How to grow an avocado from a pit

Would you like to grow your own avocado or mango but do not know how?

In this article, you will learn how to grow a small “avocado tree” from an avocado pit (specifically Persea americana).

Of course, you can also use the method described below for other pits, such as mango, lemon or orange…


What to keep in mind

Before we start growing, there are a few things you need to know and keep in mind throughout the whole process:

1. Not every pit has what it takes to sprout, let alone grow into a tree that will one day bear fruit. So do not be disappointed if your first attempt is not successful. Personally, I have tried more than 30 pits and managed to grow about 15 small trees from them. So be patient and, above all, do not be afraid to try again and again (and maybe try other methods, too).

2. What about fruit? I do not want to take the wind out of your sails, but if you are looking forward to one day picking an avocado from the tree you planted and eating it, you should probably be prepared for the opposite. For a tree grown from a pit to bear fruit, it needs above all the kind of conditions it would have in the wild, and we cannot really give it those in an apartment. On top of that, we are back to the fact that not every pit has the potential to one day grow into a fruit-bearing tree. Think of it more as a lottery: you bet on a pit, and in 5 or 7 years (the period usually given for an avocado tree’s first fruit) you just might win.

If you want to improve your odds of getting a good pit at least a little by choosing the right avocado, always pick a softer or slightly overripe one (so if an avocado goes bad at home, do not be sad: try growing a little plant from its pit instead)

Three methods

You can grow an avocado pit in water (1), partly in a bag and partly in water (2) or in soil (3).

  • Pit in water (1): what will you need?
    •
    • An avocado (or another fruit with a pit)
    • A sharp knife
    • A container for water (either one with a narrow neck or a regular glass)
    • Toothpicks
    • Lignohumate or another product

    Steps:
    Cut the avocado in half the way you usually do. Carefully remove the pit, wash it thoroughly and dry it, for example with a paper towel. 

    Tip: You can (but you do not have to) carefully peel off the top layer of the pit, which makes it less likely to rot.


    Next, push toothpicks into the cleaned and prepared pit so that it is not fully submerged when you put it in the filled container. It is important that     the wider part of the pit (where its skin is lighter) is in contact with the water and the narrower part stays “in the air.”

    If you use a container with a narrow neck, you will not need toothpicks. Fill the container to the brim and set the pit on top (in that case, check more often that the pit is touching the water).

    Move the prepared pit, container and all, to a bright, warm spot. Every few days, check that the water has not turned cloudy; if it does not look right, simply change it. Also keep an eye on the pit to make sure it is not getting moldy.

    Tip: Try to keep the water level below the toothpick holes; otherwise, water could get inside the pit and make it rot.

    A pit that starts to crack (split into two halves) is a success. First a root starts growing from the bottom, and a few days later a stem begins to appear from the top. You can grow your avocado tree in water for as long as you like, but in that case the plant will appreciate some extra nutrients (you can use lignohumate, for example, which supports root growth), or you can plant your seedling in a planter.

  • Pit in a bag (2): what will you need and how is it different?
    •
    • An avocado (or another fruit with a pit)
    • A knife
    • A tissue or a paper towel
    • An airtight resealable bag (zip-top bag)
    • A mister and water

    Steps:
    Again, cut the avocado in half, clean the pit, dry it and, if you like, peel off the skin. Wrap the prepared pit in a tissue or paper towel and moisten it (either spray it with a mister or hold it under running water). 

    Now put the wet, wrapped pit in the bag and seal it. You can inflate the bag a little to create a “greenhouse” environment (warm and humid). Put the bag with the pit in a warm place (tucking them into my sock drawer has worked well for me).

    After a few days, you can watch the pit crack and then the roots grow. After a few weeks, a stem may appear too => at this point, it is best to take the pit out of the bag and tissue and follow either method 1 (placing the pit in a container of water) or method 3 (planting the pit). This is so that the stem can start growing toward the light.

    Advantages: For me, this has proven to be the fastest way to get a pit to root. In water and in soil, my pits often rotted before they started rooting. The avocado in the cover photo was grown with method 1, but I waited several months for its first roots. So far, the bag rooting method has a 100% success rate for me and, above all, it is really fast.

  • Pit in soil (3): what will you need?
    •
    • An avocado pit (or the pit of another fruit)
    • A small planter
    • Soil

    Steps:
    Wash the pit, dry it and, again, you can peel off the skin. Bury the prepared pit lengthwise in the soil so that 2/3 of it stays above the surface (the pit has visible “grooves” that divide it into halves; both halves must be partly in the soil and partly out of it). Then keep the soil moist and warm, and wait.

    So which method works best?
    You have now seen 3 methods for growing a plant from a pit, and you are probably wondering which one to choose. It is entirely up to you. Different things work for different people, and this is no exception. Some people have more success growing in water, others in soil… you just have to try.

    In my personal experience, the best way is to sprout the pit in a bag, then put the roots in water and let the first leaves grow on the stem. Only then repot the whole avocado tree into a planter with soil (I use a mix of houseplant potting mix and perlite).

    Final tip: When growing an avocado in water, you can use a sprouting bowl. With it, you do not have to pierce the pit with toothpicks, and it is also great for growing bulbs.

    I am keeping my fingers crossed for you and your pits. Be patient and do not let a failure discourage you: one day it will definitely work out. :)

    HAPPY PIT GROWING, EVERYONE

    Jana Beránková

    Back to blog