While we’ve talked about how to grow avocado trees inside and in pots, the reality is that unless you grow your avocado tree under a grow light, it’s challenging to get a tree to produce fruit growing inside. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t grow an avocado houseplant. These plants make lovely, attractive houseplants that are easy to care for and brighten up any room. This article will discuss the benefits of houseplants and how to grow avocado houseplants.
Benefits of Houseplants
There’s a good reason so many people pick up houseplants as a hobby. Studies show numerous benefits to keeping certain plants in your house. Here are just a few of the benefits of houseplants:
Avocado Houseplants Maintain Humidity
Heating and air conditioning systems in your home can decrease the humidity to uncomfortable levels. This lack of moisture can increase your likelihood of catching a cold and can make your skin itch. Houseplants add moisture back into the air to keep the humidity levels in your rooms at a comfortable level.
Purify the Air
Many everyday items in our homes, like carpets, paints, cleaning chemicals, and printers, can give off VOCs or volatile organic compounds. VOCs build up in the air and irritate our eyes, skin, and respiratory systems. Luckily, houseplants “scrub” the air of these compounds.
Avocado Houseplants Relieve Allergies
Research shows that rooms with plants have less dust and mold. This is because houseplants, including avocado houseplants, have leaves and other parts that act as natural filters, catching allergens and other airborne particles that would otherwise irritate our sinuses.
Quicken Healing
Houseplants can help with recovery. Researchers have seen that people who have had surgery recover quicker with plants in their rooms. The same study also showed that the same people could tolerate pain and needed fewer medications during recovery.
Avocado Houseplants Improve Your Mood and Provide Stress Relief
Houseplants aren’t just good for your physical health; they’re great for your mental health too. Homes with plants tend to have inhabitants that feel better, worry less, and take fewer sick days. Studies also show that being around plants has an overall calming effect on people. When tasked with stressful situations, those around plants have lower blood pressure, heart rates, and stress hormones like cortisol than those with plantless rooms.
Sharpen Your Focus
According to WebMD, another fascinating study showed that having plants in your home or office can sharpen your focus. The study showed that students in a classroom with at least 3 plants performed better on math, science, reading, and spelling tests than kids in classrooms without plants.
Increase Emotional Health With Houseplants
Caring for an avocado houseplant can help treat psychiatric conditions like depression, dementia, and schizophrenia. It can also lower anxiety and help those recovering from trauma.
How To Grow Avocado Houseplants
All you need to grow your own avocado houseplant is a seed. Since you aren’t trying to produce fruit, you can use the seed from an avocado you purchase at any grocery store. To sprout an avocado pit, use an Avoseedo and follow the instructions. Once your sprout your avocado seed and your little plant is a few inches tall, you can transfer it to a pot of soil. Place your avocado seedling in a sunny window, preferably one facing south or west. Here are a few other ways to take care of your avocado houseplant.
Water
You should keep avocado houseplants continuously moist; water them whenever the soil becomes dry to the touch. However, adequate draining is essential. If you see the leaves begin to yellow, it’s likely your plant is getting too much water.
Soil
As mentioned above, your avocado houseplant won’t like “wet feet,” meaning they want to be moist but not saturated. To achieve this effect, use a fast-draining potting mix that is rich in nutrients.
Fertilizer
Speaking of nutrients, don’t forget to add plenty of balanced fertilizer to your plant during the growing season (early spring through summer).
Light For Avocado Houseplants
Avocado houseplants thrive best in full sun. Place your plant in the sunniest windowsill you can find in your home.
Pruning Your Avocado Houseplants
Trimming your plant regularly will help it grow healthy and strong. You should first trim your avocado houseplant when it is about 12 inches tall. Cut the plant back to 6 inches to allow new leaves and stems to form. As your plant increases in height, pinch off new growth throughout the summer to encourage new stems to form. This will create a fuller, bushier plant instead of a tall skinny one.
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