A friend gave us some avocadoes November of last year, and as is usual practice we would throw away the inedible parts (ie skin and seeds). However in this instance I had a flash of inspiration and decided to try and give the 3 seeds (or, in this case, pits) a second chance. So I googled for the best way to get the plant going and pierced the pit with three toothpicks to suspend it on glass with its pointy end submerged in water.
That was on the first of November 2014. I read that it will take 2-3 months before I see some signs of life, so I was delighted to see roots coming out from one of the pits about 3 weeks ago. It's on schedule! And last weekend (12th January 2015) I decided to transfer it to a pot. Unfortunately the 2 other pits are not cooperating as much (late bloomers, perhaps?).
With the seedling in its own pot, I have been reading up on how it will be like to grow your own avocado tree. Overall, my impression is that this plant is a rather fussy one, and you need to monitor its water supply, fertiliser, soil acidity, protection from frost, etc.
Oh, and I learned that it will take around 7 years before an avocado tree (from seed) begins yielding fruit. And that the fruit will not really taste that great. What a bummer. Cuttings work best (and will bear fruit in half the time).
My avocado has just started life and it looks like it's got everything against it! But it will receive the same care as the other plants at home just the same. I will give updates on how it is coming along through this blog (7 years is a loooong time...)
Thinking of growing your own avocado tree? Here are some resources on avocadoes that you might be interested in:
incredible edibles
Reader's Digest
nzavocado
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