Yes, finally I did it! I have two beautiful avocado trees. It took me a year of many attempts to finally grow my own avocado tree. I know many of you wants to grow their own plant but have failed before, I hope my proven step-by-step guide will help you succeed!

1. Clean your avocado stone (pit) and soak it in water for 24hr

2. Peel the skin and place 3/4 cocktail sticks around the stone, avoiding the natural vain (pic. 1), around the middle

pic 1 pic 2 pic 3

3. Place it in a glass with the bottom (flat part) of the stone in water- at least 1/3 to 1/2 of the stone should be submerged in water. (pic 2.)

4. Every week, top up the water, do not change it, and keep the stone on the warmest and sunniest spot of the house (avoiding direct sun).

5. After 2 to 6 week, in winter it could take a bit longer, it will start to crack and you should see the roots and stem start to sprout inside the avocado. (pic 3)

6. Keep refilling the glass with water and once the tree is about 10 to 15 cm long, plant in a pot leaving the top half of the seed exposed (pic 4). Keep the tree in a sunny spot of the house.

pic 4 pic 5

7. Water it about 3 times a week. The soil should be always moist but not saturated with water.

8. Once the plant is about 30 cm tall, pinch out the top two sets of leaves (pic 5). I’ve just done it to my avocado tree, this should encourage the plant to grow side shoots, making it bushy. (I’ll update the post as it grows).

9. If you live in a country frost-free, in summer you can plant your baby tree outdoor.

TIPS: Have at least 3 stones growing at the same time as some of them might never sprout. Yellow leaves are a sign of overwatering the plant (once it’s in the pot), let the soil dry for a few days.

Your plant will make fruits only after 10-15 years, but the tree is very beautiful and a joy to see it grow.

Good luck and once you have grown your own an avocado tree using my tutorial, please let me know, I would love to see a photo!

Isabella x