How to grow an avocado tree from seed (with photos)
Growing an avocado tree from a seed may sound like an impossible process, but all you need is a lot of sun, a bit of care, and a pinch of luck to get started!
Growing an avocado tree from a seed may sound like an impossible process, but all you need is a lot of sun, a bit of care, and a pinch of luck to get started!
Let’s set the record straight: I have two main loves in my life. Food and plants.
99% of my blog posts are about my vegan baking adventures. Right now, you’re reading the other 1%. Houseplants have always been a huge hobby of mine, and I’ve been getting a LOT of questions lately about my lovely one-year old avocado tree that I grew from a seed.
Her name is Bao (which means ‘dumpling’ in Chinese) and she’s my pride and joy. This post will outline for you exactly how I grew this avocado tree indoors, so you can do it too!
Taproot visible after 4 weeks of the seed being in water.
Step one: the avocado seed
Let the record show that this was not my first time trying to plant and grow and avocado tree from a seed.
My current tree is exactly my 985th attempt to do so. Many avocados were eaten in my pursuit to grow an indoor avocado tree, and this tree is the only one so far that has worked.
So the first thing you have to do is probably go through a lot of avocado seeds before you get one to sprout successfully.
I got this seed from a regular Haas avocado, but here’s what I did differently with this one: after I removed the seed and cleaned it thoroughly, I kept it wrapped in wet paper towels because I figured keeping the seed damp would help it eventually germinate.
And then, I entirely forgot about the seed and it stayed in my purse for a few days… so it dried out but turned out fine anyway.
Once the seed is a little dried out, peel away the papery brown skin on the top and bottom of the seed so that when your roots sprout they have proper room to grow.
Four weeks later, the taproot has grown and a stem has sprouted.
Step two: growing the seed in water
Now, you have two options on how to grow the seed from here: you can either grow the roots in soil or in water.
I’ve only ever tried the water method for avocado seeds. I’ve gotten quite a few to grow roots this way, although this tree is the only one who has survived long-term!
You’re going to need to get 3 toothpicks so that you can suspend the seed in a glass of water.
First, identify the top and bottom of the seed. The bottom end is typically lighter in color and may have a small bump. It helps to imagine the seed as a teardrop shape – the bottom is the fatter end and the top of the seed is slightly more pointed.
Insert your toothpicks on three ‘triangular points’ around the sides of seed, spaced equal distance between the top and bottom.
Now, fill up a tall glass with water. Place the bottom of the seed in the water, balancing it so that it’s suspended in the three toothpicks. The water should only come halfway up the seed. Make sure the top stays exposed and dry.
Place the seed in the sunniest spot in your home or apartment.
And now…we wait.
Step three: sprouting the seed
It may take a month for the seed to sprout (if it ever sprouts). As you wait, make sure to add more water to the glass if it starts to evaporate. Make sure the bottom of the seed is always touching the water.
Three weeks later, even more growth! Leaves have started to fully form. The seed I tried growing on the left side didn’t make it though 😢
Change out the water if it ever starts to turn brown and murky.
If you’re lucky, after about 4-6 weeks you may notice the bottom part of the seed has started splitting. That’s a good sign! Keep it going.
A successful seed will start sprouting its taproot after a few more weeks of waiting. This is an even better sign. I’ve had some seeds that started growing a taproot and then died with no warning… but we won’t put that out there.
Let the taproot continue to grow. The seed will continue to split vertically down the middle, and a stem will sprout from the top, too. I let its roots and stem grow for a while because I was too nervous to move it into soil 🤣
When the roots and stem are very sturdy though, it’s time to plant!
Step four: potting the seed in soil
When it’s time, fill up a large pot loosely with gardening soil (not packed in). Take your avocado seed out of the water and remove the toothpicks. Place the seed in the soil, taproot-side down, making sure the top half of the seed is exposed above the dirt.
Pack down the soil around the seed so it is secure. Leave the seed in a sunny spot and water it every few days, making sure the soil does NOT dry out completely. Your seed (soon-to-be-tree) likes to have its roots wet.
Two months later and more leaves have started to grow.
Step five: let it growww
If your seed has made it this far, all you have to do is maintain it and watch it grow into a beautiful avocado tree! Keep the seed in a sunny spot with indirect sunlight, and water the soil every few days so that it doesn’t dry out.
Over the next few months, your stem will start to sprout and grow leaves.
In terms of growth, I’ve let my tree grow wild without trimming her new buds, but I hear that if you pinch off the growing buds the tree will be less “leggy” and more “bushy”.
This is because the trimmed bud will sprout two more stem systems instead of one, which makes the tree grow horizontally.
One year later, and my avocado tree continues to grow. We are in the middle of summer and she’s sprouting new stems and leaves like crazy. During the winter months, she didn’t grow nearly as much.
I’ve noticed some of her leaves starting to brown on the tips. This may be because the hot July sun was too intense, so I’ve moved Bao further away from the window. Her leaves aren’t browning anymore.
Let me know if you have any questions about the process of growing your own indoor avocado tree.
Overall, I was generally very hands-off and didn’t hover too much, with the exception of making sure her soil doesn’t dry out. Growing an avocado seed takes time, so be patient!.
Do you have any questions about the process of growing an avocado tree? Comment below!
And once you’ve got a few avocados from your tree… make sure you serve them with something yummy, like my Vegan Black Bean burritos 🙂
HI, I’M SAM!
