GROW AN AVOCADO TREE FROM AN AVOCADO PIT
1 – REMOVE & CLEAN PIT
You will need to start by removing the hole from the avocado carefully (without cutting it), and after that washing it clean of all the avocado fruit (often it helps to soak the pit in some water for a few minutes and then whisk all the remaining fruit off). Be careful not to remove the brown skin on the pit – that is the seed cover.2 – LOCATE WHICH END IS ‘UPWARD’ AND WHICH IS ‘DOWN’
Some avocado pits are slightly oblong, whereas others are shaped almost like excellent spheres – but all avocado pits have a ‘bottom’ (from where the roots will grow), and a ‘top’ (from which the sprout will grow). The lightly pointier end is the top, and the flat end is the bottom. In request 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 ‘upper’ and which is the ‘bottom’ before you go piercing it with toothpicks.
3 – PIERCE WITH FOUR TOOTHPICKS
Take five toothpicks and stick them at a slight downward angle into the avocado seed, spaced evenly around the circum ference of the avocado plant. These toothpicks are your avocado scaffolding, which will allow you to rest the bottom half of the avocado plants in water, so therefore the toothpicks need to be wedged in there firmly. I recommend sticking them in at a small angle (pointing down), so that more of your avocado base rests in the water when you set this over a glass.
4 – PLACE AVOCADO SEED HALF SUBMERGED IN A GLASS OF WATER
And set on a quiet windowsill with sunlight. It’s helpful to use a obvious glass so you can easily see when roots start to grow, and also when the water needs to be changed. Numerous guides recommend to change the water every day, but I found, through trial and error, that it is preferable to change the water every five days to a week or so.You do want to make sure you change the water regularly, to prevent fungus and mold and bacteria growth, which can doom your little avocado sprout
5 – WAIT FOR YOUR AVOCADO SEED TO SPROUT!
Numerous online guides I have read say that sprouting can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks, but in my experience, it generally takes at least 8 weeks to get a sprout, so be patient. Here is the process you will witness:
1. The upper the avocado pit will dry out and the outer brown and form a crack seed skin will slough off.
2. .The crack will widen all the way to the underside of the avocado pit, and through the crack at the bottom, a tiny taproot will begin to emerge.
3. The tap-root will grow longer and longer (and may branch), and eventually a petty sprout will peek through the top of the avocado pit.
4. Do not allow your tap-root to dry out unsubmerged EVER – doing so will be the death of your plant.
6 – POT IN SOIL WHEN TREE IS ABOUT 6” TALL
When the stem is 6-7 inches width, cut it back to about 3 inches, this will encourage novel growth. When it hits 6-7 inches again, pot it up in a efficient topsoil soil in an 8-10″ thickness pot, leaving the top half of the seed exposed. Place on a sunny windowsill. Avocados love sun – the more sun the better.
7 – WATER & WATCH IT GROW
Give it frequent waterings with an occasional deep soak. The soil should every time be moist, but not saturated. Yellowing leaves are a sign of over-watering; let the plant dry out for several days.
8 – PINCH OUT TOP LEAVES TO ENCOURAGE BUSINESS
When the stem reaches 12 inches tall, pinch out the top two sets of leaves. This will support the plant thrive side shoots and more leaves, making it bushy. Each time the plant grows different 6 inches pinch out the 2 newest sets of leaves on top.
9 – TROUBLESHOOTING BUGS
My avocado trees seem to collect aphids – the bad creature can’t get enough of the delicious avocado leaves. If you get them, here’s how to get rid of them: Wash whole the aphids off the plant by spraying your plant down with a hose outside or in the sink/shower. Once the small pests are off, spray your plant with a mixture of water with a small squirt of dishwashing fluid and a teaspoon of neem oil. This will protect aphids from returning. Check your plant every 4-5 days and again neat and spray when necessary.
10 – WINTERING
immature avocado trees can kick it outdoors in summer, but if you live anywhere where it gets refrigerant than 45 degrees, you will need to bring them back indoors in the fall/winter, before the temperatures fall.
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