I have 7 avocado plants that I started in jars of water with toothpicks. They're now all between 9 inches and 2 feet. As they've outgrown their jars, I'm looking to transfer them to soil now. I know I should have planted them a long time ago, but I transplanted one once before and it died. I really want to do everything possible to prevent these from dying, although I know sometimes it’s inevitable from the shock.
I'm a complete beginner, so I know that I didn't start them off or maintain them properly. My main concern is figuring out how to move forward most effectively. I don’t have much money to spend on this project, so I would appreciate economical suggestions. Thank you!
Current issues:
The edges of the leaves are turning brown, so I know the roots are either: not getting enough water and/or there's high levels of salt in the water.
The water in my area is extremely hard. The best I was able to do was use only Brita filtered water for the plants. I’m not sure what the next best option would be.
I'm not sure if some of them have root rot or are just stressed from an accumulation of salts. Either way they are going to require some extensive trimming (if they’re even salvageable). Would it be best to trim, let them rest in a new sterile jar of water & develop some more air roots before trying to plant in soil?
For transplanting
I did my best to combat algae/fungus growth by covering the jars & adding hydrogen peroxide, but was unsuccessful. Do I need to sterilize the roots before planting them? I know hydro systems can be sterilized or inoculated, but are those even possible when removing from a hydro system?
Someone recommended I let the roots sit out and dry before planting them. Is that helpful or harmful?
What sort of soil mixture do you recommend? I’ve heard 50/50 perlite/coco mix and 50/50 perlite/soil mix
I heard before planting it’s best to reduce the water levels in the containers for about a week to encourage air roots. Is this true?
