Article: Burton Keakile
Avocado farming is the process of planting and harvesting Avocados. Avocados are grown primarily for their fruit. They also produce flowers and other plant materials that can be used for other purposes. Avocado contains oil that is compressed under high pressure and used in cooking.
The avocado seed extract is also used for medicinal purposes in reducing high blood pressure. Avocado flowers are used in making beauty products such as soaps and perfumes. They are to grow and maintain. Avocados do well in moderately warm temperatures and moderate humidity, and require plenty of water. They should be planted in places with adequate water supply.
There are a few steps to follow for planting avocado seeds. Start by removing the pit from the avocado carefully without cutting it, and then washing it clean of all the avocado fruit. Often it helps to soak the pit in some water for a few minutes and then scrub all the remaining fruit off.
Take three toothpicks and stick them at a slight downward angle into the avocado seed, spaced evenly around the circumference of the avocado. These toothpicks are your avocado scaffolding, which will allow you to rest the bottom half of the avocado in water, so therefore the toothpicks need to be wedged in there firmly, then place it by a window for it to get sunlight then wait for your avocado seed to sprout.
When the stem is about 15cm long, cut it back to about 8cm, this will encourage new growth. When it hits 15cm again, pot it up in a rich humus soil in a 25cm diameter pot, leaving the top half of the seed exposed.
Avocados like any other plant, have pests and diseases that attack them. As a farmer one needs to know them and how exactly to deal with them. Caterpillars are the larvae of moths and butterflies and they are sporadic pests in avocado, and to deal with the problem one might place a yard square collecting surface like cloth or flattened cardboard box beneath outer canopy foliage.
Another pest that might affect avocado plant is the ants, more especially field ants. They usually nest in topsoil or under rocks and debris. Individuals move in an irregular jerky manner and generally do not travel in trails or sting. To deal with these ants a farmer needs to inspect for ants and bark damage under trunk wraps of young trees.
