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How To Grow An Avocado Tree
You can grow an avocado tree from the pit that you harvest from a fresh avocado. You probably won’t produce any fruit from the tree, but it is a nice addition to your home plant life. You may also want to start 2 or 3 at a time in case one fails.
For best chance of success, choose a pit from an avocado that is very, very ripe and hasn’t been refrigerated.
Tip: If you have enough room with sunny locations in your home, you could start several of these in the early fall and have a bunch to sell at your annual summer yard sale or donate to church raffles, team fundraisers, etc. Depending on what part of the country you live in, these can be hot sales items.
How To Grow An Avocado Tree
- Wash all the fruit off the pit, pat dry and set aside for a couple days.
- After the drying time, remove the skin from the pit and insert 3 toothpicks 1/2″ deep into the pit equally distant from each other around the fattest part (circumference) of the pit.
- Suspend the pit in a dark glass (pointy side up) with the toothpicks resting on the rim of the glass.
- Fill the glass with water until the bottom 1/3 of the pit is submerged.
- Place glass in a sunny spot. Change water every two days so there’s fresh water instead of stagnant.
- Once you have a 6 inch stem with a couple leaves (this will take several weeks), cut the stem down to 3 inches.
- Wait several more weeks until you have a few stems with leaves, you’re then ready to plant. The roots should now be about 2″ long.
- Taking a 10″ diameter pot, fill with good, well draining potting soil (sandy mix works great). Removing the toothpicks, plant the pit roots down (pointy end and stems up). The top of the pit should be level with the soil surface.
- When soil is dry, water. Feed regularly with houseplant food once or twice a month.
- If the leaves turn yellow, you’re watering it too much. If leaves turn brown, you’re not watering enough. If tree looks sickly, make sure you’re feeding it.
- If you want a bushy tree, pinch the leaves after it grows every 6 inches.
- Can be left outside during the summer months.
Method #2
- Push pit into a mix of sand and potting soil (pointy side up) with the top half above soil surface. Keep the soil moist. Leave it in a sunny spot. Pinch new growth and care for as mentioned above.
Method #3
- Wrap an avocado pit in moist paper towel and place in a ziploc baggy, seal. Place bag in a warm, sunny spot or somewhere warm (ideas: top of fridge, your computer monitor, television, under sink). Once it starts sprouting and the roots are about 2″ long, proceed as noted above.
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I have a backyard compost pail. A year or so ago, an old avocado got pitched into the kitchen waste and ended up in my composter. One day, while attempting to turn the ’soil’ there was this strange little tree growing out of it! It was fun for a long time, but then got way too big for me, so I gave him to a neighbor with vaulted ceilings. He (the tree) is doing great!
You know I tried and tried with the toothpick method. Then one day about a month ago I was turning over the compost and here was this little shoot growing out of an avocado seed! So I planted it and it developed these little leaves – then I decided to replant it into a bigger pot. That’s when my dog bit it in half. I ALMOST threw it in the trash but ended up leaving it to see what would happen – two weeks later, there was a little tree! I have no idea what the moral of the story is, but if cosseting and babying your avocado seed doesn’t work, try treating it like crap! It worked for me!
I try to grow almost everything from lemons and chillis to avocados and most of the seeds grow into plants. I never use any tricks or methods, just push the seeds in potting soil and wait a bit. My avocado trees grow like bad weeds and I’m actually thinking about planting them outside because they take too much room in my living room
I’ve always wanted an avocado tree – because they’re delicious! I’ve tried a couple of times but they’ve all died. I think I was overwatering them. Thanks for the advice. I’m going to try again.
what does ‘pinch’ the leaves mean? i need mine to be more bushy than treeish cause i’m keeping it inside and don’t want it to get too tall.
my understanding is the fruit will only ripen in the warmest areas of the US though like southern california and florida.
Hi, I was told by a gardener at Adachi Florist that the avocado plant grown at home will only develope into a house plant for some time. Fruits are only developed between 7 – 8 years old. Ya, I’m growing my own too and was kind’ve disappointed. Nevertheless, I’m still going to grow my plant. Good luck with yours as well.