Grow an Avocado Plant from a Seed

Mmmmm. Thinking about avocados makes me hungry for guacamole!

How cool would it be to grow your own avocado plant? How about growing one from a seed leftover from your last batch of fresh guacamole dip?

Here's how I do it:

Carefully cut a full line, length ways around the fruit. Be careful not to cut into the seed. Then separate the two halves and pull the large, brown seed out. Set the seed in a window sill or another cool, dry place. After a few days the brown coating on the seed should start to wrinkle and flake. Remove the coating. The seed is roughly the shape of an egg. With the pointy end facing up, push three toothpicks into the larger, lower end of the seed about 3/4s from the top. The toothpicks need to be angled downward.

Now place the seed in the opening of a small jar filled with water so that the bottom third of the seed is submerged. The toothpicks will prevent the seed from falling down into the jar.

Wait, it may take a few weeks or it may even take up to a few months but if all goes well, you should see the seed start to split in half but remain connected at one point in the center. From this split you should first see roots sprout from the bottom half and over time fill the bottom of the jar. Sometimes while on the jar, a stem will sprout out from the top portion of the split. If it doesn't, that's okay. It should once you have had the plant in potting soil for about a month. The stem can grow very quickly; about an inch a day for the first few months. The plant usually starts off with three leaves and stays this way until it is about a foot tall. Afterwards several more leaves will appear. Water your plant every few days or whenever the soil is dry to the touch.

From my experience, the best growing time is around January and February. During this time I would keep the plant indoors and away from the harsh cold. Continue to water the plant as usual. Once summer arrives you can transplant the tree to some fresh, well drained ground. If you decide to keep the tree inside it can stay in a large pot and used as greenery like a ficus tree. The downside to growing avocados is that it may take up to eight years to produce fruit.

The plant itself is very interesting and can make for a good conversational piece whether used to decorate at home or the office. Be sure to let every one know that you grew it yourself!