Save the pit from your next avocado to grow an interesting houseplant.
There is nothing more satisfying than displaying something green that you've grown indoors by yourself, particularly when you started with only a seed. Growing an avocado plant from a pit takes little of your time. The stunning, indoor tree is fascinating to watch at every stage of growth, from the initial roots and shoots to the first tiny leaves. The plant can be started and it grows well at any time of the year. It needs only to be kept warm, moist and protected against extreme cold.
Instructions
1. Pick a ripe avocado by pressing at the stemmed end of the fruit. If it gives, even a bit, the fruit is ripe. The avocado from Florida is bigger than the avocado from California and is somewhat easier to grow. The Florida avocado is light green with an almost smooth texture, while the California avocado is dark green with a rough, pebbled surface. Remove the outside skin and flesh of the fruit, being careful not to cut into the pit.
2. Identify the base of the pit. If you've never before looked at an avocado pit closely, you may be wondering which end is down. The place where a folded-in dimple can be seen is the bottom of the pit. Some avocado pits are quite round or oval with a flattened bottom end. Look for the dimpled bottom if you are not quite sure which end of the avocado pit is the root end. An important fact to remember in handling an avocado pit is that cold water should never be used. The plant is tropical in origin and does not take kindly to cold temperatures of any kind. Rinse the pit in tepid water, removing as much flesh as comes free easily. Do not dig into it. Dry the pit and gently wipe it off.
3. Get a clean glass not less than five inches high and with a wide opening at the top. Fill the glass with warmish water. Take up the pit again and get a good grip on it. About half way up from the base, force half the length of four toothpicks into the pit. Place them at regular intervals, making a framework to support the pit across the top of the glass. Now place the pit across the top of the glass with the inserted toothpicks as support, allowing about a half inch of water to cover the pit's base. The pit will stay in water until it puts down roots. Place the glass in the warmest spot you can find. Keep it out of strong light or drafts of cold air. A closet or cabinet would be good.
4. Maintain a constant level of water in the glass at all times. The base of the pit should always be immersed. Watch for the first signs of activity to appear. It may only be a few days before the first roots appear. It may take longer, so keep the seed where it is and watch and wait. As long as the water stays clear, the seed is still sound. If the water becomes thickened or cloudy, that is a sign of decay, so dump that pit and start another. After the appearance of the first roots, the seed begins to split. Bit by bit, the seed will eventually separate. There, lying in the center of it, is the first pale-green tendril, ready to shoot out and up into the air. When both roots and stem develop at the same time, the seed has entered a state of good, active growth.
5. Start cutting back at the very start if you want a lush, full and leafy, but reasonably sized houseplant. This cutting back continues as the plant grows. Allow the main stem to grow to six or seven inches. Then, using scissors, cut off the stem at a point midway between its top and bottom. Don't cut back too far. The remaining stem should be at least three inches high. The cut-off stem's development is now impeded. Be patient; the seed has to regroup its resources, taking another week or so to start growing again.
6. Judge when to pot your avocado pit when you have a good, thick fall of roots. They should be fairly dense and full and long enough to reach the bottom of the glass. You should plan to plant the seed about two weeks after you cut back the stem. Use an inexpensive, unpainted terra cotta pot. The diameter should be 8.5 or 10.5 inches. Use a rich mixture of soil for best results. Plant the seed shallowly. Leave at least half of the upper mass exposed when it is potted. The plant's stem should have the support of a dowel rod a soon as it reaches a height of 16 inches.
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