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Well, we’ve looked at
ways to recycle our produce by growing more, like growing green onions form
the left over bottoms, and growing a pineapple from the left over tops, so
here’s another easy plant to grow from the leftover seed…the avocado.
After eating your ripe
avocado, the seed needs to be planted right away…or within a day or so.
Rinse your seed, and let it dry for a day. If the outer parchment starts to
peel, take it off before planting. If not, go ahead and plant as is.
You have 2 choices for
germinating your avocado seed. One is by poking 3 toothpicks in the side of
the seed so it can be perched, halfway in water, on the rim of a glass.
Make sure you change the water on a regular basis to keep it clear and
replenished with oxygen. The other, the easiest and best way, is to plant
the seed in soil-less potting mix. Either way, set the seed with its base
(the wider part) down.
Your newly planted seed
won’t need direct light to germinate (which could take a month or so), but
it will once it starts to grow. Growing in soil less mix, Water about once
per week, just making sure the soil doesn’t dry out totally. Once it begins
to grow and reaches about 4 inches, cover the remaining exposed seed with
the soil-less mix.
Remember avocados
require a lot of sunlight, so the sunnier the spot the better. Lack of
sufficient sunlight and too warm temperatures will result in tall leggy
plants, so look for a really sunny yet cooler area for your avocado to
grow.
As a matter of fact, as
it begins to grow, occasionally pinch the tops out of your avocado plants,
which will force the lower side buds to break out and grow. And if you’re
expecting avocados down the road, well, don’t hold your breath. Plants
grown from seeds like this rarely set fruit, and if they did, it could take
as long as a decade before they start. Just enjoy the thrill of growing
this great evergreen tree from a seed. |
