An avocado plant as a living sculpture: you can create it from the pit
Giving plants the shape you want is nothing new: sometimes it is done by pruning (this is the case of the topiary art that has made many Italian and European gardens famous). At other times, it involves having the patience to train the growth of branches and trunks in certain direction.s For example, you can weave the branches together when they are still green and flexible, as we sometimes see in certain plants which can be purchased.
A TikTok video shows how to do this with an avocado seedling: it is a process that requires a little patience, and you can start from the pit of an avocado which you have eaten.
via @justplantaesthetics/TikTok
In a video from @justplantaesthetics, we see a seedling that has just sprouted from an avocado pit. As soon as the sprout began to divide with its first branches, they were delicately twisted and tied up soft cord, in order to maintain the shape for the time necessary for them to stiffen in the desired position.
Then, as the plant continues to grow, and the entwined branches begin to become a trunk, crowned by foiliage, it will have taken on the shape you wanted, just like a living sculpture.
Growing an avocado plant from the pip:
- Clean the pit of all the pulp that might be sticking to its surface.
- Insert 3 toothpicks in places roughly halfway down the pit, and all at the same height. They are used to ensure that the pit remains suspended over the opening of a glass jar that you will fill with water.
- Then take a glass jar and fill it with water up to a few fingers from the top and place the pit with the toothpicks inserted over the opening: the water must reach the bottom third of the avocado, so adjust the water level if necessary.
- You will need to change the water about once a week, until the pit begins to crack and produce roots from below and shoots from the top. In ideal conditions, it will take a couple of weeks, but don't give up hope if it doesn't happen in this time frame: sometimes you have to wait up to two months before you notice any growth.
- When the stem that grows from the pit reaches a length of about 15 centimeters, you can move it into a pot large enough to accommodate the plant with all its roots. The soil should be loose, rich and well-draining. Avocados love warm and sunny locations.
- As soon as the plant creates a forked branching, you can start training the plant. Be careful to be very delicate in manipulating the stems: they are intertwined when they are still green and tender, and therefore they can break easily and should never be held in such a way that the wire you use cuts into their outer surface.
Your avocado should be placed in very bright locations. Would you like to try this?
