My daughter's class did a project with an avocado yesterday, and
since I'm the room mom, I'm left with this seed. The teacher would
like me to try to get it to sprout, and I have heard that it can be
done, I just have no clue how to do it.
Can anyone give me advice. If this isn't garden related, go ahead
and post to me privately.
Thanks bunches!
Holly
Hi Holly! That's not OT! It's a plant!!! LOL
I have never done this myself but I think you suspend the
avocado pit over water and hope it sends roots down into the
water and sprouts a top. The image of toothpicks comes to
mind -- several topothpicks stuck around the side of the pit
to prop it over the top of a glass and hold the bottom of
it at the water level. $64 question is how much of the pit
should be in water -- and I don't know. Someone recently
asked me the same thing about starting a sweet potato vine
from a sweet potato (it kept rotting in the water) and I
don't know about that one, either. I hope somebody can tell
us!
Barbara Martin
This Week at the Cottage Garden: "Cloves, Picotees &
Sops-In-Wine"
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/cottage_gardening
Active Co-Owner, Gardens List
mailto:gardens-request@lsv.uky.edu
Regional Horticulturist, National Gardening Association
http://www.garden.org
I have an avocado of several years age. the tooth picks should be set so
about half the pit is in the water. after a while the pit cracks. once it
does it becomes interesting, growing rapidly. when you plant it in soil
(when the roots look good), keep the pit about the same, half in the soil.
when it gets about a foot tall (I think) snip the stem back to encourage
branching. it likes humidity, which is why mine doesn't really like me, but
it survives. Allen
Barbara,
We did a sweet potato. It was half way in the water. I put it in a
quart canning jar and put the toothpicks all the way around the
middle of the potato, put it in the water, and it grew. I can't
remember if I changed the water though.
Looking forward to more info on this seed. I can't fail as a room
mom lol.
holly zone 5
zacwinic@mail.netnitco.net
Allen,
Do you think I should put it in a pint jar? Should I change the water
if it gets cloudy? I assume the flat part of the pit goes in the water,
is that right?
Thanks!
holly zone 5
zacwinic@mail.netnitco.net
Now you have me thinking that I just might start my own
experiment. I may go out, get an avocado and try one in water, one
in soil. Hmmmmm
holly zone 5
zacwinic@mail.netnitco.net
> Now you have me thinking that I just might start my own
> experiment. I may go out, get an avocado and try one in water, one
> in soil. Hmmmmm
Holly I personally like the look of the trees. but be reminded if you are
looking for PRODUCTION of avacados, you need a male and a female, AND I
think they have to be ten years old.
--leslie
Master Gardener Intern (Student), Zone 7a low of 9F this year in not yet
Humid Cullman, Alabama.
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
- Cicero
"If life is a process of discovering who we are, Y2K is when we find out."
Tom Atlee, President, Co-Intelligence Institute
Hi, my name is Joan, and I just recently joined this list. I haven't
'lurked' long enough to be sure I've picked up on this list's 'culture',
but I'll jump in anyway! I have started a lot of avocado pits through
the years, being a devotee of 'after dinner' or 'garbage' gardening
(starting seeds from food scraps). Sticking toothpicks into avocado
pits is a traditional way of doing it, but digging little holes in the
sides of the pits is a nuisance - they're not that easy to do, the hole
gets too big, the toothpicks don't want to stay... I have found it much
easier to just put the pit in dirt, large end down, and about half out
of the soil. The trick is to remember to water this little tan lump!
The roots started in water are much more brittle, and it is harder to
transplant to soil at the time you finally decide to, and the water
roots are not well adapted to growing in the dirt. The poor little
plant is shocked and has to start new roots to do well.
The roots growing in the water are kind of cool to see, they end up
coiling around in the glass, and are neat for kids, but the plant has
done better for me when I did start it in soil 1st.
Same thing with mango pits, and also date pits - start in soil works
best for me. Good luck! Joan
Barbara Martin wrote:
I'm thinking... yes to flat side down. the larger the water container the
less likely the pit will be left high and dry. I used a small juice glass. I
think I read that you can use charcoal to keep the water fresh, or change
the water. I doubt I did either. I believe you should sprout it in a dark
place, but once again I did it the wrong way. I think I prove that success
is just about guaranteed. that pit wants to sprout. Allen
This is from the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
Avocado pits (seed) taken from well-ripened fruit tend to germinate more
quickly than those not fully ripened. Pits may be germinated in a glass
of water or in a moist, porous soil mixture. Either way works well, but
the soil method usually is a bit faster. Always remove the brown husk
from the pit.
If you choose to sprout the pit in water, place three or four
toothpicks, evenly spaced about halfway down the pit. These will support
the pit while it is suspended in a jar or glass of water. Place the pit
so the lower half is covered with water. The sprouting tip of the
avocado pit is the POINTED end. Be certain that the flat end is
suspended in water.
Place your jar or glass in a sunny window or a well-lighted spot in the
room. Add more water as needed, to keep the bottom half of the pit
immersed in water at all times.
Children usually enjoy watching "feet" form in the jar. This makes a
wintertime project for young gardeners--during that time when they
cannot be outdoors.
