Avocados are a delicious fruit and an ingredient in many dishes, including guacamole. Avocados are unique and have a variety of health benefits, such as lowering cholesterol and improving triglyceride levels. You can grow this great fruit from seeds that are usually discarded. Avocados will thrive in warm and humid climates such as in the tropics. While avocado trees generally take up to ten years to mature, making sprouts from seeds is easy enough to do yourself at home if you follow the right steps.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Growing Avocado with Toothpicks
Step 1. Separate and clean the avocado seeds
Slice the avocado so you can see the oval seed in the middle. Use a tool such as a knife or fork to pry the seeds out of the fruit. After the avocado seeds are separated, rinse with warm water to remove the remaining flesh.
- Don't throw away the tan or the "seed coat".
- Read how to cut an avocado if you don't know how to do it.
Step 2. Determine the base and top of the seed
The top of the seed is a pointed tip, while the base is more rounded. You should be able to identify the base and top of the seed. Roots will grow from the base and the tree will grow shoots from the top.
Step 3. Insert three toothpicks into the avocado seed
Insert three toothpicks through the center of the seed at a slight angle. This toothpick will hold the seeds together so that the roots underneath get enough water and the tops of the seeds remain dry.
- The distance between the toothpicks should be the same.
- Make sure each toothpick is inserted firmly but not too far in.
Step 4. Squeeze the seeds in the rim of a glass filled with water
Use a toothpick to balance the seeds on the rim of the glass, making sure the bottom half is submerged in water. Meanwhile, the top of the seed should be above the water's surface. Put the glass in a warm place and get sunlight.
- Do not forget to change the water when the water has evaporated.
- Change the water once a week to prevent mold growth in the glass.
- Use room temperature water for avocado seeds.
Step 5. Wait for the avocado to germinate
Within 2 to 6 weeks, you will see the avocado seeds begin to germinate. The avocado seed will crack and roots will begin to grow from the base.
If the seeds don't germinate in eight weeks, start the process again with new seeds
Step 6. Transfer the plant to a pot filled with soil
After the plant grows to a height of 15 - 17 cm, transfer it to a pot filled with soil. Remove the toothpick from the seed and plant the avocado 20-25 cm deep in a pot filled with humus soil or ready-to-plant all-purpose soil. Some of the avocado seeds should be exposed above ground level.
- Humus is loose and fertile soil. It includes organic materials such as leaves, grass clippings, and peat moss.
- Avocado trees thrive in organic soil that dries quickly when watered.
Method 2 of 3: Planting an Avocado Tree in the Ground
Step 1. Separate the avocado seeds from the flesh and clean them
You can use paper towels or wash them under running water. Remove the entire flesh of the fruit from the seed before you plant it. If the seeds are difficult to clean, soak them in water for one to two minutes to make it easier for you to clean the part that sticks to the seeds.
Step 2. Carefully peel the brown seed coat
After the seeds are cleaned, peel off the brown layer on the seeds, known as the protective skin. Use a sharp knife and peel off the skin to get the light brown seeds inside.
A light scratch on the seeds won't interfere with their growth, but don't puncture or crack the seeds while the skin is peeling
Step 3. Fill the pot with moist soil
Fill the pot with loose, well-drained soil. Some choices of soil that you can use include sandy loam or humus soil. You can buy this special ready-to-plant soil online or at a plant store. Good drainage is an important factor for avocado growth.
- A healthy pH level for soil is between 6.0 and 7.0.
- If you are taking soil from the garden, sift the soil and remove any weeds or any remaining roots that are in it.
Step 4. Bury the avocado seeds in the soil
Bury the avocado seed until the round base is covered with soil, while the pointed tip remains exposed above. Avocados grown this way will take two months to sprout. Check the soil daily and make sure it is moist enough to stimulate growth. The soil should be kept from drying out during this time.
- If you live in a subtropical climate, the best time to plant avocados is March to June.
- Planting avocados in the hottest summer will increase the risk of damage to the plant by the sun.
- Planting more than one seed will increase the chances of growing plants.
Step 5. Wait for the avocado to grow
Avocado trees take 2 – 8 weeks to sprout. If taproots begin to appear, it means the plant has successfully grown. The taproot will appear larger than the other roots. After the seeds germinate, the tree will take 5 – 13 years to bear fruit.
Method 3 of 3: Caring for Avocado Trees
Step 1. Prune the avocado tree to stimulate growth
Once the avocado tree has grown to about 15-18 cm, cut it about 8 cm. Cutting plant shoots will stimulate horizontal growth. Prune the planted tree using a toothpick germination method or potting soil. Regular pruning after the first year of growth should be limited, but in some cases it can be useful to keep the avocado tree healthy. As the tree matures, you can trim small branches to limit growth or to balance the tree's structure.
- The best time to prune trees is in late winter or early spring.
- If you don't prune the tree, chances are the trunk will grow too tall.
- Never cut tree roots.
Step 2. Water the avocado tree once every 2 to 3 days
Watering too much will damage the plant. Indications of too much watering are light green or transparent avocado leaves. Check the soil every few days to make sure it doesn't dry out. You can do this by sticking your finger into the soil to a depth of 2.5 cm.
A mature avocado tree needs about 75 liters of water per day during the watering period
Step 3. If you live in a subtropical climate, put avocado saplings indoors in winter
If you live in a place where the temperature doesn't drop below 24°C like in Indonesia, you can keep avocado trees outdoors all year round. However, if you live in a cold area, the newly grown avocado tree must be brought inside, otherwise the plant may die.
Step 4. Make sure the tree can be pollinated
Avocado trees must be pollinated by insects in order to bear fruit. If you've been growing an avocado tree for a long time but it's still not bearing fruit, take the tree outside or open a window so that bees and other insects can enter and pollinate it.
You will have to take care of the avocado for several years before the tree finally bears fruit until its fruiting period is completely over
Warning
- Avocados are a dangerous food for pets such as dogs and cats.
- Avocado trees may never bear fruit, or bear fruit but are not tasty to eat.
