Have you ever eaten an avocado and wished you could do something with the enormous seed? Well, you can; with a little luck and a little skill, you can grow an attractive house plant from it. Wash the seed in tepid water, removing all the pulp. Suspend the seed with the broad end pointing down in a water-filled glass or jar by driving three toothpicks into the sides for support. The water should be room temperature and should cover about half an inch (1 cm) of the seed. A mature seed will begin to sprout in two to six weeks if kept in a warm location out of direct sunlight. Be patient. When the seed starts to split into two halves, it is ready to start sprouting. If no sprouting occurs within that time, try another seed. Once the seed has sprouted, allow the main stem to reach a height of six or seven inches (about 10 cm), then cut it back to about half that height. This will prevent the plant from producing just one straight, spindly stalk.
When the roots are good and thick and the stem has leaved out, your avocado is ready for potting. Use a terra cotta pot with a top diameter of about 10 inches. Put broken crockery around the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot and fill with soil rich in humus, leaving enough space for the seed and roots. Place the seed gently on top of the soil, taking care not to injure the roots. Carefully add soil until the seed is half covered, but do not tamp it down. Instead, slowly pour the water from the sprouting jar over the soil to settle it.
Caring for an avocado is not complicated, provided you follow a few simple rules. Make sure to put the tree in a spot where it will receive several hours of sunlight or bright artificial light every day. During the summer, you can safely put your avocado outside in a warm, protected spot, but do not expose it to temperatures below five degrees Celsius. Avocados also need to be kept moist; water regularly and do not let the soil dry out. Finally, beginning about a week after you plant your avocado and depending on the plant's appearance, feed your avocado every three months or so, using a commercial liquid fertilizer and following the manufacturer's instructions.
Adapted from "The Avocado Bravo," a publication of the California Avocado Advisory Board, no author, no date.
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