Avocado
Persea americana
Also called Alligator pear and Avocado tree
Houseplant · Trees & big statementsGROWN FROM A STONE IT WILL ALMOST NEVER FRUIT — a seedling takes a decade and needs a partner and a climate we do not have. Grow it for the plant, pinch the top out at 30cm or it becomes a bare pole, and keep it away from horses.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Medium
- Water
- Every 6 daysDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- As much direct sun as you can give it
- Feed
- Every 30 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out for the summer RHS H1C, to 5°C
- Size
- 2 m tall · 1 m across
- Lifecycle
- Tree
- Origin
- Central America
Is it safe for pets and people?
Affects horses. Signs: difficulty breathing, fluid around the heart; in livestock, swelling of the head and neck.
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
ASPCA lists Persea americana by exact binomial. The catalogue names HORSES and not dogs or cats — persin is the toxin, and the greatest risk is to birds and grazing livestock rather than to a dog that licks a stone.
Checked against ASPCA on 2026-09-22.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- A single unbranched stem a metre tall with a tuft of leaves on top and nothing below. It was never pinched — take the growing tip out at about 30cm and again on each new shoot.Bare pole · disorder
- Brown crisp tips on every leaf, worst on a plant in a small pot. Avocados are salt-sensitive; flush the compost right through with rainwater every few months.Leaf tip burn · disorder