I've started an avocado seedling from a pit. What do I do next?
I have managed to start an avocado seedling from a pit which is suspended over a glass filled with water. It is about 5″ tall now and I would like to know – what do I do next? I had started one before, but it did not survive. How much light and water do avocados need and when should I pot it in soil?
Answer
If your avocado has roots, just pot it up and put on a warm, sunny windowsill. While it is not likely to bear fruit indoors, you can use the leaves for flavoring dishes that call for avocado. But if you pine for an indoor avocado, check out Hazel Perper’s out of print The Avocado Pit Grower’s Indoor How-to Book from PHS’s McLean Library. Published in 1965, the author started with an avocado from “a pit left over from a delicious lunch” and eventually grew it to a ceiling high plant with a spread of six feet.