How to Grow Avocado Trees from Avocado Pits

Growing avocado trees from avocado pits is a fun project for the whole family. The process is easy and can be started anytime. Germinating several avocado pits is best as not all pits will grow into trees. The tree will produce avocados five to ten years but will not be exactly like the avocado it came from. This article will show you the easy steps to growing an avocado tree from an avocado pit.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Avocado pits
• Finish nails or toothpicks
• Drill bit and drill
• Paper cups
• Potting soil

1. Gather your items. We will be preparing the pit and creating a way to suspend the pit in mid-air over a cup of water. Over time, the seed will sprout. Eventually, this can be transplanted into a traditional pot.

2. Wash the avocado pit with tap water. Be sure to get all the fleshly material off the pit. Don’t bother using soap; you can do this with a cloth or your hands.

3. Insert finish nails, toothpicks or some other like item about one quarter inch into the pit on three or four areas surrounding the pit. Think of it as making an orbit. Insert items along the wide portion so the pointy end of the pit can be pointed upward while your ‘orbit’ remains parallel to the ground. You may wish to use a small drill bit to pierce the hard coating of the pit as it may be very hard, though you should have no trouble just pushing them in. Take care with toothpicks or nails – they can be very sharp and could pierce your skin if you slip!

4. Fill a paper or glass cup about 4/5 full of water.

5. 
   Avocado pit with toothpicks in a glass of water.

   Place the pit in the cup of water. The toothpicks or finish nails will rest along the rim of the cup. The pointy end of the pit will be facing upward. The fat bottom of the pit will be completely submersed in water. Add water as needed.

6. Place the cup in a sunny area where it will not be disturbed.

7. Monitor the cup daily. Ensure the water is covering as much of the base of the pit as possible without spilling over the cup. You may consider changing the water every few days to discourage mold growth.

8. Transplant the seed once two inches of roots have developed. This should occur between six and eight weeks of suspension in water. There will be a sprout from the pointy end arriving around week three. Use a larger flowerpot; perhaps 12” or so, and fill using quality potting soil. After removing the toothpicks or finish nails, place the pit in the soil as it stood in the cup. Leave about 1/3rd of the pit showing at the top. Ensure the sprout is pointing straight upwards.

9. Place the avocado tree in a sunny area and keep the soil moist. The tree must never see frost. Avocado trees cannot survive in that environment. This means they will live inside over the winter months for those in colder climates. If able to plant outside, consider these trees may grow to 30 feet tall. Consider planting several trees of different varieties to aid in pollination.

Tips & Warnings

• The more sun available to the avocado plant the better your results.
• It is possible to grow a tree by simply placing a pit in moist soil, and setting the pot in the sun. This method allows children to watch what happens as a plant grows, and allows roots to develop under more ideal circumstances.
• Plants grown indoors will likely not produce edible fruit due to lack of sunlight. They do make interesting and attractive houseplants though!

[sonni57]

on 9/7/2009 Thanks for the helpful info on growing avocado trees.