How to grow an avocado from a seed at home: detailed instructions

When is the best time to germinate and plant an avocado seed in the ground: timing.

For these purposes, you need to purchase ripe fruit. Unripe fruits are not suitable, since you will not be able to grow a crop from such a seed. It is worth understanding that the thickness of the peel is quite decent, so you need to initially germinate it in order to then plant it in the soil.

Drop off times may vary. When it’s convenient for you, because at home the temperature conditions are almost always the same. As for seed germination, usually the sprout can be seen after 3 weeks or 3 months. Yes, indeed, the sprout takes a long time to germinate.


germinate and plant an avocado seed

The third method of germination

It is not as famous as the first two, but it also allows you to get a tree from an avocado seed.

What do we have to do:

  1. Prepare the seed, remove it from the fruit and rinse.
  2. Carefully remove all pulp.
  3. Wrap the seed in a paper napkin or piece of flannel cloth moistened with water (not wet).
  4. Place in a food storage bag (without zipper) and place in a dark place.
  5. Check every 3-4 days and wet the napkin or cloth.

When germination begins, the seed will split, and a root will appear in this place, and a stem will appear on the other side. You cannot split the seed yourself, since the roots and stem are nourished by the “body” of the seed. In addition, the roots are very delicate, so it is important not to damage them.

When the roots grow to 7-8 cm, you can plant the seed in a pot of soil. If the roots are longer and will not fit in the pot, they can be carefully trimmed to 8 cm.

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Which side to plant an avocado seed?

It is worth noting that it is not enough to simply immerse the seed in the ground and water it. Because the peel is quite strong and does not break easily. Therefore, the ideal option is to drill small holes in the bark, insert toothpicks into them, and immerse the avocado pit with the blunt side down. You can simply put a bone at the bottom of the glass and wait for it to hatch.

Avocados need to be planted in the soil with the blunt side down, this is where the sprout is located, which will quickly emerge and break through the shell of the pit.


Growing avocado from seed

Answers to frequently asked questions

Indoor avocado is still a rare plant among gardeners, and they have a lot of questions about this exotic plant.

Will avocados bear fruit at home?

If you follow the growing rules, avocados can bloom in 3-4 years of life. The flowers bloom in small umbrella inflorescences. They are small, white-greenish, and look like stars. But in order for the tree to bear fruit, it is necessary to place 2 plants next to each other to obtain cross-pollination.

It is very difficult to achieve flowering and fruiting of avocados in an ordinary apartment. In the form of a lush green bush, the alligator pear is no less decorative.

If a tree has lost its leaves, does that mean it has died?

Avocados can shed their leaves if the room temperature drops below +12 degrees. Leaves can dry out and fall off if there is low humidity and no watering.

You can save a tree without leaves if its stem is alive. The plant is transferred to heat and high humidity is provided. Soon, the foliage on the plant will grow back.

Is avocado a fruit, vegetable or berry?

From a biological point of view, avocado is a fruit, as it grows on a tree and belongs to fruit plants. More precisely, it is a drupe, like an apricot and a peach.

In cooking, the avocado fruit is used more as a vegetable, as it has a non-sweet taste and has high nutritional value. It is used as an ingredient in salads, as a filling for sandwiches, and soups are prepared from avocados.

How to germinate an avocado seed in a pot of soil: description

You can germinate an avocado seed not only with a glass of water, but also with soil.

Instructions:

  • To do this, you need to take soil that allows water to pass through well. It is best to use peat or turf.
  • Next, you need to moisten the soil well and bury the seed, but not completely. It is necessary that the third part of the bone looks out on the surface.
  • And it was not covered with earth. You need to water the soil once every 3-5 days. The germination process can take up to three months, so be patient and do not rush to throw away the seed.

Growing avocado from seed

Conditions for growth


How to grow avocado from seed at home? The plant will require a warm room with high humidity . The pot must have good drainage using pebbles or expanded clay.

Overmoistening the soil is unacceptable, and there should be no water left in the tray of the pot. Avocados are placed where there is good lighting, but there is no direct sunlight that can cause burns to the leaves.

The soil in the pot is kept loose and moist , preventing caking and compaction. Its environment should be closer to neutral, but in no case acidic. To do this, prepare a mixture of equal parts of garden soil, humus and coarse sand. If necessary, peat and a little lime are added.

Lowering the ambient temperature to 16°C or lower is unacceptable . Watering is done with warm water; the plant also likes spraying. For normal growth and development, fertilizing is carried out periodically, which is carried out at least twice a month in spring and summer. For this purpose, mineral fertilizers are used to feed citrus fruits.

To prevent the avocado from growing, you need to pinch the top shoot in a timely manner . Transplantation is carried out once a year in the spring. During this period, the tree takes root better after planting in another pot. Shedding leaves once a year is considered normal - this is what it looks like when it enters the dormant stage.

The plant is often affected by pests - scale insects and spider mites. In order to prevent possible infection, it should be frequently sprayed with water and periodically treated with a soap solution. When powdery mildew appears, treat with a fungicide.

What kind of water should you put the avocado seed in, which end?

There are three ways to germinate a plant.

Instructions:

  • To do this, you need to place the seed in a glass a third of the way, with the blunt side down, and wait for germination. Or in a hanging state, using a prick on a toothpick. You need to insert toothpicks shallowly into the crust and use these supports to place them on a glass of water.
  • The blunt side needs to be in the water. This way you can watch the roots appear. First, the top seed will begin to peel off, and then you will see the first roots.
  • It is best to use clean water for germination. Under no circumstances should it be boiled. The ideal option would be filtered water or melt water. It contains a minimum of bacteria. Therefore, such water will not rot and bloom.
  • You won't have to change the water very often. You need to lower the avocado into the water with the blunt end of the pit.


