How To Start an Avocado

Mackenzie Lindahl

Avocados are not only tasty and nutritious fruits. They are fun to grow and they turn into gorgeous trees. The leaves are kelly green and almond shaped. Avocado trees can spend their whole lives indoors. They will thrive in an environment where they get plenty of water, sunlight, and love.

The basic items you will need to start your own plant are:

• an avocado
• water
• rich, black earth
• a small pot
• a sandwich baggie
• a glass
• toothpicks

STAGE 1. Begin with a ripe avocado. Cut it open carefully. Eat and enjoy! Don't forget to save the seed. The bottom of the seed is round and the top is tapered and pointy. Seeds are usually dark brown. If the avocado is very ripe the seed may already be cracking open.

STAGE 2. Rinse the seed in warm water and place it in the plastic baggie. Pour in a small amount of warm water-just enough to cover the seed. You may want to stick toothpicks into the shell and rest the seed on the rim of a glass. The bottom should be submerged in water.

STAGE 3. In a few weeks the dark husk of the seed should begin to break off. The seed will crack open and the root will wedge its way out of the bottom of the seed. It can take a few weeks for the root to grow. Some seeds may never sprout a root. Don't worry just try a new one.

STAGE 4. When the root grows to 1/2 inch it is time to plant it in a clay pot that is 4-6 inches in diameter. Fill it 3/4 of the way with moist black earth and make a small indent for the seed. Place the seed in the hole but leave the top half out of the earth. Water generously. Put a plastic baggie over the pot and secure. This will ensure high humidity for your seed.

STAGE 5. Once you notice a sprout emerge from the top of the seed it is time to remove the bag. The new stem will be a blush red color. The new plant will love sunlight and water so give it plenty of both. In a few weeks you will see the tiny leaves grow out of the stem. Every day the plant will grow more if the conditions are good. It's fun to watch for the small changes in the appearance.

Avocado plants can grow up to be huge trees. After a few years the stem will thicken and generate bark. Pruning and repotting into larder pots will be necessary as the tree ages.

For more information check out The Artful Avocado by John Canaday or Starting an Avocado.

STAGE 5. The seed has fully cracked open and the stems are sprouting leaves.

Avocado leaves grow to be more than a foot long. This three year old tree is about three feet tall.

Copyright © Mackenzie Lindahl
mackypinky@hotmail.com
last modified October 2001