The question is, is it even possible to grow your own avocado tree at home? The answer is both ‘yes’ and ‘no’ depending upon the climatic conditions. Since avocados (Persea) originally come from South America and need a warm climate, you can only grow them if your region offers the right conditions.
Well, considering your region has a warm enough climate, we can start with growing our tree from seeds. But before that, you may want to check all the steps to growing your own lemon tree at home.
That being mentioned, let’s get to work!
Initial Preparation
Get a couple of avocados from the supermarket. Once you consume the flesh, place the seeds on a plate. Rinse the seeds briefly under the tap to remove any sticking pulp and dry with a paper towel. This prevents it from growing mold.
To begin with, you have three methods to start growing the plant:
- Planting the seeds directly.
- Germinate the seeds using plain water.
- Germinate using a paper towel.
1. Plant The Avocado Seeds Directly
Avocado seeds can be planted directly in the ground or grown in a glass of water. For the first method, take a flower pot, fill it with potting soil, and put the core in at most halfway, with the pointed end pointing upwards.
Moisten the soil well and place a greenhouse over the core so that the humidity around the core is increased. Alternatively, you can also use a transparent, perforated film. At a room temperature of 25 degrees, it takes root after a few months. Make sure that the soil never dries out and spray the core with water at regular intervals.
2. Germinate The Seeds Using Water
For the second method, you will need a glass and three toothpicks. Insert the toothpick into the center of the avocado stone, all the way around – but not too deep, so that the inside of the stone is not damaged. You can check these step-by-step instructions for a better understanding.
Fill the glass with water and place the core on top with the toothpicks resting on the edge of the glass. The core should be about halfway into the water. The more pointed side of the core should be facing up.
Place the jar in a sunny spot on the window sill and water regularly. When the avocado seed begins to germinate after a few weeks and its first leaves have developed, you can plant it in a flowerpot.
3. Germinate The Seeds Using a Paper Towel
Another effective way to germinate avocado seeds successfully is by using a paper towel roll. This method is similar to the second method except for this time it uses a paper towel roll to keep the moisture.
Step-by-step Instructions:
- Clean the seeds using with a paper towel, rinse with water, and soak them in clean water for a day to loosen or soften the outer shell.
- Carefully remove the top skin from the core.
- Dampen several pieces of kitchen roll paper and wrap the peeled seeds.
- Put the roll in a small bowl and place it in a warm damp place.
- To ensure enough moisture content is always available to the seeds, replace the paper roll every two days. This also prevents the seeds from getting mold and contamination.
- As soon as the first roots sprout (this generally takes up to fours weeks) replace the paper rolls. Additionally, check the paper towels every two days and ideally replace them.
- After about four weeks, the core is split and the root is big enough. Now you can plant it.
Avocado Seed Germination Time
As a rule, it takes up to four weeks under room temperature conditions before the seed core of an avocado produces seedlings. The duration depends both on the external conditions and on the avocado itself. The seeds from ripe berries tend to germinate faster. Nevertheless, you need a little patience before the first tentative roots appear. To speed up the process, you can remove the dark skin around the seed core.
Care For the Avocado Seedling
In the warm summer months, the small avocado seedling needs special attention. Avocados particularly love drinking a lot of water. So, don’t forget to water the plant regularly. You should also provide it with some liquid fertilizer every two weeks. Since the plant prefers moist air, mist it with lukewarm water daily.
Repotting The Growing Plant
If the avocado tree is too big for the pot, you may need to report it. Wait for the next spring as that is the ideal time for repotting. Make sure to use either uniform soil with added clay or potting soil. This gives the plant an extra energy boost after that winter hibernation.
Pruning And Trimming The Adult Plant
In the wild, avocado trees can grow up to 20 meters tall. While this is unlikely to happen with a homegrown plant, it can still take a beating if left unchecked. Pruning is also essential to make the plant grow volumetrically than getting longer and thinner.
So, ideally, trim it at a height of about 30 centimeters. This will make your tree to grow more branches on the sides.
When Will You Pluck The First Fruit?
Avocado is one of the plants that take really long to give out fruit. Even if your tree is several meters tall, it still can take up to 8 years to bear any fruit if the tree lives a luxurious life. In many cases though, it may take up to a staggering 15 years.
Did you try any of the abovementioned methods of growing avocados from seeds? Do you have any other method on your mind? We would love to know!
