The traditional home method to plant avocado from seed in water involves inserting three toothpicks into the side of the seed. You then rest the seed atop a drinking glass, so that the avocado seed is halfway immersed in water (the pointy half out of the water; the flat half in the water). You may put the glass on a window sill. Keep it in a warm place but out of direct sunlight. If you don’t want the sheer joy of watching the avocado roots grow, you can always plant it directly into soil, which according to horticulture experts is the best way to start the seed. Planting the seed in water makes a great science project for children.
If you start avocado seed in water, change the water every few weeks to keep it oxygen-rich and clean. Replenish the water as necessary to ensure the bottom ¼ or ½ of the seed stays covered.
You can speed germination in soil by removing the seed coat and slicing a thin layer from both the top and the bottom of the seed prior to planting.
The wide portion of the avocado seed is the bottom. Plant bottom down and pointy side up. Your shoots will come from the top, pointy side. Your roots will grow from the flat, bottom side. After a couple of weeks, you will notice a stem emerging from the top. When the stem is six to seven inches long, cut it back to about three inches. Once your root system is 2-3 inches long and the stem has leafed out again, plant it in a rich humus soil, leaving the seed half exposed or about an inch above the soil surface. If you plant it in a pot, it should be at least a 10-1/2" diameter pot. Keep the soil moist over the coming weeks (not wet!) If your seed hasn’t sprouted by two months, get a new one. (This is the reason wise gardeners always plant more than one seed at a time!)
If you plant the avocado seed indoors in a pot, place it to get a great deal of direct, bright light. Horticulture authorities recommend the ideal placement at the “brightest window in the coolest room.” An indoor avocado plant will most likely never bear fruit; however, it can grow into an interesting houseplant. If you want your avocado seed to become a fruit-bearing tree, plant it outside. Consider the needs of the mature avocado tree when you choose your location. This will be a fruit tree—not a plant and will require considerable space for its roots and its branches. The avocado tree needs much sunlight, so don’t plant it where it will be shaded by your house, outbuildings, other trees, etc. Under good conditions, it normally takes many years – up to a decade or two– to bear fruit. Plant a whole fruit orchard if you choose. The avocado nutrition and taste is well worth the time investment.
If you want to know more about avocado, planting an avocado orchard, California growers, avocado industry news, great avocado recipes, and avocado nutrition, contact the experts who know a thing or two thousand about avocadoes at California Avocado Commission.
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