After a few weeks, with luck, you should see small roots appearing in
the water. There should be signs of growth at the pointed end. A small
tender shoot will appear. Tiny leaves will develop and grow on this
shoot. When the center or main stem pushes through the top, plant the
pit in a one or two gallon container filled with a mixture of equal
parts good garden loam and compost or peat moss.
To sprout an avocado pit in soil, fill a large clay pot with the soil
mixture. Then insert the pit just deep enough so the pointed end is
about an inch above the soil line. Soil must be kept moist at all times.
Use a large container as when planting a "water sprouted" seed.
Once your avocado plant is well on its way, it will thrive with ordinary
attention to water, fertilizer and light.
Because avocados are tropical plants, they are most responsive to
watering with tepid water applied often enough to keep the soil in an
evenly moist condition. An over watered plant will develop curled leaves
and soft stems. An under watered one will wilt and develop dried leaves
which fall from the plant. Light applications of a houseplant fertilizer
should be given the plant about every three months. Follow directions on
the fertilizer container. Leaves normally reach 4 or 5 inches in length.
When leaves appear to be getting smaller and fall from the plant, the
avocado needs fertilizing. Strong direct light should be avoided. The
plant requires good filtered or indirect light.
I have some home-started avocado trees which are about 10 years old. I've
always used the toothpick method - and find about 50:50 results. maybe the
soil method is better. anyway, there is no predicting which pits will just sit
there and which ones will germinate.
Once they start, the stem grows rapidly. Cut in half at about 10-12" and once
planted don't hesitate to prune, hack, or whatever to keep it under control.
But just like germination, some will develop nice shapes and some just get
tall and scraggly.
Kids love sweet pototato growing. You can see growth of the vine every day.
Enjoy
Barbara in Central NJ
Did it oh so long ago but just put toothpicks (3 I think) into the avocado =
and suspended it from a glass of water - broad side in the water. Can't =
recall how long it took to sprout. Changed the water every so often. =
There may be other ways of doing this too.
Penny in Halifax, N.S.
> Holly Gladdis
My daughter's class did a project with an avocado yesterday, and
since I'm the room mom, I'm left with this seed. The teacher would
like me to try to get it to sprout, and I have heard that it can be
done, I just have no clue how to do it.
Can anyone give me advice. If this isn't garden related, go ahead
and post to me privately.
Thanks bunches!
Holly
Hi Joan and welcome to the list. If you're an over the fence gardener =
you'll enjoy this list. Thanks for the alternative method, which I had =
forgotten. I'm pretty sure I have an 'after dinner' gardening book hidden =
somewhere in this house. Maybe one day I'll find it. Thanks for =
reminding me.
Penny in Halifax, N.S.
> JAW
Hi, my name is Joan, and I just recently joined this list. I haven't
'lurked' long enough to be sure I've picked up on this list's 'culture',
but I'll jump in anyway! I have started a lot of avocado pits through
the years, being a devotee of 'after dinner' or 'garbage' gardening
(starting seeds from food scraps). Sticking toothpicks into avocado
pits is a traditional way of doing it, but digging little holes in the
sides of the pits is a nuisance - they're not that easy to do, the hole
gets too big, the toothpicks don't want to stay... I have found it much
easier to just put the pit in dirt, large end down, and about half out
of the soil. The trick is to remember to water this little tan lump!
The roots started in water are much more brittle, and it is harder to
transplant to soil at the time you finally decide to, and the water
roots are not well adapted to growing in the dirt. The poor little
plant is shocked and has to start new roots to do well.
The roots growing in the water are kind of cool to see, they end up
coiling around in the glass, and are neat for kids, but the plant has
done better for me when I did start it in soil 1st.
Same thing with mango pits, and also date pits - start in soil works
best for me. Good luck! Joan
Barbara Martin wrote:
Get a jelly jar or a water glass, fill almost full with water. Take 4
toothpicks and stick in the avocado seed around its 'equator', so the seed
is suspended in the mouth of the jar/glass, with the rooting end in water.
Keep the root end in the water and wait. It will sprout, sooner or later.
Sweet potatoes can be done the same way.
Sieglinde
Little Heaven Farm, Preston County, WV, zone 5b
Thanks for the info. We are actually just hoping to get these to
grow roots. I started the one in water today. Will do the dirt one
tomorrow probably.
holly zone 5
zacwinic@mail.netnitco.net
On Sat, 27 Feb 1999 11:37:09 -0600, "Leslie L. Smith"
> if you are
> looking for PRODUCTION of avacados, you need a male and a female
It's not really male and female - all trees will produce fruit if
pollinated. But there are two pollination types (called A and B) and
each needs the other for most successful pollination.
--
Magda Plewinska mplewinska@mindspring.com
Miami, FL, USA
I planted two avocados (Hass variety) 2 years ago. It looks like they have=
blossom on them now . But isn't this late? The books tell me they should b=
lossom Feb/Mar. Last year they didn't produce one flower although now they=
look pretty happy and settled in. Some brown tips to the ends of the leav=
es but this has happened before and new leaves were OK. When and what sho=
uld I fertilize with? Will I get fruit this year?? Is there anything I shou=
ld be doing now before its too late? Any other tips would be gratefully rec=
eived as I am very keen to pick my own Avocados!!
Thanks
Pamela
