Avocadocumentary--Part 3

[ru]

Growth has slowed down at this point, perhaps because it's finally putting more effort into leaves. Which are rather pretty.


It's getting so big! *proud mommy sigh*



Right now, it's just shy of a foot high. According to what I've read, you're supposed to give it its first pruning after it has reached 12 inches in order to promote more leaf growth. This doesn't stop me from being very disturbed by the whole thing, though--it feels like it's just too early to be pruning it--there's so little leafage that I feel like cutting it will kill it--not to mention it feels too much like topping a tree, which, from what I learned in horticulture class, is something you should NEVER, EVER do. So I guess what I need to do is look for some more info on it so I can get a straight answer about when and how to prune it. And if it looks like I do indeed need to do some cutting, then next week is going to be avobaby's first haircut.

Hm, I think this thing needs a name. Avobaby might work, although if it continues to survive, it'll outgrow that name. Any suggestions?

In the meantime, though, leaf closeup!



Still obviously in the tender light-green leaf stage. Despite that, though, it appears to have been sneaking shampoo, or something. Lookit that shine! Looks like the younger leaves still have baby fuzz, though. <3 <3



And now, I'm going to put effort into not going loopy or turning into a raging hormone monster. As right now, I'm very ARGH. I don't like feeling ARGH. Feeling ARGH is not fun. ARGH.

Comments

[travellyr.livejournal.com]

Perhaps pinch the main growth bud after it has produced two more horizontal-type buds, to encourage it to put some effort into those? .-. I am unfamiliar with how avocados grow, but that has worked with my pink-and-green-leafed Houseplant of Unknown Origin, and with my herb garden.

I do know that adult avocado trees are very brittle (i.e. do not climb) and the left-to-themselves trees in Hawaii have a very open, airy structure to them... so I guess what I'm saying is do what you're already doing- be gentle with it, and look for more information. ^^;

Avobaby is SO dear-looking. ^-^ Lookit that wee head and bright leaves! <3 <3 Will it need a bigger pot soon?

[peppermintberry.livejournal.com]

I say! Does that pink-and-green-leaved Houseplant of Unknown Origin happen to have its pinkness in the form of polka-dot-like splotches? If it is, then it might be a polka dot plant, a.k.a. Hypoestes phyllostachus. The only reason I know this is because there's some in the greenhouse, and I happened to clip some the day we were doing its family, so its name got recorded. XD

And Avobaby's teeny leaves have gotten much bigger over the course of the week! I plan to take some pictures tomorrow. I think I see what you mean about the brittleness--it stands stick straight, and when I move it to rotate it, it wobbles in a very stiff manner that worries me a little. Hopefully it'll do better with that once it fleshes out a bit more. I'm not sure when would be a good time to repot it, though, as I don't know how fast the roots are growing. I probably shouldn't wait too long, though, since it's currently in a rather small pot (it happened to be the only one I had on hand at the time, iirc). But we shall see!

[travellyr.livejournal.com]

it does indeed have pink polka dot splotches. And tiny purple flowers on the stem, vaguely iris-looking. It flowers a lot for me- I dunno if that's because it's miserable or happy, though. ^^;; It needs to be repotted... the rats dug out about half the dirt while I wasn't looking.