How To Plant An Avocado Seed

How to plant an avocado seed

If you have purchased and planted a tree, you can probably expect to see your first fruit three to four years after planting. If you are growing from a seed, it can take anywhere from five to 13 years before the tree is mature enough to set fruit.

Can you plant avocado seed directly in soil?

You can also plant the avocado pit directly in soil. Simply fill a pot with soil – humus-rich, loamy potting soil is ideal – and put the clean, dry pit in the pot.

Which side of the avocado seed goes down when planting?

The pointed end of the pit should face up and the fatter, flatter end down. Fill a small glass with room temperature water to the brim and rest the toothpicks on the brim of the glass, with the flat end of the avocado seed immersed in the water and the pointy end out of the water so it remains dry.

How long soak avocado seed before planting?

Open your avocado, eat the flesh and wash the pit well. First, soak the pit for 24 to 48 hours in clean water. With your knife, peel off the thin brown skin of the pit. This step speeds up the germination process and the result is more attractive.

Do I need 2 avocado trees to get fruit?

Pollination Avocado Trees are self-fertile, so you don't have to have another tree for fruit. But if yours is growing indoors, it's beneficial to shake the tree a bit to spread the pollen, since you will have no bees or wind to do it for you.

Will an avocado tree bear fruit if grown from a seed?

Any avocado seed can grow an avocado plant but not necessarily a fruit-bearing tree. Experts say you have about a 20% chance that your avocado seed will produce avocados. To ensure that your tree can grow fruit 100% of the time, you'll need to get it from a local or commercial nursery.

Should you cover the avocado seed in soil?

Step 2: The Seed - Dirt Method The dirt method is just as simple. If you are using a pot, put a little gravel or some pebbles in the bottom for excellent drainage. Avocados love water but they do not like soggy soil. Leave the top of the seed a little above the soil.

Should I bury my avocado seed?

Carefully bury the avocado pit in the soil such that the top-half of pit shows above the surface of the soil. This ensures that the base of the seedling trunk doesn't rot under the soil. Pack the soil lightly around the pit. Water your plant daily or enough to keep the soil moist.

Do avocado trees like wet or dry soil?

Avocados need well drained soil, as the plant will not tolerate wet soggy soil, this is also important in the winter time when the ground is cold as well.

Where do you put toothpicks in an avocado seed?

Stick the toothpicks firmly into the sides of the seed and use them to support the seed at the top of the glass of water with the blunt end submerged an inch deep. Keep the glass in a brightly-lit spot but out of direct sunlight and refill the water regularly.

How deep should I bury my avocado seed?

Seed Planting and Care Fill a standard gallon-sized planting pot with sterile potting soil. Then, bury the prepared avocado seed, sinking it into the soil at a depth that's equal to half of the seed's length. For example, if the seed is 3 inches long, bury it 1 1/2 inches below the soil surface.

What part of the avocado seed needs to be touching the water?

Don't submerge the whole seed, but make sure the root is touching the water. You can submerge the bottom half inch of the seed if needed. In the next week or two you should see the tap root grow down into the water and even send out root offshoots.

Can you overwater an avocado seed?

Overwatering can lead to root rot, which comes with a slew of issues and signs to note. In general, avocado trees do not need much water after they are established, and their roots do not go very deep into the soil.

How often should you water a newly planted avocado seed?

Most avocado roots stay in the top six inches of soil, which can dry out quickly. Newly planted trees may need water two to three times per week their first year. Mature avocado trees need water equal to about 2 inches of rainfall or irrigation each week during summer.

Will an avocado seed grow fully submerged in water?

Always keep the roots submerged in water as it grows. After a couple more weeks, stems and leaves will start growing out of the avocado seed. keep the plants in a very bright place, but out of direct sunlight.

How do you tell if an avocado is male or female?

"A flowers" are female (receptive to pollen) in the morning and male (shedding pollen) in the afternoon. "B flowers" are male (shedding pollen) in the morning and female (receptive to pollen) in the afternoon. For the most part, avocado cultivars have only A flowers or only B flowers.

How tall is an avocado tree after 1 year?

On average, healthy avocado trees can grow about 3 feet per year until they reach their maximum height of around 40 feet tall. We'll walk you through the full timeline of an avocado tree's life, so you'll know exactly how long it takes to grow, along with what you can expect during this timeline.

Is coffee grounds good for avocado trees?

The answer is yes. By supplying nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, and other elements that are excellent for avocado trees, coffee grounds help the growth of avocado trees.

Can I grow an avocado tree indoors?

Avocado trees (Persea americana) can grow indoors in any hardiness zone, which makes them great low-maintenance houseplants. However, it can take up to 10 years for the tree to bear fruit in its natural growing conditions, and it can reach over 40 feet tall when grown outside.

Why can't you grow an avocado from seed?

It will be five to 13 years before your plant produces fruit, if it does at all. Because avocados do not reproduce true to seed (meaning you won't get the same type of fruit as the avocado from which the pit came), commercial avocado trees are propagated from cuttings.