How is an Avocado plant started?

Question

I find ourselves buying one or two Avocados twice a week.

It's one of these things that I've been wanting to do for a long time: grow an avacado plant.

1. What is the ideal climate or exposure to sunlight that an avocado plant needs?
2. Also what is the best way to germinate an avocado plant?
3. Or how would you start growing an avocado plant?

The only other related thread i found was about an already growing avocado plant: How to prevent avocado from drying out indoors?

UPDATE:

My plant started growing but wanted to let people know that it doesn't do very well in the cold weather.

Answer 1

Here are a number of different methods:

http://www.ghorganics.com/Germinating%20and%20Growing%20Avocados.html

The sticks and water method seems complicated. When I did it, I used a variation of Method 3 (in moist potting compost), but I started the seeds in a seal-able plastic bag of moist compost. This ensure the compost did not dry out. Transplant into a pot when the seed sprouts. I found I had much better germination rates than the various web sites suggested - perhaps I had good avocados! My un-doing is my climate - we get frosts, so they never survive the first winter outside, and I don't think they make good houseplants beyond a "one year novelty".

Answer 2

I will give you a personal experience. The first time I planted an avocado using toothpicks it took 3 moths and no roots were observed. The second time, I did the following: using a knife, pass the knife around the seed, but mostly from the bottom, to allow the water to reach inside the seed and let the root form. This time it took 1 month, at the end of this month not only roots were performed, but also a little green stem, after that I placed it in the pot. I water it twice per week.

It usually takes 2-3 weeks for the root to be grown, but you can leave it an additional week in water, to see the green stem.

Now I have three planted avocados, and I'm waiting for the greatest one to grow a little big to fertilize it, because I heard that avocados don't fertilize alone the first time, they need fertilization, then they will continue alone.

Answer 3

I wrap the avocado seed in wet, but not sodden, paper towel, put it in a Ziploc bag, place it in a semi-light spot (I place mine on my kitchen counter) and check every week or so to make sure the towel is still wet. In my experience, it takes between a week and a half and three weeks for it to form roots and a shoot. Then just plant it with the shoot above the soil line.

This is the only way I've ever had success. I'm on my third.

Answer 4

I like the toothpicks and a glass of water method. It does take months but you can prune the roots with a razor blade to get more roots. Moderate indirect light is all they need to germinate. Once they are planted they need diffuse high light.

After reading Zeina's answer I tried it on the next batch of avocados. The trick is to find which part of the seed is "up". You need to take the inner part of the seed off the bottom end and this does speed up germination.