How To Grow An Avocado Tree From A Seed Indoors. In eight simple steps, you can grow an avocado tree from a seed.
Knowing how to produce avocados from seed can be a rewarding undertaking that results in a free houseplant. It doesn’t have to be that way if you feel awful about throwing out your avocado seed after your morning toast. You can easily recycle an avocado seed to produce your own avocado tree in no time, and it’s a simple process that you can even involve your children in.
Before we get into the details, it’s worth noting that this tree is unlikely to produce avocado fruit. There’s always a chance, but getting to this point can take more than seven years, and keeping an avocado tree alive for that long is challenging. That said, you never know, and you’ll still end up with a gorgeous houseplant. Do you want to give it a shot? Here’s how to cultivate avocado from seed.
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What Is The Best Way To Start Growing Avocados From Seed?
Before we begin, it’s vital to note that the first steps must completed shortly after eating your avocado. It’s possible that if you let the seed to dry out, it won’t sprout.
- Remove and clean the avocado seed — Do not chop off the avocado seed with a sharp knife; this could easily damage it. Instead, use a spoon to carefully cut around it, then wash the avocado pulp away in the sink. Allow 5 minutes for the pulp to soften before cleaning the seed clean. You don’t want to damage the dark upper layer, so don’t scrub too hard.
- Find the bottom of your avocado seed – The top and bottom of an avocado seed can seem alike, so you’ll need to figure out which is which. Seeds come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but the bottom will be flatter, while the top will be more pointed.
- Insert toothpicks into your seed – This step may seem a little aggressive given how carefully we handled the seed in step one, but it’s crucial. These toothpicks will essentially assist in suspending the seed over a glass of water, which will be its first home. For this step, try to find a translucent glass so you can see the development later on, and hold the seed over the top to have a sense of where the toothpicks should go.
Take three toothpicks and poke the seed at a downward angle all the way around the edge, making sure they evenly spaced. Remember that once the glass is filled, the lower third of the seed will need buried in water, so don’t penetrate too deeply. Before moving on to the following step, make sure the toothpicks have a tight grasp on the seed.
If this process sounds too complicated for you, there are avocado growing kits accessible online. AvoSeedo’s Avocado Tree Growing Kit ($10.95, Amazon) comes highly recommended.
- Make your avocado tree’s first home by filling a glass halfway with lukewarm water and placing the seed on top, submerging the bottom-lower 13% of the seed. It’ll need a lot of light, so place it on a windowsill where it’ll get some indirect light.
- Change the water on a frequent basis – Keep an eye on the water because it can rapidly get slimy. To avoid fungal and bacteria growth, change it every few days. The seed should crack open and roots should begin to develop into the water after 2-4 weeks. If you haven’t had any luck after 6 weeks, you may have to start over with a new seed.
The roots will spread as it grows, and a sprout at the top of your seed will turn into a little stem. It’s time for your avocado seed to find a more permanent home once the roots have filled your glass or the stem is around 6 inches long.
- Plant your seed in a pot – Choose a pot with an 8-inch diameter and a drainage hole at the bottom. Place a small stone over the hole before filling it with potting soil to aid drainage down the line.
Also Read:How To Grow Asparagus At Home In India
Make a space for your avocado seed near the top of the soil. Gently lower your seed into the soil, aiming for a positioning similar to that in the glass — with the top 2/3 of the seed above the surface. Make sure the hole is deep enough to allow the roots to be buried in the soil rather than compacted on the surface. This will make it easier for them to absorb nutrients.
- Place in a bright, warm location – Your new plant should be placed on a bright windowsill. If there is room, you can restore it back where you were previously growing it. If you live in a warm enough climate (60-80°F), you can bring it outside once it has grown stronger. However, remember to bring it inside for the winter.
- Ongoing upkeep – The key to keeping an avocado tree healthy is to keep the water levels just correct. Before watering, use your finger to check the moisture level in the soil. Hold off and check again the next day if it feels damp.
While overwatering is simple, drying it out is not. Avocado tree roots are close to the surface, thus they can dry out quickly. Water a newly planted avocado seed every 2-3 days as a general rule, whereas older trees should be watered once a week. Make sure it isn’t too saturated. In the spring and summer, you can feed it fertiliser to boost growth.
It’s quite simple to get your avocado tree to branch out rather than grow straight up. Once it reaches a height of about a foot, simply pinch back the top leaves. Pinch back two sets of leaves from the top as it grows another six inches, and so forth.
How Long Does It Take An Avocado To Grow From Seed?
Roots can spread from an avocado seed in as little as a few weeks, followed by the formation of a stem and plant. Avocado trees have been known to endure for hundreds of years, while fruit production takes at least seven years.
Is It Possible To Grow Avocados From Seed?
We certainly believe so! You can, at the absolute least, grow your own house plant, which may be a pleasant hobby for kids to participate in. You can always grow more than one if you want to increase your chances of it delivering fruit one day.
