How to clean Avocado Roots

A lot of us within the plant community have been growing avocado plants from seeds and as I’ve been on my journey with my plant, I’ve noticed some interesting things that I wanted to share with you all but before we get to that, let’s talk about avocado plants. 

As you know, it will take anywhere from 5 to 13 years before the tree/plant is mature enough to produce fruit if you are growing from a seed. If you planted an actual tree, it will take anywhere from 3 to 4 years after planting. With avocado plants being tropical, that means they will tolerate very little cold. If you live an area where temperatures rarely drop, you will be able to plant your sprouted seed/tree outdoors. Some ideal locations to grow an avocado tree would be places like Texas, Arizona, California, and even some southernmost regions of Florida.  

Now, let’s get to why we are here. Since starting my avocado journey and transferring my seed to water, I’ve noticed that after about 5 days, slime will begin to form on the roots which is very disgusting to look at. After further research, and observation, it appears the white fuzzy spots on the roots in addition to slime is mycorrhiza which is a mutual symbiotic association between a plant and fungus. Mycorrhiza plays a very important role in the plants roots system. Although, it’s beneficial for the plants root system, it’s still important to note that it can also be parasitic. 

How to clean your avocado roots: 

1.     Slowly remove plant from water

2.     Thoroughly and gently clean roots 

3.     Clean vase 

4.     Add a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide to the vase 

5.     Fill vase with water

6.     Add plant 

Hydrogen peroxide encourages healthy root growth and will aide in combating the fungi (slime) that appears on the roots of your avocado plant. (Note: when it comes to your plants, please use your best judgement. This is what I’ve been doing to care for my plant(s)). I try to use peroxide roughly every 3 weeks just to ensure proper growth can develop. Although it will take a while for the avocado seed/plant to produce fruit, I am very excited to document the growth over the next few years. If you’ve had success growing an avocado plant, feel free to drop some of your tips and recommendations below!

Until next time,

Brittanie