How to Grow Haas Avocados

The pit from a store-bought avocado can be germinated and planted.

Haas avocados, the type you will generally find in supermarkets, can be propagated using the pit from a fresh avocado. The next time you buy some for your household, save the pits so you can grow your own tree, no matter which U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zone you occupy. Although Haas avocados prefer the warmer climates of zones 9 and higher, you will find that they thrive just as well indoors if you happen to live in a cooler locale. Once established, Haas avocados are fairly low-maintenance plants.

Things You'll Need

• Avocado pit
• Scrub brush
• 1-qt. glass jar
• Toothpicks
• Planting pot
• Potting soil
• Peat moss
• Compost
• Gardening fork
• Spade

Instructions

1. Clean the avocado pit with a scrub brush under cool running water. You will know that the avocado pit is fully clean when it stops feeling slimy when wet.

2. Pick three points, all equally spaced from each other, around the circumference of the pit and gently push a toothpick into each point. Be careful not to push them too far -- they only need to support the weight of the avocado pit.

3. Fill a 1-qt. jar with water so that the bottom third of the pit is submerged in the water when placed at the mouth of the jar. The toothpicks should suspend the pit so that it is not completely submerged. If you find that the pit starts to sag, push the toothpicks in a bit further.

4. Set the jar in a warm sunny spot and wait for the avocado pit to sprout and form roots. This can take anywhere from three to six weeks. When this occurs, transplant the pit into a planting pot filled with soil. Water the avocado seedling until the soil is just moist. Place the pot in a sunny spot and water regularly whenever the soil feels dry. Avocados are susceptible to root rot, so be careful not to overwater.

5. Transplant the avocado to a larger pot or outdoors depending on your USDA hardiness zone. If you live in zone 8 or below, keep the tree indoors. If you live in zone 9 or above, feel free to plant outdoors. If you do plant it outside, prepare the planting area by laying down a 3-inch layer of compost or peat moss, and then blending it into the soil using a gardening fork.

6. Dig a hole as large as the planting pot, gently remove the avocado from the pot and place it in the hole, backfilling as necessary. Tamp the soil down to release any air pockets. Water the tree as necessary to keep the soil just damp. Poke your finger into the soil every other day to see if watering is necessary -- if the soil feels like a wrung out sponge, wait a day or two before watering again.

References

• University of Florida: Avocado Growing in the Florida Home Landscape
• California Avocado Commission: Grow Your Own Avocado Tree
• Texas A&M University Extension: Home Fruit Production - Avocado