Growing an avocado tree on my desk

[KylyS]

So how big is your avacado now? They are fun to go .. have you ever tried a taro root? They are very cheap from the produce section at grocery stores... I use them instead of buying the expensive bulbs. It is very tropical looking too and gets about 2 feet tall .. they are my fave .. Kyly

[angusrobinson]

Aigle, you most certainly are one of Ralph's godparents! Please send your scientology pamphlet to:

Transcontinental Media
attn: Ralph the Avocado
25 Sheppard Avenue West, Suite 100
Toronto, ON
M2N 6S7

(I guarantee anything sent to Ralph's attention will reach him - he's become quite the spectacle in the office!).

He's a bit over a foot tall now. I've never tried growing Taro - that's a neat idea. Right now, I'm attempting to germinate a mango pit, and some plum pits. We'll see what happens!

[MareE]

Angus, what leaf would Miss Manners shake to congratulate Ralph? Hey, proud HGM Aigle! You could practically hand deliver young impressionable Ralph's water and Scientology pamphlets. (Good recycling practice, btw LOL)

Mango and taro root on shopping list for their pits...and root I guess, Kyly. Or bulb?

MareE;o}

[Aigle]

Ummmm, Drat. Everybody missed it.

In NO way would I EVER send anything from that church to ANYBODY, Floral or Faunal.

It was the Church of SCENICtology.

(Har de har)

I'll see if I can create something though...might be funny.

[Smitty]

LOL!!! Aigle....proof that our brains do only recognize first and last letter to come up with words. must take second look to decipher sometimes

[angusrobinson]

It's time for the Friday photo update! Ralph seems to be growing nicely. He's now got 8 big leaves, and a couple little shoots in the works. I think soon it will be time to pinch the top.

photo1.jpg

photo2.jpg

photo3.jpg

[Laura]

Ralph looks very good.Nice color and growing tall.I imagine it is because of the wonderful care he is getting.

Keep up the good work and thanks for the progress report.

GROW RALPH GROW !!!

[MareE]

LOL!!! Aigle....proof that our brains do only recognize first and last letter to come up with words. must take second look to decipher sometimes

Smitty, my excuse is that I trusted how Angus deciphered "scenictology". laff Aigle, you got yourself another Fictionary addition!

GROW RALPH GROW !!! to para-echo Laura's encouraging bellow!

Yep, that's what we're all here for, replicaprada. And Welcome to CG forums! (Where do you pick up your designer knock-offs? heh heh)

MareE a humble Ralph nominator;o}

[angusrobinson]

I've got a problem, and hopefully one of you can provide some advice for me.

A few weeks ago, I bought some plants at a farmers market and put them next to Ralph the Avocado on the windowsill. Recently, I noticed that there were bugs on these new plants as they came from outdoors. The bugs were aphids and fruit flies. I didn't think much of it until I noticed that the bugs were starting to attack the avocado as well. So I've gotten rid of the new plants (they weren't doing so well, anyway), and I'm wondering what to do about the avocado... I'm not seeing any bugs on the plant itself, but I am seeing what I assume are tiny larva in the soil - they're especially active after I water the plant. They're light in colour - almost white - and a couple millimeters long. Can anyone suggest a means of getting rid of these pests? Is there a product that I could buy that would get rid of them? I'd prefer not to use harsh chemicals if possible, but if that's the only solution, then so be it.

Looking forward to hearing your suggestions. Thanks!

[Eeyore]

It sounds like you may have fungus gnats. One solution that has been suggested and appears to have some success is cinnamon on top of the soil. You can also interrupt their breeding cycle by putting a layer of sand or small rocks to cover the top of the soil. If you are finding them on the leaves wipe them with a soft, damp cloth. Top and bottom. You can also use insecticidal soap but I have found that there are a lot of plants that don't like it so I try to avoid it whenever possible.