How to grow an avocado seed

Instead of going to a nursery and buying an avocado tree that has already grown for several years and simply planting it, there's another option that's a bit nicer and also very educational. It offers the opportunity to be more connected to the earth.

While it may require more energy to grow the plant, the act of investing time in nurturing an avocado plant from seed connects us to it, fostering a sentimental attachment to the plant and a love for the earth.

This guide is going to be very simple, based on my experience in growing avocado trees from the seeds stage to the trees stage. This, in my opinion, is the fastest way to grow your own avocado plant that will produce fruit.

sprouted avocado seeds:

To grow avocado seeds, we need to go through a process called germination. In this process, a sprout emerges from the avocado pit, which will eventually grow into a tree.

But before that, there are a few steps we need to take to ensure it reaches this stage.

So let's say we bought a ripe avocado fruit at the supermarket, we came home, used the avocado fruit for guacamole, and extracted the avocado pit, deciding to germinate it.

We'll put the avocado pit in a bowl of cold water for a few hours to soften it, allowing us to remove the outer layer covering the pit. The soaking process helps the avocado pit germinate faster because it absorbs water. After peeling off the outer layer by hand or with a knife, we need to prepare a germination bag in which the avocado plant will remain for about eight weeks until it germinates.

This germination bag acts as a kind of primitive incubator where the avocado pit benefits from the best conditions to sprout.

There are three conditions we want to create during this eight-week-long process. The first condition is moisture - the avocado pit needs moisture and fluids to nourish the seed core, which will help it crack open and sprout.

The second condition is warmth - for the pit to successfully sprout, it needs to be at a constant temperature between 20-30 degrees Celsius.

The third condition is light - the avocado pit needs darkness to sprout, it doesn't need to be complete darkness but it's important to place it in a shaded area.

To create these conditions, we'll take several layers of paper towels and dip them into a bowl of water for a few seconds, then remove them and place them on a surface and wrap the damp paper towels with the avocado pit from all directions to create a paper ball sopping wet.

We'll put the damp paper towel in a zip lock bag and close it, it must be a zip lock bag because we want the bag to be airtight. It's very important to leave air inside the bag because the pit also needs oxygen, so don't flatten the bag when sealing it. we leave the bag in a dark and warm place.

On the bag, we'll write the date of that day so that we can be precise about the timing and whether it has been eight weeks since germination.

Choosing a Planting container:

After a month in which the avocado seeds have germinated and developed roots, it's now time to transfer the avocado sprout from the germination bag to a small pot.

The two most important things about the pot are Size - A pot with a diameter of 16 cm and a volume of 1.8 liters would be excellent. It's important to give the avocado seed space so it can grow.

The reason I recommend initially growing the avocado plant in a small pot rather than directly in soil stems from several reasons:

1. Growing in a pot gives us more controlled watering.

2. We can provide the optimal amount of fertilizer it needs.

3. We can change its location in case of extreme weather.

4. Weeds or other plants won't interfere with its root system.

Drainage holes:

This is one of the crucial factors in plant development. When we water the plant, the root system absorbs a certain amount of water.

If the excess water has nowhere to drain, it will just stand there and cause root rot or even plant death. Therefore, it's very important to check if there are holes in the pot we're going to transfer the avocado sprout into.

Many people place a saucer under the pot to collect excess water, but it's important to remember that when the saucer fills up, the avocado seed will absorb the water back into the root system.

Important point: During the summer when temperatures rise and evaporation is faster, it might be okay to leave the accumulated water in the saucer because it won't stay there for long. But in winter when temperatures drop, the water can remain there for days. Therefore, I recommend paying attention to this issue.

Potting soil:

After choosing a suitable pot according to the parameters I mentioned, it's now time to choose the appropriate potting soil for growing the avocado plant.

The potting soil must contain nutrients and minerals so the avocado plant receives all the nutrition it needs. If you take soil from nature, the level of nutrients in the soil will likely be low, and you'll need to provide the plant with additional fertilizer.

Therefore, I recommend buying potting soil which is usually a mixture of peat and coconut coir, both airy materials that allow for better drainage. The soil comes with slow-release fertilizer, which will hold for a long time until the plant's roots absorb it.

I also recommend buying a bag of compost that we'll sprinkle on the plant's soil every six months to continue providing the plant with the nutrition it needs.

Planting:

After choosing the potting mix and the right pot, it's now time to plant. We'll take the pot, fill it with the garden soil, then dig a small but not too deep hole in the middle of the pot, as close to the center as possible. We'll place the avocado sprout in the hole and cover it, there's no need to press the soil from above because after watering the pot, the water will compact the soil.

If you've followed my instructions up to now, you've already done most of the work. From here on, it's just about maintaining the avocado seed so it can grow into a mature tree and produce fruit. There are a few topics you should pay attention to for the avocado seed to grow quickly and healthily.

When to water?

Without water, no plant will survive, not even a cactus, but excess water can also kill the plant. My way of checking when the plant needs water is very simple. I look at the soil of the plant to identify what shade of brown it is:

• Light brown shade - dry soil.

• Dark brown shade - moist soil.

Another method I often use is to feel the soil with my fingers:

If the soil crumbles when I touch it with my fingers and doesn't stick to it or leave any signs of moisture, it's likely to dry. But if the soil doesn't crumble quickly and feels like mud or something resembling mud, and it sticks to my fingers, it's likely moist.

Placement:

Avocado trees need direct sunlight to grow. The more sunlight they receive, the faster they'll grow. They can grow in areas with fewer hours of sunlight, but they'll likely grow slower. It's an option to grow an indoor avocado tree, but it can take up to 10 years for the tree to bear fruit. so chose a sunny spot. Exposure to sunlight helps them produce the food they need.

When the avocado tree is still small, it can be very sensitive to extreme weather conditions.

During hot days, it's recommended to water the avocado tree generously to help it get through the day.

We can also observe the condition of the leaves regarding the plant's dehydration. When the leaves are wide and fleshy, the tree has received sufficient water. When the leaves are wilted and weak, they probably need water urgently.

You need to look at the leaves of the plant as if they were its ID card:

Leaves can tell me a lot about the conditions of the avocado tree and whether the tree is healthy or not. The sooner you identify the source of the problem, the sooner you'll reach a solution.

Without the plant signaling to me and giving me clues, I'll probably never know if it lacks nutrients (assuming I don't perform soil tests every month). I'll want to monitor the development of the leaves and their color.

Lack of nutrients:

The leaves of the avocado tree turn brown, green, and wide. so if suddenly I see that the color of the new leaves turning lighter and even yellow leaves, that should be a warning sign. If the new leaves that are growing look smaller or distorted, that could also indicate a lack of nutrients.

Excess Water:

In the case of excess water, we'll see leaves with dry brown spots or edges, indicating dry leaves. Likely, the soil of the plant will be very wet and dark. The quick solution would be to water only when the soil is dry. I elaborated on this in the when-to-water section.

when Transferring the plant to a larger pot or the ground?

The only reason, in my opinion, to transfer a plant to a larger pot or the ground is the size of the root system.

The larger the root system, the larger the plant will grow and the stronger it will be. So, when we see that the root system of the tree has taken up all the space in the pot, it's time to transfer it to a larger growing container.

If you have the option to grow the plant in the ground, then I recommend doing so rather than transferring the plant to another pot.