Avocado tree growth stages encompass the fascinating journey from seed to fruit-bearing. While avocados are typically propagated through grafting rather than seed germination, cultivating an avocado tree from a seed grants insight into its various developmental phases.
If you are embarking on the adventure of growing an avocado tree from scratch, you may be curious about the intricate process by which these magnificent trees flourish.
Avocado Tree Growth Stages
The growth of an avocado tree goes through several stages, beginning with the seed and moving on to germination, seedling, vegetative growth, flowering, pollination, and ultimately fruiting. Each stage is crucial to the overall development of the tree, with proper care and attention required to ensure successful fruit production.
Stage 1. Seed
The life cycle of the avocado tree starts from the seed. The seed of the avocado is quite big and hard. On each fruit, there will be only one seed.
It is rare to see two or more seeds per fruit and most of the time only one seed grows per plant but there are also seedless avocados that contain more flesh.
If you want to try to grow an avocado tree you can grow it from seed but it will take a long time before the tree bears fruit. One best way to grow an avocado tree is to buy one from the nursery or garden center.
If you are growing the avocado from seed in a few weeks the seed will start to germinate.
Stage 2. Germination
Once the avocado seed is planted in the soil it will start germinating. Assuming the seed is high quality it will take about 3 to 4 weeks to germinate but it can also take much longer than that.
Aside from planting the seed in the soil to make it germinate, you can also do the toothpick method in which three to four toothpicks are being inserted into the seed.
Then it is placed in a cup of water where the top of the seed is above the water and its bottom is being soaked in the water for a few days or weeks.
During the germination phase, the roots will grow on the seed. They are short but grow longer as time passes.
And sooner the leaves will appear on the seed. It will take time for the tree to grow.
Stage 3. Seedling
Once the seed has germinated it will become a seedling. A stem will grow on the seed. It will be a little bit soft during the early days.
The seedling will also have a few leaves. Some young leaves are reddish in color and others are green when they mature.
The seedling will grow slowly. When the seedling gets enough water, nutrients, and sunlight it will grow faster and taller.
Most of the trees are slow growers so you cannot see fruits during the first year.
Stage 4. Vegetative Growth
After a few months and years, the tree will grow much taller and bigger. There will be a lot of leaves, branches, and roots growing on the tree.
The bark also becomes bigger and taller. During this period, the tree needs more water, nutrients, and sunlight to thrive well.
Another thing is there might be pests and diseases that may attack the tree and you must protect your tree to make it safer.
You can use some pesticides or organic control for the pests like horticultural oil, neem oil, or insecticidal soap.
It is needed to keep the tree thriving well to prepare it to produce flowers and fruits very soon. The tree will become more mature and it is important that more fruits will grow on the tree.
Stage 5. Flowering
Once the avocado tree becomes more mature, flowers will start growing on the tree. There will be many flowers that will grow on avocado trees but some of them will not turn into avocados.
It is normal for some trees that a lot of their flowers drop and only a few of them will become fruits. During the early phase, the flowers are just so small but as the day passes by their increase in size.
Once the pollens are being transferred to the flower’s stigma the flower will be pollinated.
Stage 6. Pollination
The avocado tree is self-pollinating but there will be fewer fruits if there is only one tree planted. Cross-pollination can really help increase the number of pollinated flowers on the tree.
But if you just have one avocado tree it can still produce avocado fruits. Wind and pollinators can help the avocado tree produce more fruits.
Wind and pollinators will move that pollen to the flower’s stigma and then the avocado fruits will grow.
Stage 7. Fruiting
Once the flowers are pollinated, small fruits will appear on the tree. It will take a few weeks for the fruits to appear and another thing is some of the fruits will drop.
It is common for the tree that not all of its fruits will grow bigger until they ripen. Some of them drop too early which is just a normal thing.
It will take a few weeks and months for those avocado fruits to grow bigger and ripe. There will be a lot of avocado fruits when the tree grows well.
Growing an avocado tree from seed can take about 10 to 15 years before it bears fruits. But in some cases, it can be earlier.
The best way to grow an avocado tree is to buy an already growing tree from a nursery or garden center.
There are plenty of avocado trees that you can buy from them that are high quality and can give you fruits much faster.
Avocado Tree Growth Stages: Conclusion
The life cycle of an avocado tree will take years to be completed from seed up to its fruiting. The tree takes time before it fruits around 10 to 15 years but if you are going to grow an already growing avocado tree it will take much faster to fruit.
An avocado sapling can bear fruits in 3 to 4 years. There are many varieties of avocado trees and find one especially if the tree is suited to grow in your location.
The growth stages of the avocado tree take time similar to its lifespan which can last around 200 to 400 years.
Avocado Tree Growth Per Year
Avocado trees typically grow about 12-24 inches per year, depending on the variety and growing conditions. During the first few years, most of the growth occurs in the vegetative stage, where the tree puts energy into developing leaves and branches rather than producing fruit.
Once the tree reaches maturity, typically around 5-7 years old, it can produce up to hundreds of avocados per year, depending on the variety and growing conditions. Proper pruning and fertilization can also help encourage growth and fruit production.
Overall, avocado tree growth is a slow and steady process that requires patience and care to achieve optimal results.
