Growing an Avocado Tree from Seed?

[thepitclub]

One of my favorite foods is avocados; any way prepared- I love them. I just halved one while preparing dinner and noticed the seed is starting to split open and grow. Has anyone grown an avocado tree from seed? If so, how did you prepare it for planting, etc. I'm obviously not in a zone where it would survive outdoors, but I thought it could make an interesting house plant!

Amanda

[Jonna]

When I was a kid we used to do it, I think it was a required science project in Calif schools   We'd stick toothpicks around the seed and set it in a glass of water so just the bottom half was in the water with the toothpicks resting on the top of the glass, the wide end of the seed is the bottom.  Set it on a windowsill and wait.  I've seen them that have stayed like that for years with lots of bushy growth and a glass full of roots.  You can also plant them outside here or maybe in a pot inside, I'm not sure whether they would grow as a regular houseplant.  They are huge trees naturally, left unpruned they get higher than a 2 story house and as wide as a house. 

[thepitclub]

Hmm. Yep, sounds a bit large for a house plant. 

Maybe I'll give it a try anyway. Thanks for the info!

[Jonna]

I think you can leave them in the jar of water forever. I remember one on the window ledge in my 3rd grade classroom that was in a big pickle jar and took up the whole window.  Oh, another thing.  Cut the primary stem once it gets 5 or 6 inches tall and then the plant will branch.  Otherwise it grows straight up, narrow and skinny.

[miguynmkoi]

I did the whole pit/toothpick thing when my kids wanted something to grow    We planted it next to the house (bad idea) and it grew and grew and grew....Had lots of small Hass avocados so many our whole neighborhood got tired of eating them.  Then finally had to chop it down because it was way too close to the house.  Raccons climbed it, got onto the roof and to the solar panels where they kept warm at night.  We were afraid they would, as others had warned us, get into the attic by way of gnawing through the wood roof shingles 

The tree was almost 2 stories tall and about 10 ft wide.  We had at least thousands of avocados.  Some years they were small and abundant - my favorite size - and other years they were very big and fewer to pick.

Definitely an outdoor full sunshine plant 

[Kittyzee]

Wow, how cool is that!?  I don't live in a climate where an avocado pit would do that, and I tried the toothpick, glass of water thingy and it stayed that way forever and never even grew roots!  The water sure did get stinky at times     I love avocados too,,,maybe the houseplant thing is more practical anyway!

[Jonna]

They may pick them too soon in order to ship them hard back east or maybe they gas the fruit or something and it isn't alive anymore.  We always used ones that we picked up off the ground or off a tree. 

It's funny, when I was in college and really trying to make it by myself, in other words I was pretty poor and not spending much money on food.  Anyway, avocados were free and plentiful so I ate a lot of them.  Avocado and brown rice, avocado and cottage cheese, night after night.  After I had some money and could buy real food I didn't eat avocado for years, maybe 10 years.  I also wouldn't eat anything with lemons or drink lemonade for awhile after I spent one summer working at the lemon packing house, really gross.

[thepitclub]

Avocado are usually $1-$2+ each up here, depending on the season. I suppose I might get tired of them if they were free and I could eat all I wanted. 
I'm going to try and grow it inside, but keep it cut back if it survives. Just a "kid at heart" science project for me.