Butter Fruit Plant

Pot the seedling when the root system has become well developed; the roots should be at least 2 to 3 inches long. Plant the white taproot in dirt leaving the top "red sprout" and 1/3 of the upper seed exposed. Position the seed in the center of the pot. A 6" plastic or clay pot is suitable and please put some gravel in the bottom of the pot for drainage. A good soil mix for avocados is: 1 part Coco Peat, 1 part perlite and 1 part sterilized potting soil. Pack the dirt well around the seed. Keep the soil fairly wet for the first week. After that water as described below.

Repotting: Once the plants filled their pots up with healthy roots, they should be potted in larger ones. Repotting should be done in the spring.

Growing Tips

Bright indirect light is best for young avocado plants, direct sun will give younger plants a sunburn! They prefer moderate temperatures of 60 F to 80 F. Your plant can grow 4-5 feet tall rather quickly.

It's a good practice to mist the leaves of your avocado every few days if the air in your home is very dry.

Spring is the best time for pruning. If you would like to prune to keep it bushier pinch just the tip of the growing top when your plant is 1 foot tall. Repeat the procedure when it has grown to 2 to 3 feet tall. This should give you slower growing but very sturdy side branches. They don't always respond well to pruning.

Problem Solving

• Yellowing, Dropping Leaves: Too much water or not enough sunlight can cause yellowing and dropping of the lower leaves. Cut back on water and move to a sunnier location.
• Browning of Leaf Edges: This can be caused by a lack of humidity. Setting the pot on a tray of pebbles and water will help increase humidity around your avocado plant but don't let the water level in the tray touch the bottom of the pot. Sometimes the brown leaf edges stay no matter what we do. The brown area can be trimmed off for aesthetic purposes.
• General Yellowing of new or older Leaves: This is a sign of fertilizer deficiency. We will see yellowing of the leaf tissue while the veins remain green to tip us off to this situation. Fertilize once or twice a month during the spring and summer. Winter is rest time. Our Golden Harvest Natural Fertilizer is great for your avocado plant!