Growing an avocado tree on my desk

[evepet]

I was growing it in an oblong container that was only about 6" deep so the space was fairly limited... there were a lot of other plants in the container too. I noticed some roundish things in the roots, but didn't really think much about whether they would have turned into actual sweet potatoes. I know people that reproduce potatoes this way, so I think you could grow them.... but they'd probably have to have more space to develop.

[angusrobinson]

So, the web editor at Canadian Living (who's actually William Tully's wife) is growing an avocado in the office here too. She started a few months before me, and up until a few weeks ago, it was just a spindly little stem poking out of the ground, about 8 inches tall, with no leaves. For some strange reason, she decided to pour [luke-warm] coffee into her planter (don't ask me why!). After she did that, the plant took off like crazy. A new stem started growing that has now surpassed the original stem, and it's got tons of leaves.

Is this just a coincidence, or can coffee actually increase the rate of growth of plants? I'm curious to try this with my plants, but I'm a little worried that it could have negative effects as well.

[Eeyore]

Tara is William's wife? That's interesting news.

I'v heard of people pouring tea into their plants but not coffee. I suppose if it is black it shouldn't really do any harm. Gonna have to google that....

Well according to google, yes, coffee will stimulate growth. It contains nitrogen and potassium as well as caffeine. And it can also affect the pH of the soil.... I wouldn't want to use it on a regular basis though.

[angusrobinson]

No, Colleen from Canadian LIVING is William's wife

Let me know what you come up with! Perhaps she's discovered a new super-fertilizer!

[Eeyore]

guess I can't read very well....

Look back up, I edited my post with the info I found.

[angusrobinson]

Right then! I will treat Mr. Avocado to a cup of coffee tomorrow morning. I'll be sure to let it cool down first

If it gets coffee on a regular basis, I suppose it gets addicted, right?

[Eeyore]

LOL! You could always feed it decafe, an addicted Avacado might not be the site you want to see first thing in the morning!

[ravaka]

The small white bulb contained inside of the seed is called the embryo. This is where life begins for the tree! Very cool experiment. I would have never thought an avocado would grow indoors. -ravaka http://www.seabreezenurseries.com

[angusrobinson]

So I fed some cold black coffee to the avocado yesterday, and I swear, it's grown more in the last 24 hours than it has previously. I think we're on to something here!! I'll post some photos at the end of the week.

[angusrobinson]

It's growing nicely after that shot of coffee - I think that will be a part of the weekly routine! Here are some pictures I took today:

photo1.jpg

photo2.jpg