How to grow an avocado plant at home: it’s easy and fun

And you don't need to be green fingered at all!

Jane3 weeks ago

37 5 minutes read

In this guide we will see how to grow an avocado plant from seed in a few simple steps. In fact, one of the easiest plants to grow from a seed is an avocado. In less than two months you will have your first blossom from a simple seed, and without too much effort or needing to be green fingered.

Contents

1 How to grow an avocado plant from the seed
2 Tips for caring for your avocado plant
3 Other tips on plants and gardening

One of the simplest plants to grow from a seed is the avocado, a delicious fruit and an ingredient used in many dishes (for example guacamole).

It is a unique fruit that offers many health benefits, such as lowering cholesterol and improving triglyceride levels. The amazing thing is that avocado fruit trees can be grown from the seed, that is usually thrown away.

It may seem strange, but in just over 2 months you will have a beautiful experience of how life blossoms from a simple large stone. And without making too much effort or having a green thumb…

Warning: it takes about ten years for an avocado tree to start producing its first fruits, warn your children!

Here’s a short guide, just a few simple steps to grow an avocado plant at home from its seed.

How to grow an avocado plant from the seed

The steps are as follows:

Remove and clean the seed

Remove and gently clean the seed. Make sure you do not wash away the thin brown skin, but only residues of pulp.
It is important to pay attention to the pointed end of the seed, because this is where the roots will grow from.

cleaning the avocado seed — tep 1. Remove and gently clean the avocado seed

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Insert 3 toothpicks

Now push 3 toothpicks into the seed, with a slight angle of 45 degrees along the whole circumference of the seed. The toothpicks act as support, you will need to keep the seed afloat on the edge of a glass while the flat part of the seed will remain immersed in water.

Place the glass in a sunny place

Then you will need to place the glass on a sunny window sill and remember to change the water at least once a week to prevent fungi and bacteria growing. Choose a clear glass so you can see the roots of your avocado grow!

When cracks start to form and the brown skins begin to fall off you should notice the roots beginning to sprout. You must make sure that they are always kept moist as the avocado is a delicate plant.. Be patient, it will take about 8 weeks!

First pruning and repotting

When your seedling measures about 15-20 inches, transfer into a pot with 20-25 cm of soil rich in humus. Make sure that the top of the seed remains exposed to the air, then places the plant in a sunny spot in the house. It is a tropical plant, so the more sun it receives, the better.

Always keep the soil of your plant moist.

When it reaches about 30 cm, it is ready to be pruned. Cut off the first leaves at the top so that it becomes more dense, and do it again as soon as it has grown by an additional 15 cm.

If the plant is subject to aphids do not worry: get rid of the insects by washing the leaves gently under running water, then spray the seedling with a mixture of water, a bit of soap and a teaspoon of Neem oil, an evergreen typical of India.

Leave it out on your balcony in the summer, but the avocado seedling needs a warmer environment in autumn-winter, before the temperatures begin to drop below 7°. Remember: it is a tropical plant, so the more sun it gets, the better.

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Tips for caring for your avocado plant

And now that you have worked hard to obtain your plant, you need to take care of it as best as possible, here are some practical tips.

Pruning

As we mentioned, once it reaches approximately 20 cm, your plant is ready to be pruned to make it grow better. Cut off the first few leaves at the top so that it becomes thicker, and do it again as soon as it grows another 15 centimetres.

Prune the avocado tree to make it grow better. After reaching about 15-18 cm, you need to cut about 7 cm of the stem. Cutting the upper part of the stem will stimulate the horizontal growth of the plant.

Regular pruning should be limited after the first year of growth, although it is helpful in keeping the avocado tree healthy. As it grows, smaller branches can be cut to limit or balance the growth.

It is best to prune in late winter or early spring, as this is the ideal time to do so. If you don’t prune, the stem will become too tall. Please do not cut the roots of the plant.

When and how to water

You will have to water the avocado tree every 2 or 3 days. Check the soil every two days or so to make sure it has not dried out. To do this, stick your finger about an inch into the soil.

You shouldn’t overdo it, because too much water could damage the plant.

The sign that you are overdoing it with too much water appears when you see the leaves become light green or translucent. When fully mature, the avocado tree needs around 70-80 liters of water per day during the irrigation period but we are talking about a mature tree.

How to protect it from parasites

If the plant is subject to aphids, don’t worry: get rid of the insects by gently rinsing the leaves under running water, then spray the plant with a mixture of water, a pinch of dishwashing liquid and a teaspoon of Neem oil, a evergreen typical of India.

Where to store your new avocado seedling

Perfect outside your balcony in summer, the avocado seedling needs a warmer environment in autumn-winter, before temperatures start to drop below 7°. If you live in a place where the temperature never drops below 24°C, you can keep it outdoors all year round. But if you live in a place where it gets cold, you need to protect your avocado tree by putting it indoors or it could die.