How to plant an avocado?

Avocado is a fruit loved by many, thanks to its delicious taste and versatility for a large number of dishes (including drinks).

So it is normal that not a few choose to plant an avocado in their own home. And contrary to what many people think, it is simple. With a few steps and a little patience, we can have avocado plants at home. If you want to know how to plant an avocado, stay until the end of this tutorial.

Obtain the avocado pit

The first thing to do is to open the avocado and get the pit. Insert the knife touching the pit, but without applying too much pressure so as not to hurt the seed. Cut around the avocado and remove the seed with a spoon or by hand.

Wash the seed of the remains of pulp to prevent rotting. You can also carefully remove the skin of the avocado to help it germinate more quickly.

Germinating the avocado seed

The first thing you should do before starting the germination process is to know which is the top and bottom of the seed, that is, where the root and stem come out.

The root part is flat or flattened, and usually has a fleshy or whitish color than the rest of the seed.  In addition, there is usually a crack in it. This is where the seeds come out and is the lower part.

The top part is more pointed and does not have the above characteristics. This is the side from which the stem will come out and is therefore the upper side.

With this in mind, we can move on to the germination process. There are two main ways to germinate the avocado seed:

Way 1: Introduce in water with chopsticks.

For this process we are going to need a container of water and some toothpicks. Take 3 or 4 toothpicks and insert them a little more than halfway up. It is important that the chopsticks are slightly tilted with the outer tip upwards so that the seed touches the water well.

Next, let’s take a container with water. It can be any container, the important thing is that it stores water and the seed can be held while in contact with the water. Remember to place the flatter side down.

A trick is to leave the seed completely submerged for the first day to help germination. Then change the water, but this time only half of the seed should be submerged.

You should change the water every 2 to 4 days to prevent rotting.

Form 2: Germinate with moistened napkin

For this procedure we will need a container with a lid and a napkin. Insert the napkin in the container and moisten with a sprayer.

Then insert the seed in the middle of the moistened napkin and you must also moisten it with the sprayer.

Then close the container with a lid. But the container should not be completely covered so that the seed breathes, if you have a lid with holes in it, all the better. Place the seed near a warm place, such as behind the refrigerator.

In neither of the two germination passes should the seed be in direct contact with the sun. It can receive its light, but indirectly.

If the root grows too much, you can place a longer container so that the root grows more easily and without hurting itself.

Transplanting to a pot

After 1 or 2 months, the seed has germinated. Some roots have come out, the stem has grown and possibly has some leaves.

The next step in planting the avocado is to transplant it to a pot. Use a lightly textured substrate so that the soil is well aerated. The pot should have holes for water to drain. This is so that puddles do not form, which can rot the roots.

We place the soil and bury our little avocado. Do not bury the whole pit, but only as far as the roots reach. The rest should be on the outside.

At this point, you can remove the sticks (it is optional), since they are no longer necessary.

Avocado care and watering

Once the seed has germinated you can place it directly in the sun. But let it only get the morning sun, which is very light, so as not to hurt the plant. Or it should be in indirect sunlight. This prevents the stem from growing too much.

The same applies when the avocado is in a pot. It should not have full sun. Try in places that have light sun during one part of the day and shade during the other part of the day.

Every time you water, avoid waterlogging, as it only harms the avocado. This is a plant that does not like excess water.

Pruning the avocado (Optional)

If the avocado’s stem has grown too long and you want the buds on the branches to grow longer, you can opt for pruning. This is the next thing you need to do to plant the avocado well. There are two ways to do this.

The first is to remove the top shoot with your fingers.

The second is more radical, as you will have to cut with a scissors a little above one of the shoots in a slanting manner.

As a last tip, try to keep the avocado in pots until it is a considerable size where you can plant it. As it grows, place it in a larger pot.

If you want to plant good quality avocados, take a look at the different types of avocados available in our shop.