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How To Sprout An Avocado Seed Without Toothpicks

You can easily sprout avocado pits! Find out How To Sprout An Avocado Seed Without Toothpicks in this post. Get avocado recipes too!

For more tips about growing your own food, check out all of our gardening posts.

An avocado tree in a pot with the words "How To Grow Avocado Plant From Pits No Toothpicks Needed" digitally written on top.

At this point, just call me the avocado whisperer. At least, that’s how I feel. See, I’ve become very good at figuring out how to sprout an avocado seed without toothpicks

I’ve actually sprouted three of them already and have a fourth in process.

The only pain in the neck thing about them is that avocado plants take anywhere between five to fifteen years to bear fruit if you sprout them from pits. I’ve heard five, ten, and fifteen years. I’ve also heard never. So honestly, it’s a crap shoot.

My oldest plant is just under a year old, so all I can tell you is that an avocado tree grown from pit won’t bear fruit the first year. Even if you buy an avocado tree online or from a nursery, you’re still looking at a solid four to five years before you get an avocados.

So you’re in this for the long haul.

A woman tending to a garden with the words "Ultimate Home Gardening Guide for beginners" digitally written on top.

If you want to start learning how to garden, and you’re starting with avocados but think you want to branch out, you’re in luck.

Follow everything in our Ultimate Home Gardening Guide For Beginners for tips and tricks to make gardening easy.

How To Sprout An Avocado Seed Without Toothpicks

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This method of sprouting an avocado seed has nothing to do with toothpicks. I’ve seen the toothpick method everywhere, and I tried it myself countless times over the last 15 years. Honestly, if the avocado toothpick method had worked for me when I originally tried it, I would have a full blown avocado tree bearing fruit for me right now.

I don’t because that method was unsuccessful for me.

In the last year, I have sprouted three avocado plants without toothpicks, so trust me. This is the way to go.

An avocado seed in water.

Step 1: Harvest The Avocado Pit

Obviously, step one is to harvest the pit. But, okay, you actually have to be really careful about cutting your avocado if you want this to work.

So, when you get the avocado, carefully pierce the avocado’s skin with a knife. Cut around the avocado, then carefully twist to open it. Scoop the pit out with a spoon — not a knife. Then, rinse any avocado flesh from the pit.

Step 2: Submerge The Pit In Water

Fill a small bowl with about two inches of lukewarm water and put the avocado pit. The avocado pit should be completely submerged in the water. Set the bowl on a windowsill that gets a decent amount of sunlight.

Every other day, change the water. Completely pour the water out, run the avocado seed under the faucet (and wipe off any “slime” that may have grown on it), and put the avocado pit back in the water.

An avocado seed in a pot of dirt.

Step 3: Plant The Pit

After a while, you may notice the cracks on your avocado pit start to really get defined. This will take just about two weeks. When you notice this, your seed is ready to transplant.

Fill a container with potting soil and make a hole about two inches down. Put the avocado pit, pointy side up, into the hole. Cover it with dirt. Water your plant every other day, making sure to not oversaturate the soil. If you’re a little lazy about your plant, you could just put it outside and let nature (and your sprinkler system) take care of the watering.

A hand holding a cracked avocado seed over a pot of dirt.

During this time, the avocado seed will “shed” it’s dark layer leaving just the inner peanut-colored pit. As it does this, the avocado pit will actually open and a root will form in the center. The stem will grow from the pointy side of the pit, which is why it’s imperative to plant it point-side up.

An avocado plant.

Step 4: Prune Your Avocado Plant

A stem will start to grow out of the top of your soil. In about four or so months, it should be pretty tall and growing a healthy amount of leaves. When it gets to be about a foot tall, cut it down halfway (to about six inches). I know, I know. This is scary. Super scary. But it’s necessary.

If you leave the stem alone, you’ll be stuck with just one tiny, weak stem that grows vertically. That’s no good. So you need to prune your avocado stem in order to encourage growth.

An avocado plant in a pot.

About a month or so after you prune your avocado plant, you’ll notice new branches growing on the avocado stem. And you can finally breathe.

When that new branch gets to be about eight inches long, you’ll want to prune that one. I know, I know, it seems counterproductive. Once it starts to grow, you cut it back. But again, this encourages growth of the plant and will make it stronger and more abundant in the long run. And that will give it a better chance of bearing fruit, which is still a dozen years away.

Troubleshooting Growing Avocados From Pits:

  • The most important part of an avocado tree’s life is the first two years. So you want to really keep up with the pruning of it, even if you’re scared. If you don’t encourage new growth early on, you might never grow the avocado tree of your dreams.
  • Leaves start out as a rust color and then turn a beautiful green. So rust isn’t a color to worry about. Yellow is though. That means the avocado plant is getting too much water. Cut back on the amount you’re watering, let the soil dry out, and you should get back on track.
  • Typically, avocados are grown in warm temperatures. Our plants lived outdoors through a mild North Carolina winter, but if you live somewhere that gets under 50 degrees — and especially somewhere with frost — you’ll want to bring your plants indoors during the winter. If not, the frost could kill them and your hard work.
  • If you’re planting in just soil, and not a bagged potting soil, you want to make sure the pH of the soil is right. I don’t know the science behind it, so I’m not even going to try to explain it (but you can google it if you’re curious).

    I’ve heard of eggshell and banana peel mixes working great, but the eggshells never worked for me (and I actually think killed my cucumber plant one year). Instead, I mix about two tablespoons of used coffee grounds into the soil with my plants about twice a month. That really seems to help the vegetation.

