Hello,

A friend of mine is trying to grow an Avocado plant from the seed in her
kitchen here in Dublin at the moment and is not sure how to proceed but just
hoping that she may be on the right track.
Can you give me any advice about this and if you can I would greatly
appreciate it?
I did a little research in Google but so far didn't find a whole lot.

Peter Nolan Ph.D.
Dublin,

"Peter Nolan" wrote in
:

Hello,

A friend of mine is trying to grow an Avocado plant from the seed in
her kitchen here in Dublin at the moment and is not sure how to
proceed but just hoping that she may be on the right track.
Can you give me any advice about this and if you can I would greatly
appreciate it?

Patience, damp and warmth is really all that is needed. I find they tend
to germinate in my compost heap, so that's the kind of environment you are
looking for. Once germinated, don't stick it in a cold draught while still
young, but that's about it.

If I were trying to germinate one, (rather than doing it by accident) I'd
water the pot well, enclose it in a plastic bag, and bung it in the airing
cupboard.

Victoria

The message . 11
from Victoria Clare contains these words:
"Peter Nolan" wrote in
:

Hello,

A friend of mine is trying to grow an Avocado plant from the seed in
her kitchen here in Dublin at the moment and is not sure how to
proceed but just hoping that she may be on the right track.
Can you give me any advice about this and if you can I would greatly
appreciate it?

Patience, damp and warmth is really all that is needed. I find they tend
to germinate in my compost heap, so that's the kind of environment you are
looking for. Once germinated, don't stick it in a cold draught while still
young, but that's about it.

If I were trying to germinate one, (rather than doing it by accident) I'd
water the pot well, enclose it in a plastic bag, and bung it in the airing
cupboard.

Nah. Put some peat in a pot. Stand the pip, stone, seed, whatever on it
and build up about half an inch round the sides.

Keep very well watered and warm, but I wouldn't cover it as mould may
well get it before it starts.

There'll be no stopping it.

It isn't a very attractive tree: it grows straight up and has
leaf-shaped leaves (if you know what I mean) and unless you put it in a
very tall heated conservatory it will never fruit.

I've got one on a windowsill ATM, and I've never stopped asking myself why.

--
Rusty Hinge http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm

Dark thoughts about the Wumpus concerto played with piano,
iron bar and two sledge hammers. (Wumpus, 15/11/03)

Jaques d'Alltrades wrote in
:

If I were trying to germinate one, (rather than doing it by accident)
I'd water the pot well, enclose it in a plastic bag, and bung it in
the airing cupboard.

Nah. Put some peat in a pot. Stand the pip, stone, seed, whatever on
it and build up about half an inch round the sides.

I am sure that works, but I assure you, my technique works too!

"Peter Nolan" wrote in message ...
Hello,

A friend of mine is trying to grow an Avocado plant from the seed in her
kitchen here in Dublin at the moment and is not sure how to proceed but just
hoping that she may be on the right track.
Can you give me any advice about this and if you can I would greatly
appreciate it?
I did a little research in Google but so far didn't find a whole lot.

Peter Nolan Ph.D.
Dublin,


I tried it the 'official' way last summer and gave up when the whole
thing went mouldy.
This is what I tried .. make a bed of kitchen paper, put the Advocado
stone on the paper side ways and keep the paper damp, once the thing
starts to root, pot it on.

I have had 3 root using an alternative method which I will describe.
Chuck the stone in the kitchen compost bin. When full (normally
daily) move to larger bin outside back door. When full (every 2-3
weeks) put on wellies and empty into green dustbin down by compost
heap. When big bin is full, dig large hole in compost and empty the
putrefying, fly ridden mess into hole and cover, retreat quickly.
Some time later - sorry cannot be very accurate but months rather than
weeks - dig out some compost intended for a deserving plant, be
surpised to discover a rooted Advocado stone in there. Pot it up and
make out like you nurtured it carefully.

Things to be wary of - its easy to damage your advocado plantlet as
you extract it.

An alternate would be to get a plastic bag, fill with compost, add
Advocado stone, seal up and place somewhere warm. Monitor frequently
and when sprouting starts pot out. Probably safer that my compost
heap method.

Phil

I seem to remember rooting them by sticking a couple of cocktail sticks into
the thing and suspending over water in a jam jar.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk
***2004 catalogue now available***

It isn't a very attractive tree: it grows straight up and has
leaf-shaped leaves (if you know what I mean) and unless you put it in a
very tall heated conservatory it will never fruit.

I've got one on a windowsill ATM, and I've never stopped asking myself
why.

I once had an avocado ranch but gave them to a daughter who killed them.

I only have one now and in the summer I put it outside to enjoy itself. I'm
like that, generous to a fault.

Its leaves went brown and dry so I sadly assumed (no I DIDN'T hope - well
not all that much, well, OK a little bit, might have been a lot) that if it
hadn't already it would pass away while I wasn't looking in the autumn.

We're in Leeds, Yorkshire. It's thriving. I pretend not to see it so that I
don't feel guilty about leaving it outside during these horribly frosty
nights we've had lately (- 5C on my max/min thermometer) but it just blows
raspberries at me.

Its leaves are beautiful, bright green, I've never seen anything so healthy.

Not that I look ...

Bloody thing. Why can't it just die gracefully.

I must ask daughter what she did ...

Mary

--
Rusty Hinge http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm

Dark thoughts about the Wumpus concerto played with piano,
iron bar and two sledge hammers. (Wumpus, 15/11/03)

It isn't a very attractive tree: it grows straight up and has
leaf-shaped leaves (if you know what I mean) and unless you put it in a
very tall heated conservatory it will never fruit.

