Avocado pits, when you can convince them to germinate, NOTE (1) will make a showy plant that children will enjoy watching grow through the various stages. Start by wiping the pit clean and then soaking it in warm water for 48 hours. Leave it out on the counter where you will be reminded to drain and refresh with more warm water during its two day soak.

For the next stage, use a container with a neck narrow enough to support the pit. NOTE (2) Fill the container with room temperature water. The bottom (flat rounded end) of the pit should sit in the water about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch. It is important to keep the water level just touching the pit at all times. NOTE (3) Roots should start to appear in about three weeks and will grow quite vigorously. They should be left to develop a root system that looks like a tree with no leaves.

Once you have a good root mass, transplant to a soil/compost mix in a 6 inch container with good drainage. When planting the pit, place only the bottom half with the roots into soil leaving the top half protruding out of the soil. Once you have the avocado pit in its new pot, it somewhat resembles an amaryllis bulb. A shoot might start to sprout before you transplant, but this is not always the case. Be patient, eventually a shoot will appear and produce a topknot of leaves. When this growth reaches approximately 6 inches, you have to cut the leaves and about 2 inches of the shoot stem off. You really need to do this if you want the end result to be a bushy shrub rather than a single stemmed tree. The small forlorne looking twig will soon erupt with leaves once again and as it continues to grow, you will occassionally have to prune the plant to encourage further bushy growth.

Over the next few years, repotting should take place once or twice until you have your avocado tree in its final home which should be a 10 to 12 inch container. Avocado trees like plenty of light, quite a bit of water and to keep the leaves shiny, spray them with water or wipe them with a damp cloth. As with other plants grown from food seeds, there will be lots of foliage, but it is highly unlikely the plant will bear any food.

NOTE (1) As with any food seed you try to germinate, you may not get results. The avocado pit would, however, seem to be more temperamental than other seeds or pits and may not germinate at all. If this happens, don't be discouraged, eat another avocado and try again!

NOTE (2) An ideal container for this type of growth is a rooting jar used for hyacinths that are planted in water rather than soil.

NOTE (3) During your patient wait for the roots to start growing, check the water level often to ensure that the bottom of the pit is always resting in water. If the water becomes stagnant, pour off the water and replace with fresh water. Keep in mind that this may give any the roots that may have started a shock which may slow down or stop growth growth for awhile.

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