How to sprout an avocado seed, a time-lapse

Three toothpicks are poked into a washed and peeled avocado seed. The seed is suspended in water. The wait for a sprout begins.

This Boxlapse time-lapse video captures what happens for the first 127 Days of the avocado plant’s life, including the first 36 days when it looks like the seed isn’t doing much of anything. But a root appears and a sprout soon follows. From SFGate:

Growing an avocado plant (Persea americana) from a pit is fun and educational, and it usually takes only two to six weeks for the pit to sprout. After that, the plant takes 10 to 15 years to grow large enough to fruit, which it only does in suitable growing conditions. In U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 12, it’s safe to grow avocado plants outside. In colder zones, they make attractive houseplants but are unlikely to bear fruit.

Attempt to sprout your avocado seed just before the fruit is completely ripe. The older the seed, the less likely it will be able to germinate. And don’t feel the need to peel it (unless you’re planting it in the dirt immediately). “Peeling the skin will not speed up germination with this technique and may result in a rotted mess of mush in the water.”

Alternatively, you can soak your seeds and then keep them wrapped in a wet paper towel in a dark warm place until they sprout. Read about seed growing at California Avocado.

Watch more Boxlapse videos on TKSST. Plus, enjoy more time-lapse plants, including:
• Spring, an epic 4K flower time-lapse that took 3 years
• Time lapse summer lawn daisies grow, get cut, & regrow
• Growing Cycles of Vegetables, a farm foods time-lapse
• Growing kidney bean & spinach plants, soil cross-section time-lapses
• Boxlapse: Pea, Tomato, Basil, and Cucumber plants grow in time-lapse