Again….another hiatus this weekend from blogging. Thanks for being patient! Really, it’s been too hot to blog, right? Fortunately, today, we had ample rain showers and a few thunderstorms here in Cincinnati. Everything cooled off a bit and my eyeballs got a break from the scorching sun. We are temperamental creatures, aren’t we? We complain all winter about the cold and the gray and then summer comes and we get so excited when the sun hides and the rain cool everything off. We have good company in the temperamental avocado tree.
Yes, I am trying to grow an avocado tree. It’s one of my many hair-brained schemes. The tree is a cold-hardy tree; still, southern Ohio is cold enough that I can’t plant it in the ground. So, my tree lives in a pot. I don’t really think it likes it there.
Today, the avocado got a treat: I set it outside in the rain. MMMMMmmmmmm. Can you tell what a happy little tree that is? Soaking up all that fresh, delicious rain water. I don’t know a whole lot about raising an avocado tree; what I do know is that the tree is susceptible to root rot. What that means is that it’s best to water an avocado once a month or so and really soak it good. Water it so that the water runs out the bottom of the pot and repeat that process 3 or 4 times. And then don’t touch it for a month. I figure today the rain water would be a welcome change from tap water and diluted kelp meal (our rain barrel is cracked; otherwise, I’d water from that).
Honestly, this is a finicky little tree. It consistently has new growth, so I guess that’s a good sign. We’ve had the tree almost 2 years and it hasn’t flowered yet (this particularly avocado is self-pollinating). It’s my understanding that fruit trees are hard–it takes about 4 years for them to gear up and start fruiting. I’m not worried yet. I just wish I knew what the avocado was thinking.
It’s come to this: I spend my days wondering what an avocado tree is thinking. Today, I’m thinking it’s happy.
Hope McAllister Miller 