also be used as a guidewire for the training of bonsai trees. With the fishing line gently tie it around the branches and pull to bring it to the desired shape and tie it to the pot. Training should be done twice every year once new growth is observed. And guidewires should be changed so there are no permanent markings on the trunk.

REPOTTING:

Avocado is a fast-growing tree, it grows to a height of 2 feet every year, hence it outgrows the pot and requires repotting at least once every 2 years when pruned regularly.

While repotting the roots and branches had to be pruned and the potting mixture has to be changed to ensure proper growth. the size of the pot depends on the root length of the tree.

PEST AND DISEASE

Pest and disease problems faced by the avocado bonsai damage the plant extensively and hence has to be dealt with care. A few of the pests and diseases seen in bonsai avocados are

Sunblotch
Cankers
Fruit rots
Lace bugs

CONCLUSION:

Generally, Bonsai tree growing is demanding, and avocado faces an undue disadvantage due to its fast growth rate (2 feet per year) and its large leaves. Nonetheless, it can be grown as a bonsai with a small amount of harvest each year with proper care and maintenance. With every challenge we face, we end up creating something very beautiful in life.

Latest Post