How to grow an avocado seed

You should see the roots and stem start to sprout in about two to six weeks. (If you’ve followed this process so far and have not seen roots or a stem sprout in more than six to eight weeks, try another seed.)

The slightly pointier end is the top, and the flat end is the bottom. In order to get your pit to sprout, you will need to place the bottom root end in water, so it’s very important to figure out which end is the ‘top’ and which is the ‘bottom’ before you go piercing it with toothpicks.

Odds are, your avocado plant is not going to produce fruit, or, if it does, it will take many years and may not produce good fruit. Growing an avocado from seed is the slowest and least reliable way to get true (same as the parent) fruit. But, starting a plant from the seed/pit is an easy way to grow a free houseplant.

Place jar in bright spot, out of direct sunlight. In warm months, the seed should germinate within 6-8 weeks. Once a shoot has emerged from the top of the seed, you can remove the seed from water, gently remove the toothpicks and plant into a pot.

Avocado Pollination

For the best yields of fruit, two avocado trees are required. Avocado tree cultivars produce either type A flowers or type B flowers. However, some cultivars naturally bear fruit only every other year.

Two Crops of Avocados

Yep, that also means it takes an avocado 12-18 months to grow and become ready to eat. The avocados you see at the grocery store or farmers’ market took 12-18 months to grow and mature. It’s no wonder they’re so delicious – they’re similar to a nice, maturing wine or tasty aged steak.

Growing to over 20 feet, most commercially grown varieties of avocados are not suitable for growing indoors long-term. For indoor cultivation there are a number of dwarf varieties with mature heights between 8 and 16 feet.

Growing an avocado plant (Persea americana) from a pit is fun and educational, and it usually takes only two to six weeks for the pit to sprout. After that, the plant takes 10 to 15 years to grow large enough to fruit, which it only does in suitable growing conditions.

These trees cost as little as $60 but usually much more. From any individual retail outlet, the price of a fifteen-gallon avocado tree tends to be three or four times as much as that of a five-gallon. For example, in the photos of price tags above, a five-gallon costs $36 whereas a fifteen-gallon costs $130.

Growing Avocados in Containers

Avocado growing indoors is fun and easy. Move the sprouted pit to an unglazed terra cotta pot that is at least 10 inches (25 cm.) across and twice as deep as the roots. Use a potting mix with compost blended with sand for a loose, fast-draining composition.

Suffice it to say that the conclusion drawn from this standard description is that any single avocado tree has very little opportunity for its flowers to be pollinated, especially in California’s climate, and therefore it’s best to plant two trees of different, complementary flower types in order to get fruit.

Avocados grow best in full sun, with unobstructed light for most of the day. They also need good drainage to thrive, so choose a spot in your garden with loose, well-draining soil or plant them on a hillside to speed up drainage.

Like bananas, avocado plants thrive in full sun. They will tolerate some shade, but potted indoor plants generally need the brightest spot you can find. If you’re starting from a seed, the seed can be kept on a bright windowsill until roots form, and the first leaves emerge.

Avocado trees prefer a soil pH between 6 to 6.5, and they thrive in well-draining soil.

Give trees full sun and shelter from frost and strong winds. They also need protection from salt-laden winds in seaside locations. Although they like extra water during dry periods, they hate boggy conditions, so good drainage is essential. Soil should be sandy and well composted to ensure good drainage.