Avocado Seed

Germinating Avocado (Persea americana) Seed

A fact about the avocado seed.

The avocado seed is a recalcitrant or homeohydrous seed.  Recalcitrant seeds are those that cannot withstand desiccation or drying and freezing.  An avocado seed would loose its viability when dried.  (Viability is the ability of a seed to germinate.) When you are planning to grow an avocado from a seed, it is recommended that the seed be kept moist until the new plant emerges. 

How to germinate an avocado seed?

This is the only method I use to germinate avocado seeds.  It works all the time and it is very easy.  This is better than directly planting the seed in the ground especially in dry places where sufficient soil moisture is hard to maintain.  

1.  Take the seed from a ripe avocado fruit. 

2.  Immediately wrap the seed with wet paper towel.

3.  Place it inside a sandwich bag and seal.

4.  Place the sealed plastic bag with the seed in a warm place (near the window or fridge).

5.  Wait for several weeks until the seeds cracks.  Do not allow the paper towel to get dry.

6.  Continue waiting until the radical (the first root) comes out.

7.  At this point you can plant the seed in a pot or directly into the ground.  

8.  Keep it watered.

This procedure is far more effective and a lot easier than the "toothpick" method.