Avocado water

Diseases and pests

When grown at home, the plant may suffer from attacks by pests such as spider mites and scale insects. They can be eliminated by treating the wood with the Actellik insecticide, as well as by increasing the air humidity in the room.

Powdery mildew is one of the diseases dangerous to the crop; it affects the leaf blades and bark of the tree, covering them with a white, fungal coating. You can rid the plant of the disease by treating it with Fitoverm fungicide, diluted according to the instructions indicated on the package.

But insects or fungi are not always involved in crop diseases; many problems in cultivation are caused by improper care.

  • Due to lack of moisture, draft or watering the plant with cold water, the leaf blades turn black and fall off.
  • Dry air also has a detrimental effect on the crop; it causes the leaves to dry out, first at the tips, and then completely.
  • As a result of a lack of light and a cramped pot, the tree’s leaves become lighter and droop, and over time they may fall off completely.

Only by eliminating the causes of all the problems described above, and providing the plant with proper and thorough care, can you get a healthy tree that will delight the gardener with its decorativeness all year round.

Why the avocado seed does not germinate: reasons, what to do?

There are several reasons why an avocado seed does not germinate:

  • First of all, this is the wrong fruit. If you choose a green avocado, then nothing will work, because the seed is unripe.
  • Failure to comply with disembarkation rules. Perhaps the soil in which you planted the seed is dry or insufficiently supplied with minerals. Perhaps it simply does not pass water well and the bone dries out.


Avocado pit does not germinate

Growing conditions in the wild

Since avocados grow in both tropical and subtropical climates, there are certain differences between these plants.

Groups and their features:

  1. Mexican varieties. Such species have good resistance to adverse weather conditions. Mexican avocado varieties can tolerate slight drops in air temperature.
  2. West Indian varieties. It will not be possible to grow such plants in the northern regions. Trees die even with minor frosts. In our country, West Indian varieties can only be grown in winter gardens and greenhouses.

In the wild, avocados grow in both sun and shade. In open areas, the tree bears fruit better.

Avocados do not like drafts. Strong winds negatively affect its development. Dry air disrupts the pollination process of flowers, resulting in a several-fold reduction in yield.

Avocado tree from seed: care

Caring for the plant is quite simple. It does not need additional lighting. You just need to put it on a windowsill on the south side, where there is a lot of sun.

Instructions:

  • It is necessary to water frequently. The avocado is replanted when it grows to a level of 15 cm. Many people recommend cutting it off after the plant reaches this height. Leave only 8 cm of stem.
  • This will stimulate the plant's growth and make it appear bushier, as well as encourage additional side shoots to grow. In addition, it is necessary to sometimes spray the avocado leaves and water them with mineral fertilizers.
  • For planting, it is best to use mixed loose soil or you can prepare it yourself. By mixing one part peat, one part river sand, and one part garden soil.


Avocado tree from seed

What does an avocado tree look like at home: photo

The appearance of the tree directly depends on how to care for it. Therefore, if you spend little time on your tree, it will most likely wither and not grow. With constant, good care, you can get a healthy, strong tree that will decorate your windowsill. Below are photos that show what a home-grown avocado tree looks like.


Avocado from the pit


Avocado from the pit

You should not expect the tree to grow 2 m tall, as happens in nature. Because the conditions at home are different from those in the open ground. If you want to get an exotic plant, you can grow an avocado tree from a seed.

Rooting methods

For germination you will need a small container with drainage holes. In the future, as the plant grows, it will need to be transplanted into a larger pot. It is advisable to disinfect both the planting container and the soil in advance (by any means available to you) - at first, a young seedling is very susceptible to various infections and is not able to resist diseases on its own. The soil should be loose, breathable, well-moistened, and slightly acidified. To make it easier to monitor the moisture content of the substrate, you can mix it with special hydrogel balls in a 2:1 ratio or simply scatter them over the surface of the soil. The hydrogel, by retaining water, will prevent the soil from drying out quickly in case of oversight, releasing moisture as needed.


The size of the pot must correspond to the volume of the root system and the rate of development of the seedling

Before planting an avocado seed at home, there is no need to remove the outer shell, which seems hard, but to stimulate root formation, you can lightly scratch or rub it at the bottom with sandpaper. A good result is also obtained by pre-soaking the seed in a saucer covered with a damp cotton pad or piece of gauze until it swells.

The seed, thoroughly cleaned of any remaining pulp, must be treated with a disinfecting solution and then placed in the soil, pressing the wide bottom side to a shallow depth (about 2 centimeters) so that two-thirds of its height is above the soil surface. It is recommended to place the pot with the planted seed in a well-lit place, provide warmth and cover with a transparent plastic cup to protect it from direct sunlight and too hot or dry air. The seedling needs to be ventilated periodically, briefly opening the shelter. Under favorable conditions, in fifteen to twenty days roots will appear, followed by a sprout and the first young leaves will open.


One proven method is rooting in water.

Sometimes a second method is used, which is more labor-intensive but speeds up germination, namely, immersing the bottom of the seed in water. To do this, around the perimeter, at approximately the same level, carefully make three or four shallow holes with an awl (the sharp edge of a toothpick), into which thin skewers or pointed matches or toothpicks are inserted. Before the procedure, the prepared instruments and the seed itself must be disinfected to prevent pathogenic bacteria from entering the seed. A suitable container is filled with water; if desired, special root formation stimulants can be added to it. The skewers should support the bone so that its wide lower part is constantly in the liquid (as in the photo). The finished structure is also covered with a transparent cap, adding water as necessary and observing the appearance of roots. It is believed that it is correct to plant an avocado in the ground when the length of the roots on the pit reaches 3-4 centimeters.

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