Two Easy Ways to Start Avocado Trees From Seed
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I have an avocado pit plant that is just roots. Will it ever grow a stem? I started 2 pits, in water, at the same time. Sometimes the only root pit, looks like new roots sprout from them. If this root pit is not going to sprout leaves may I toss it?
Hi SoJourner,
Thanks for your question. It is hard to know if your avocado pit will ever produce a stem. Typically, a stem will begin to emerge soon after the roots appear at the bottom of the pit. Depending on how long the roots have been out, it may or may not produce a stem. You can wait another week or two to see if there is any sign of a stem. If nothing appears, it is not likely that a stem will emerge and you can discard the pit and try again.
If your pit does produce a stem, you will want to pinch off any initial leaves that appear as this will encourage your plant to grow a stronger stem and well-established root system. Eventually you will want to plant your avocado in a pot filled with potting soil (see above for more instructions).
So will this tree grown from a seed produce fruit? Or will it just be a non-fruit bearing tree forever? Thanks!
Most likely, the tree will not bear fruit. It takes about 5 to 15 years for an avocado tree planted from seed to start fruiting, if it does at all. It is best to start with a plant grafted on rootstock from a nursery in order to be sure it will be true to type; otherwise, fruit quality and yield will vary. (Grafted plants take about 3 to 5 years to fruit.) Also, some hybrid varieties won’t produce viable seeds, so you might not get fruit even after years of waiting. In addition, for best pollination, it is good to have at least two avocado trees that produce two different types of flowers (called Type A and Type B, describing when the flowers open and close and release pollen); you might still get fruit with just one plant, but not as many. Some varieties, though, can not self-pollinate.
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Thanks for your suggestion! I will be sure to bring it up to our web team.
I have started pits suspended over water and had great success with all of them. My current windowsill isn't big enough to ha e multiple things in it so I began germinating the pits by soaking them in water for a day or two, then wrap them in a damp paper towel and place them in a snack size ziplock and place in a sunny window. Mine is East facing. I have yet to have one that didn't sprout! They germinated much faster using this method.
Do you close the ziplock bag or keep it open?
Close the bag. I toss them in a wet paper towel, then put in cupboard. A few weeks later, they will start to sprout. When they are solid sprouts, put in a small container. Water...I put paper advertisements on top to hold in the moisture. Not wholly, just about 70% of the top of the soil. It will start to grow....keep out of high wind or extreme temps...lots of sun. I'm an amateur, but have grown 2 so far with this method.
It takes forever to get an avocado to grow roots in water! I bury my kitchen scraps in my raised beds all winter and every summer I find an avocado tree growing there! I have found it is much easier to get a sprout if you plant the seed in a flower pot that already has a plant growing in it and continue caring for the plant you already have so as not to overwater or do anything special to get the avocado to sprout. You can repot it in its own pot when it gets several inches tall (it may still have the seed ball attached so be careful to not injure it). :) Enjoy your tree!!!