How to grow an avocado from a seed on a windowsill

Avocado is a healthy and beloved tropical fruit all over the world. This is also a beautiful exotic plant that will decorate the collection of a home flora lover. Growing avocados at home is not at all difficult, and we will tell you how to do it correctly.

Before you start growing overseas fruit, you need to choose the right fruit. This is an important stage of work, since not every avocado has a seed ready for germination. You need to look for ripe fruit with dark green skin that can be easily crushed with your finger. You can also shake the avocado and if the seed inside moves, then that’s what we need.

The seed should be carefully removed from the fruit. To make it germinate faster, it is recommended to peel it. If it holds firmly, you can soak the bone in water. Using sandpaper, remove the top layer from the flat part of the pit. This operation will create "micro-stress" and awaken the seed.

Pierce the fruit seed with 3-4 toothpicks, but not at the seam. With the flat part down, lower the resulting “structure” into a jar with a small amount of water. Toothpicks, resting on the edges of the container, should slightly lift the bone above the water. It is important that the puncture sites do not get wet, as the seed may begin to rot.

Don't expect quick results - be patient. The first roots will appear in about a month. All this time you just need to add evaporated water to the jar. When the roots reach a length of 5 cm, you can transplant the sprouted avocado seed into a pot with soil. Before doing this, you need to remove the toothpicks - they are no longer needed.

For planting avocados, soil suitable for citrus or tropical plants is suitable. Place drainage or expanded clay or just small stones 1-2 cm thick at the bottom of the pot. After this, you can fill in the soil. The seed is placed so that it is only one third immersed in the soil. Now all that remains is to place the pot in a bright place and regularly water the future tree. A green avocado sprout will appear in 1.5-2 weeks.

The soil in the pot should be constantly moist. Water the avocado when the top layer of soil dries out, usually twice a week. It is also recommended to spray the plant. Avocados love moisture, but don’t overdo it—soil that is too saturated with water is harmful to it.

It remains to be said about temperature. For heat-loving avocados, +20-+25 degrees Celsius will be optimal. If the room is cooler, this will slow down the growth of the tree, but will not cause significant harm to it. But if it is colder than +12 degrees, the plant may shed its leaves and “fall asleep” before the weather warms up.