How to Germinate an Avocado Pit

Avocados make stunning houseplants or provide an outdoor fruit-producing tree in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 and 10. Seed-grown avocados don't always produce fruit, which makes them best suited for ornamental use. Forget the standard science-fair method of starting the seed off in a glass of water. Your seed can germinate better and grow more reliably if you stick it in soil right from the start. You can eventually transplant the maturing tree outside to dress up your yard or keep it as an indoor or outdoor potted plant.


Wash the remaining avocado pulp off the large seed. Let it air dry for two days, then peel off the papery seed covering. Slice 1/4 inch from the narrow end of the seed with a sharp, clean knife.


Fill a 6-inch diameter pot half full with a sandy potting soil mix. Make your own mix by combining 2 parts standard potting soil with 1 part coarse builder's sand.


Sow the avocado seed in the potting mix with the broad end down. The top of the seed should sit 1/2 inch beneath the pot rim. Add soil to the pot until only the top third of the seed is exposed.


Set the pot in a well-lit window. Water the soil every three to five days, or often enough so the soil remains moist but doesn't become soggy. Avocado seeds can take up to three months to germinate.


Add soil to the pot to cover the seed once the stem is growing. Continue to water the plant so it stays evenly moist and fertilize it once monthly with a soluble houseplant fertilizer at the package recommended rate.