How to Grow a Plant From an Avocado Bone

Avocado bones can grow into plants.

Avocado is a type of plant that produces a large, green buttery fruit. They are usually grown in tropical regions. An avocado bone is another word for the large seed found in the center of an avocado. These seeds are very hard and struggle to grow if planted directly in the ground. However, you can grow a plant from an avocado bone indoors with very little hassle or headache.

Things You'll Need

• Avocado bone
• 3 Toothpicks
• Glass
• Water
• Plant pot
• Potting soil

Instructions

1. Rinse the avocado bone with fresh water to remove any of the avocado pulp.

2. Push one toothpick into the seed about halfway down. Keep pushing until the pick is about half an inch into the seed. Turn the seed round by a third, with the pointed end pointing up, and insert another toothpick. Insert the last toothpick another third of the way round the bone. You should now have three toothpicks protruding from the avocado seed on the same line.

3. Pour water into a glass until it's nearly full. Place the avocado bone, blunt-side down, into the glass. The toothpicks should hold it suspended in the water. If the water goes higher than an inch over the bottom of the avocado seed, tip a little out.

4. Leave the glass with seed in a sunny location; a windowsill is ideal. Top up the water level every so often to keep the seed partially submerged. Look for roots pushing down into the water and green shoots appearing from the top of the bone. This should happen in two to three weeks.

5. Remove the avocado bone from the glass when the roots are a few inches long and the stem is green and showing a few leaves. Take out the toothpicks. Fill a 6 inch pot with potting soil. Plant the seed by digging a small hole in the soil, inserting the seed and covering it up, making sure to leave at least a half inch of seed above the soil. Plant blunt-end down.

6. Place the pot on a windowsill that catches plenty of light. Water regularly, but ensure that the base of the pot allows water to drain away. Relocate the plant to a larger pot when it grows bigger. The avocado plant may grow very quickly for the first few years, according to Iowa State University.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't expect any avocados from your plant for many years.

References

• Iowa State University: Sprouting an Avocado Seed
• Colorado State University: Plant Talk Avocado
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Start Avocado Seeds