Plant Avocado from Seed: An easy guide to grow an avocado tree from an avocado seed

The traditional home method to plant avocado from seed in water involves inserting three toothpicks into the side of the seed. You then rest the seed atop a drinking glass, so that the avocado seed is halfway immersed in water (the pointy half out of the water; the flat half in the water). You may put the glass on a window sill. Keep it in a warm place but out of direct sunlight. If you don’t want the sheer joy of watching the avocado roots grow, you can always plant it directly into soil, which according to horticulture experts is the best way to start the seed. Planting the seed in water makes a great science project for children.

If you start avocado seed in water, change the water every few weeks to keep it oxygen-rich and clean. Replenish the water as necessary to ensure the bottom ¼ or ½ of the seed stays covered.

You can speed germination in soil by removing the seed coat and slicing a thin layer from both the top and the bottom of the seed prior to planting.

The wide portion of the avocado seed is the bottom. Plant bottom down and pointy side up. Your shoots will come from the top, pointy side. Your roots will grow from the flat, bottom side. After a couple of weeks, you will notice a stem emerging from the top. When the stem is six to seven inches long, cut it back to about three inches. Once your root system is 2-3 inches long and the stem has leafed out again, plant it in a rich humus soil, leaving the seed half exposed or about an inch above the soil surface. If you plant it in a pot, it should be at least a 10-1/2" diameter pot. Keep the soil moist over the coming weeks (not wet!) If your seed hasn’t sprouted by two months, get a new one. (This is the reason wise gardeners always plant more than one seed at a time!)

If you plant the avocado seed indoors in a pot, place it to get a great deal of direct, bright light. Horticulture authorities recommend the ideal placement at the “brightest window in the coolest room.” An indoor avocado plant will most likely never bear fruit; however, it can grow into an interesting houseplant. If you want your avocado seed to become a fruit-bearing tree, plant it outside. Consider the needs of the mature avocado tree when you choose your location. This will be a fruit tree—not a plant and will require considerable space for its roots and its branches. The avocado tree needs much sunlight, so don’t plant it where it will be shaded by your house, outbuildings, other trees, etc. Under good conditions, it normally takes many years – up to a decade or two– to bear fruit. Plant a whole fruit orchard if you choose. The avocado nutrition and taste is well worth the time investment.

If you want to know more about avocado, planting an avocado orchard, California growers, avocado industry news, great avocado recipes, and avocado nutrition, contact the experts who know a thing or two thousand about avocadoes at California Avocado Commission.

May 14, 2008 6:50 PM

Guest :

I like that what you are saying is very true

Aug 28, 2008 2:58 PM

Guest :

I'm in Orlando, Florida. I find that avocado trees grown from seed are faster growing and grow straighter than grafted ones. I have a lot of seed grown avocado trees in my yard (3/4 acre). I also have grafted trees. This year I had two more four year old trees fruiting. One has fruit that is not ripe yet. The other one is giving fuit this month (August). Its fruit is the best I've tasted - 1.5 lbs each, green when picked but turn redish brown when ripe.

Sep 15, 2008 3:39 PM

Guest :

I live in oakland, ca and i have just replanted from rich soil in a large pot my avacodos,to the backyard in the sun. What I would like to know is the 4 avacodos have lovely green leaves - now i planted them in sandy- clay soil and then i put in cuttings of decomposed, maybe high in nitrogen from my compost bin. Should I water each day - one little avacodo tree only maybe 6to 7" in height. Maybe i planted them at the wrong time ???? what about pests would they eat the leaves and what to use to fight back these little critters?

Aug 21, 2009 7:57 AM

Guest :

I tried to root an avocado this way, but didn't have much luck. What worked for me is - clean the pit, rap it in a wet paper towel, put in a zip lock bag and then put it under the sink (or a another dark warm place) for 2 months. It had a six inch root on it when I pulled it out.
Very easy to do.

Sep 11, 2009 11:36 PM

Guest :

There are predictions from several reliable sources that the End Of Days may be sooner than later, and that we may be facing pestilence, plagues, natural disassters, and FAMINE. In that respect, I believe that we have a potentially wonderful food source in the avocado - it does require water, good soil and sun, but the seed can be grown easily in our own homes. If we don't have our own garden space, the sprouting avocado can be given to friends, family or to whomever will agree to plant it. It may take the avocado tree a decade to produce edible fruit, but by then we may be needing fruits and vegetables to augment our meager and sparse diets, to allay our ravenous hunger, and to feed the starving populations of the world. So why don't we spread the word now about the heroic avocado, how easy it is to grow, and how it may be one of our only sources of food in the famines which some believe to be inevitable to our planet. The bees are disappearing,it's true, but the lone avocado tree does not require the pollination services of the bee. If I am wrong in this theory, avocado growers, please enlighten me. Thank you. Marga St.John

Oct 17, 2009 4:37 PM

Guest :

I appreciate that you mentioned changing the water every few days. Other websites on growing avocados do not always talk about that.
Also, that last email talking about End of Days is pretty creepy. That might be a good one to pull if you don't want people to think your site is bizarre.
Thanks again for the information.