13-02-2004, 04:10 PM
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Avocados from seeds? Any tips?
(Shystev99) wrote in message ...
My mother would stick toothpicks in them so that they would
rest on top of a glass of water with just the bottom of the seed wet.
Thanks,
I tried that once before about 4 - 5 years ago and the seed split in half, I
did have it submerged about 3/4 of the way up the seed though, with the pointed
end up. Maybe I just had to much water in the glass and instead of sprouting
the seed just drowned and deteriorated?
Steve
We used soft drink bottles. Remove the cap, cut the top off and
invert it into the lower portion of the bottle. The top then becomes
more or less a funnel to hold the seed in position. Fill the bottle
with water, enough to cover the bottom 1/2 to 1/3 of the seed. Refill
as needed. Yes the seed will split, but still be supported by the
neck of the bottle. When it is grown enough to plant, the bottle can
be cut off using a strong pair of scissors. The bottles with wider
caps, may allow the root to be lifted through the opening without
damaging the root.
We used that method to avoid fighting with the tooth picks working
loose, and to prevent "mechanical damage" that could bruise the seed
and cause rot.
Cautions:
If the fruit was picked too green the seed may not sprout. Try and
have the avacados ripe as possible before attempting. The riper fruit
means better guacamole anyway.
Try to let the water set out long enough to neutralize the chlorine
and chemical additives if you are using water from a municipal supply,
and not make any extreme temperature changes when refilling.
Whether they bear fruit depends on the hybridization used to create
the original fruit, pollinators, and environment. All takes time. We
never tried to plant the trees in the ground, the climate was too
severe. However they made lovely tropical houseplants, until they got
too big to move around. Takes several years for that.
Good luck
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