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22 responses to “How to grow an avocado tree from seed (with photos)”
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Thanks for your very clear directions and pictures. I have just started my avocado seed. Fingers crossed.
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Good luck Linda!
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Thanks for the instructions on how to grow an avocado plant. I used to do this when I lived in Florida. I had forgotten which way to turn the seed.
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Your recipes all look delicious!
I’ve read your instructions on the steps to planting an avocado seed and thank you so much. I had planned to put the seed right straight in the ground. But now I see that it’s best to carefully pamper it or “baby” it by putting it into a pot first. I wonder when is the best time in the “process” to put it in the ground.
I suggested to my next door neighbor to do this together. We both live on the ground floor in an apartment complex and I thought it would be like leaving our friendship here as a token, when we both move away. Maybe, so that in essence, would speak out to society we need to come together, rather than the decisiveness so prevalent in the world today.
Sincerely.
Barbara Frambes a d
Meagan-
Barbara, thanks for sharing your story! What a lovely idea. I hope your avocado seeds grow as strong as your friendship!
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I hope you will reply on this
I do have a question,when I first wanted to grow a avacado tree I thought I should keep it in a water ,so I kept my 2 seeds in one bottle full of water , for atleast 1 week and now I remember that I kept them in bottle so as per google instructions I took out that and kept as you shown in the picture but one of my seed is ruptured from the bottom where the roots occur and a very little point thing has came out so what do you think will it grow or not , should I keep it ?-
Hi Sanika! Yes if I were you I would keep the seeds in water for a few more weeks. The fact that one has split already is a good sign that it will grow a root. Good luck!
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I am growing an avocado tree from the seed I have followed all the steps into when I put it in a pot and is growing very nice my question is does half the the pitt has to be uncovered all the time or at some point I need to covered it with soil
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Hi! Each time I’ve grown an avocado tree I never covered the pit in soil. I think your will be fine if it remains half-exposed.
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I love this, it really exciting to see the growth! I started a few avocado seeds, well when i say a few i mean 40…haha! And so far they all sprouted but 1 so im really happy about that! And some of my seeds only took 3 days to sprout/crack open…yay!!! Ive been keeping a daily log & writing down how i prepared each one before putting them into water & also logging their daily growth, care & some other things. Its wild to see how fast one grows compared to the other just by doing little tricks…its all about the water thats used mainly…
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That’s so exciting! What type of water do you use?
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You are really going about this all wrong. The easiest way to grow an avocado tree is to take a seed from an avocado you just ate, plant it directly into good draining soil belly button side down- but don’t cover it completely, leave about 1/4 of the top exposed. I poke 5 holes in the bottom of large plastic soup containers (like you get at a Chinese restaurant) that I get from Costco and then I cover the pots with Ziploc bags as a mini greenhouse. After they start to sprout and get a few leaves on the stem, I transplant them into a 3 gallon container and in about 5-6 months, they are ready to be grafted. I probably plant and sell 200 avocado seedlings a year, and I have never messed with that crazy toothpick/water mess. Very, very infrequently have I had an avocado seed that didn’t germinate directly in the soil.
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I’ll have to try this next time!
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Sam, I wrapped my avocado seeds in a wet paper towel and then plastic bag. Placed them in a dark place (closed cooler). Two have sprouted! One had several small roots and a larger appendix. Is that the stem?
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So happy to hear that! There’s going to be two main parts sprouting out of the seed: the taproot (which goes in water/soil) and the stem (which is exposed above the water/soil). The stem should be opposite of the taproot. Hope your seeds continue to grow!
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How long should the avo seed remain in a pot before transplanting to its forever location?
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I wait until it has a strong stem shooting from the top with a few leaves. Good luck!
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I have grown many many avacodo seeds. They make great gifts planted in a thoughtful pot. I have 99.9% success rate. It took me many years to get the process down. I take the seed, wrap it in a wet paper towel and put it in a zip lock bag and store it somewhere warm like on top of the refrigerator. Within a couple weeks it will be split open and roots coming out. I have forgotten a seed for up to 6 months and I was still able to plant it. Usually I give it about 3 weeks in the zip lock bag. I plant my seeds in a well draining high quality organic cactus soil. I water with water from my fish tanks. Try this method and you will have amazing results. Good luck!
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I love this Elijah! I’ll have to give this a try next time.
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How long does it take to produce avocados; if it does at all? I’m curious if anybody has actually grown one at home inside in a pot and actually got an avocados to grow or started inside then transplant it in a pot outside and actually had It produced avocados? Great post btw thank you for sharing. I’m thinking about growing when just cuz they’re pretty houseplants even if it doesn’t produce ever
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my avocado tree, planted in 7inch ceramic pot indoor, is 1.5 feet tall , but regulary loose all its leaves (grow 2-3,then before maturity they all fall) then later grow again, then fall again…
please can you guys help me what might be wrong? -
Hi Sam,
Great post. I love that you didn’t just tell us how to do it, but you told us your struggles and emotions getting an avocado tree to grow. That is really helpful for those of us who will struggle too. I have a question about climate. I know that avocados need a lot of water. My husband and I have an olive farm in Sicily, and avocados are very expensive here (as they are everywhere, I think), and I want to try to grow some. The climate here is HOT HOT HOT in the summer, and very dry. The winter temps drop to around 5-10°C with loads of rain some years and none in others. I know that there are avocados grown in Sicily, but they may be grown in greenhouses. What do you think? Should I give it a go? Any hints?
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