How to Grow Avocados in Oklahoma
Avocados are subtropical fruit trees native to Central America. Oklahoma falls between USDA hardiness zones 6 and 7, and with average winter lows that fall below minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit, it is impossible to grow avocados in the ground in Oklahoma. Fortunately, avocados grow well as container plants. Container avocados in Oklahoma should be wintered over in a warm garage, shed or home and brought outdoors during spring, summer and fall.
Wash an avocado pit and remove the paper outer coating.
Draw a line around the center of the egg-shaped pit with a marker. Place three dots at locations on this line that are spaced equally from one another.
- Avocados are subtropical fruit trees native to Central America.
- Container avocados in Oklahoma should be wintered over in a warm garage, shed or home and brought outdoors during spring, summer and fall.
Insert three toothpicks halfway into the pit over the location where the three dots were drawn.
Fill a canning jar up to the mouth with fresh water.
Rest the toothpicks on the rim of the jar with the round end of the avocado pit pointing down. The pit will sprout roots and leaves within a few weeks.
Place a pottery shard over the drainage hole of a 6-inch terracotta container. Fill the container with sandy soil to the lip of the container to help prevent over-watering the plant.
Hollow out a planting pocket in the center of the soil. Remove the toothpicks from the pit and place the roots and pit into the soil. Place the top of the seed where the stems emerge at the soil line of the plant.
- Insert three toothpicks halfway into the pit over the location where the three dots were drawn.
- Rest the toothpicks on the rim of the jar with the round end of the avocado pit pointing down.
Water the plant so that the soil is damp. Place the plant in a west-facing window. Check the soil daily and water to keep the soil damp.
Move the plant outside after the last annual frost date, which typically is in April in Oklahoma. Bring the avocado back indoors in October before the first yearly frost date.
Tip
Most avocados that grow in a supermarket are hybrids. The tree that grows from the seed will not bear fruit like the parent avocado and may take up to 15 years to bear fruit. For a tree that produces fruit like its parent and bears the fruit sooner, order a rooted cutting from an avocado supply store online. Commercial potting mixes for cactus is an ideal soil for avocado plants.
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Tips
- Most avocados that grow in a supermarket are hybrids. The tree that grows from the seed will not bear fruit like the parent avocado and may take up to 15 years to bear fruit. For a tree that produces fruit like its parent and bears the fruit sooner, order a rooted cutting from an avocado supply store online.
- Commercial potting mixes for cactus is an ideal soil for avocado plants.
Writer Bio
Tracy Morris has been a freelance writer since 2000. She has published novels and numerous online articles. Her work has appeared in national magazines and newspapers including "Ferrets," "CatFancy," "Lexington Herald Leader" and "The Tulsa World." She holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Arkansas.