I've got one on a windowsill ATM, and I've never stopped asking myself
why.

I once had an avocado ranch but gave them to a daughter who killed them.

I only have one now and in the summer I put it outside to enjoy itself. I'm
like that, generous to a fault.

Its leaves went brown and dry so I sadly assumed (no I DIDN'T hope - well
not all that much, well, OK a little bit, might have been a lot) that if it
hadn't already it would pass away while I wasn't looking in the autumn.

We're in Leeds, Yorkshire. It's thriving. I pretend not to see it so that I
don't feel guilty about leaving it outside during these horribly frosty
nights we've had lately (- 5C on my max/min thermometer) but it just blows
raspberries at me.

Its leaves are beautiful, bright green, I've never seen anything so healthy.

Not that I look ...

Bloody thing. Why can't it just die gracefully.

I must ask daughter what she did ...

Mary

--
Rusty Hinge http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm

Dark thoughts about the Wumpus concerto played with piano,
iron bar and two sledge hammers. (Wumpus, 15/11/03)

That is the way my wife does it. She puts the pointed end up, pushes 3
tooth picks in far enough to support the weight, and suspends it over a
glass full of water. The big end goes in the water with about 1/2 of the
seed. It usually taikes 1 to 2 months before anything happens. If the
water gets dirty or starts to smell, she changes it. Keep it warm (room
temp), and she puts it in a south window.

Dwayne



"David Hill" wrote in message
...
I seem to remember rooting them by sticking a couple of cocktail sticks
into
the thing and suspending over water in a jam jar.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk
***2004 catalogue now available***

Hello,

Many thanks for all the advice that's been tried and tested.
I'm looking foward to passing on the information to my friend having just
printed all the replies.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I'm guessing that the "rec" in uk.rec.gardening stands for recreation.
Am I right?

Warm Regards,

Peter Nolan.
Dublin.

"Peter Nolan" wrote in message
...
Hello,

Many thanks for all the advice that's been tried and tested.
I'm looking foward to passing on the information to my friend having just
printed all the replies.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I'm guessing that the "rec" in uk.rec.gardening stands for recreation.
Am I right?

Probably.

In my case I thought it stood for 'reclaimed' ...

Mary

Warm Regards,

Peter Nolan.
Dublin.

On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 14:22:44 -0000, "Mary Fisher"
wrote:


"Peter Nolan" wrote in message
...
Hello,

Many thanks for all the advice that's been tried and tested.
I'm looking foward to passing on the information to my friend having just
printed all the replies.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I'm guessing that the "rec" in uk.rec.gardening stands for recreation.
Am I right?

Probably.

In my case I thought it stood for 'reclaimed' ...

Admit it you wondered if "rec" stood for rectilinear, recumbent or
even recrudescence
--
Martin

"............I'm guessing that the "rec" in uk.rec.gardening stands for
recreation. Am I right? ............"

Not if you could see the wreck that the foxes and moles jointly have made of
my lawn


--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk
***2004 catalogue now available***

On Fri, 19 Dec 2003 10:23:13 -0000, "Peter Nolan"
wrote:

A friend of mine is trying to grow an Avocado plant from the seed in her
kitchen here in Dublin at the moment and is not sure how to proceed but just
hoping that she may be on the right track.
Can you give me any advice about this and if you can I would greatly
appreciate it?
I did a little research in Google but so far didn't find a whole lot.

It is very easy to make an avocado seed sprout, either in soil (light
planter mix) or water. The traditional classroom technique is to
pierce the seed with 3 toothpicks and suspend in a glass of water with
the top dry. It's also happy semi-exposed in a small pot of soil. The
'pointy' end goes up; the flat end is where the root emerges
(submerged in the glass of water; embedded in the soil). When the
shoot emerges (it can take several weeks), it will be a straight stick
with a few leaves at the top. Recommended treatment is to prune this
stick to about 5" (and no leaves!) to force it to branch. I never
prune them severely enough.

Be aware that however much fun it is to grow your own avocado plant,
these are actually sub-tropical trees, not houseplants. I have managed
to keep some alive for a year or 2, but they're not particularly
attractive, nor is there much hope of fruit without outdoor planting
in a suitable climate.

Perhaps a miniature citrus might be more rewarding?

Frogleg wrote:
When the
shoot emerges (it can take several weeks), it will be a straight stick
with a few leaves at the top. Recommended treatment is to prune this
stick to about 5" (and no leaves!) to force it to branch. I never
prune them severely enough.

Be aware that however much fun it is to grow your own avocado plant,
these are actually sub-tropical trees, not houseplants. I have managed
to keep some alive for a year or 2, but they're not particularly
attractive, nor is there much hope of fruit without outdoor planting
in a suitable climate.

Perhaps a miniature citrus might be more rewarding?


I beg to disagree!

If you sprout enough stones eventually, you will get on that sends out
multiple shoots rather than one. Guard it with your life as it will have a
multistem shrubby growth form instead of wanting to reach for the sky ever
tree like.

Mine is around 10years old now. Lives inside from October to may in a sunny
kitchen/ day room and outside on the pation for the summer.

Its about 1m30 tall and wide in a 18" bell pot and is a georgeous triple
stemmed shrub. Its been hacked back a few times but happily comes back ever
stronger.

No chance of fruit but as a feature plant in and out side it is fine indeed.

pk