Sprouting An Avocado Seed: Frequently Asked Questions

Why isn’t my avocado seed sprouting?

Avocado seeds thrive in moisture. That’s why they do so well in water. If your avocado seed starts drying out, it won’t sprout. So make sure to keep changing the water regularly.

And when you finally plant it outside, don’t leave it to fend for itself. Make sure to constantly water your avocado seed.

Will a cracked avocado seed grow?

Your avocado seed will crack, and that’s where the root will come out of. So if you have a cracked avocado seed, you’re just helping it along.

I did have a cracked avocado seed once, and I wrapped a rubber band around it, just to keep the center close while it germinated. It sprouted just fine.

How long does it take an avocado seed to germinate?

It’ll take about two months before you start to see a plant grow from the avocado seed. If it has been a lot longer than that and you still don’t see a plant, unfortunately, you’ll want to get rid of that avocado seed and start again.

Can I grow an avocado tree from store bought avocados?

You can definitely grow an avocado tree from store-bought avocados. We’ve started them from store-bought and home grown avocados.

With some plants, though, seeds from store-bought produce won’t bear fruit. So you can still grow an avocado tree, but you might not get any avocados.

An avocado tree in a pot on a porch.

Purchase An Avocado Tree Online:

Growing your own avocado plant is fun and something to do to pass the time, but it’s a lot of time. It won’t fruit for about 15 years, which is a long time to wait.

If you don’t want to wait that long, you can purchase an avocado tree online. That’ll save you a couple years.

Avocados in a children's basket with the words "10+ Delicious Avocado Recipe" digitally written on top.

Avocado Recipes:

If you’re looking for something to make with your avocados, once they start growing, we have a great list of Delicious Avocado Recipes for you to check out.

Some of our favorites are:

A man building a raised garden bed.

More Gardening Ideas:

If you’re inspired now and you want more gardening ideas, we have a few posts you might like:

Have you tried to grow avocado plants from pits? Let us know about yours in the comments.

Judith

Saturday 29th of April 2023

I believe this to be the best "grow" description on the internet, with just the right tone. I would say that the emphasis, for me, has been more on the miracle of the sprouting and growing, rather than considering tree and fruit. I have a 16 year-old plant - yes - I used the toothpicks but will try the water submerge instead - that is a bit over 4 feet tall with a sturdy stem.

I often forget to keep it watered, so, over the years, the leaves have curled and shriveled. Well. With watering, it has come back every time. There was quite a severe die-off, 2 years ago when I really neglected the plant. It probably helped strengthen the stem.

This all should be fun - an experiment - all growing is an experiment one way or another. The bottom line is that it is fun to just try and see what happens. Again, a most excellent article.

Dilkui

Monday 17th of April 2023

I've tried it with 5 pits and they all turn dark brown and 2 have become mushy. Do I just wait?

drugstore diva lisa

Monday 17th of April 2023

They shouldn't become mushy. Are you changing the water every other day? Have they cracked?

Gainor Hillegass

Sunday 31st of July 2022

I will try this method with the seeds I have. Hass and large tropical. My house came with an avocado tree 17 years ago. It was about 5 feet tall. It had large glossy leaves and grew 6 feet above the roof over the years. It never bloomed or bore fruit in all that time. I estimate the total age of it to be about 22 years. Well... That tree surprised the pants off of us last Fall. I found 3 small unripe fruits on the ground under the tree after some wind and made guacamole. It had a nutty flavor, being unripe. I researched how to grow the seeds, but the toothpick method didn't work. Later, a carpenter presented me with the biggest fruit I ever saw that he found in my yard. Turns out I have a tropical West Indian variety, mostly grown in south Florida. I live in Tampa. The tooth pick method failed for the very large seed. I made more exotic recipes with that fruit. I am 77 and will try again. Meanwhile, my tree had to be cut back from the roof line for the new roof to be installed. I am looking for blossoms, but the new branches probably won't flower for a few years. The reason fruit trees take so long to bloom is that blossom come from new branch tips, and we cut them off to shape the tree. That happened with my young apple, plum, pear, and cherry trees up north. After 10 years, they bloomed and fruited for the next owners who did nothing to them! However, my tree took over 20 years to bloom, although we never pruned it. Go figure.

drugstore diva lisa

Sunday 31st of July 2022

I know those avocados well. Our friends have a house in Southeast Florida and have that tree in their backyard. We brought some home with us last time we went to visit them. They were SO different than any we get in the stores up this way.

Betty

Sunday 31st of July 2022

I have a plant grown from a seed. It's about 24in tall with ten rust /green colored leaves So your saying I should cut it all down to about 8in? I cut it back once only about 2in that a friend who works at a green house told me to do.Are you sure it will leaf back? I've been so proud of how big it's gotten and I hate to cut it down to 8in and not have it grow again???

drugstore diva lisa

Sunday 31st of July 2022

I would cut it back to about 12 inches. You want to cut it in half when you're pruning. I know, I know, it feels AWFUL. But it will grow back stronger. Every time I cut mine, I'm like, "What if it doesn't grow back?" But it does. Every time.

Zippy

Sunday 31st of July 2022

I sprouted an avocado seed (toothpick method) ---it took about 2 months to "root". I planted it in the backyard where it got sunshine all day. About two years later, wee avocados showed up! I have read that some avocados are "treated" and makes it impossible to create new plants. I also have read that if a fully matured avocado tree is within a reasonable distance, a new plant will produce avocados in a relatively short period of time. I believe that is true. There was a fully matured, producing avocado tree across the street from me.

I like your way of sprouting a seed----much better than toothpicks.