How to grow an avocado from a stone?

March 05, 2021

Do you want to grow your own avocado or mango, but don't know how?

In this article, you will learn how to grow a small "avocado tree" (specifically , a delicious pear tree ) from an avocado stone.

You can of course also use the procedure that you will read below for other pits, e.g. mango, lemon, orange...

What to keep in mind!

Before we start growing, there are a few things to know and keep in mind throughout the process:

1. Not every seed has the prerequisites to germinate - let alone to grow from it into a tree that would one day bear fruit. Therefore, do not be disappointed if your first attempt is not successful. Personally, I have over 30 seeds and I managed to grow about 15 small trees from them. So be patient, and above all, don't be afraid to try again and again (and maybe even other methods).

2. How about the fruits? I don't want to take the wind out of your sails, but if you're looking forward to plucking an avocado from a planted avocado and eating it, then prepare for the opposite. In order for a tree that has grown from a seed to be able to bear fruit, it primarily needs the conditions it would have in the wild - and we can't give it much of that in an apartment. In addition, we have the fact that not every seed has the potential to grow into a fruitful tree. Think of it more like a lottery – you bet on the seed and in about 5 or 7 years (the period given for the first fruiting of a pear tree) you might win!

If you want to at least somewhat insure a good seed by choosing the right avocado, always choose softer or slightly overripe ones (so if your avocado spoils at home, don't be sad and try to grow a plant from the seed!)

Three methods

Avocado pits can be grown in water (1) , half in a bag and water (2) or in soil (3) .

A seed in water (1) – what will you need?

Avocado (or other stoned fruit)
sharp knife
A water container (either with a narrow neck or a normal glass)
Toothpicks
Lignohumate or other preparation

Method:
Cut the avocado into two halves as we are used to. We carefully remove the stone, which we thoroughly wash and dry with a paper towel, for example.

Tip : You can (but it is not a requirement) carefully peel off the top layer of the stone - this will reduce the likelihood of it rotting.

Subsequently, we place toothpicks in the cleaned and prepared stone so that the stone is not completely submerged under the water when we put it in the filled container. It is important that the wider part of the stone (the skin of the stone is lighter here) is in contact with the water and the narrower part is "in the air".

If we use a container with a narrow neck, we will not need toothpicks. Fill the container to the brim and place the stone on top of it (then check the stone more often to see if it touches the water).

We move the seed prepared in this way, even in the container, to a bright and warm location. We always check the water after a few days to see if it's cloudy - if you don't think it's cloudy, just change it. We also pay attention to the furnace to see if it is moldy.

Tip : Try to keep the water level below the pricks of the toothpicks - water could flow into the stone and start to rot.

A successful attempt becomes a stone that starts to crack (open into two halves). A root will start to grow from below, after a few days a stem will start to appear from the top. You can grow a pear tree in water for as long as you want, but in that case the plant will appreciate some extra nutrients (you can use, for example, lignohumate, which supports the formation of the root system) - or you can plant the plant in a flower pot.

A seed in a bag (2) – what will you need and how is it different?

Avocado (or other stoned fruit)
Knife
Handkerchief or paper towel
Air-sealable bag (zip-bag)
Sprayer, water

Method:
Cut the avocado again, clean the stone, dry it and peel the skin. We wrap the seed prepared in this way in a handkerchief or paper towel and moisten it (either spray it with a sprayer or wet it with a stream of water).

Now we put the wet coated stone in the bag and close it. We can inflate the bag a little to create a "greenhouse" environment (warmth, humidity). Put the bag with the seed in a warm place (it worked for me to put them between socks in a drawer).

After a few days, we can observe the popping of the seed and the subsequent growth of the roots. After a few weeks, a stem may also appear => at this point it is ideal to remove the seed from the bag and handkerchief and proceed either according to instruction 1 (placing the seed in a container with water) or according to instruction 3 (planting the seed). This is so that the stem can start growing behind the light.

Advantages: This procedure has proven to be the fastest way to root a seed. In water and in clay, my seeds often rotted before they started to season. The avocado in the opening photo was created using procedure 1, but I waited several months for the first roots. The bag seasoning method has so far been 100% successful for me, and above all, it is really fast.

A seed in the dirt (3) – what will you need?

Avocado pit (or other fruit)
Smaller flower pot
Clay

Method:
We wash the stone, dry it and we can peel the skin again. We bury the stone prepared in this way lengthwise in the soil so that 2/3 of it remains above the ground (there are visible "grooves" on the stone that divide it into halves - both must be partly in the soil and partly outside). Then we keep the soil moist, warm and wait.

And which one is the most effective?
You have been presented with 3 methods by which you can grow a plant from a seed, and you are probably wondering which one to choose. It's entirely up to you! Everyone is comfortable with something different and it is no different here. Some people are more successful in growing with water, others with clay... you have to try it.

From my personal experience, it is best to germinate the seed in a bag, then put the roots in water and let the first leaves grow on the stem. Only then transplant the entire pear tree into a pot with clay (I use a mix of substrate for indoor plants and perlite).

Final tip : When growing avocados in water, you can use a so-called sprouting dish . Thanks to it, you don't have to prick the seed with toothpicks and it is also suitable for growing bulbs.