Can You Grow an Avocado Tree from a Pit?

So, you just finished eating one of the most amazing avocados you've ever had. All that's left is the avocado pit.

Then a crazy idea pops into your head...

"What if I sprout this avocado pit and grow my own avocado tree? Then I'll have these amazing avocados for years to come!"

I love that idea, and honestly, that's how a lot of people get into growing avocados.

But before you stick that pit in a glass of water, there's something you should know.

I hate to break it to you, but the chances of growing that exact same avocado from the pit are basically zero.

Why?

Because avocado trees are not true to seed.

What does that mean? Let's say you just ate an incredible Hass avocado and decided to plant the pit. Most people assume that pit will grow into another Hass tree. Unfortunately, that's not how avocados work.

Think of an avocado seed like a child. A child inherits traits from its parents, but it's never an exact copy of either one. The same thing happens with avocado seeds. Every seed contains a unique combination of genetics, so every seedling becomes its own unique avocado tree.

That means your "Hass" seed could grow into a tree that produces larger fruit, smaller fruit, green fruit, black fruit, creamy fruit, watery fruit—or fruit that doesn't taste very good at all. It may produce heavily, produce very little, or take much longer to bear fruit than you expected. Every seed is a genetic surprise.

This is why commercial avocado growers don't plant seeds to grow Hass avocados. Instead, they graft a piece of wood, called a scion, from a mature Hass tree onto a seedling rootstock. Because that scion is genetically identical to the original tree, the new tree will produce true Hass avocados.

So, what's the perfect way to grow an avocado pit?

Don't let me stop you from growing it!

In fact, I think everyone who loves avocados should grow an avocado tree from seed at least once. It's an amazing experience watching that pit crack open and slowly turn into a tree.

The best approach is to grow your avocado pit into a healthy young tree and then graft a scion from a mature avocado variety onto it. This way, you still get the satisfaction of growing your own tree from seed while knowing exactly what kind of fruit you'll eventually harvest.

Grafting is one of the most important skills an avocado grower can learn. Instead of waiting 7 years or more to see what kind of fruit your seedling produces, a grafted tree can often begin producing fruit in as little as 3 to 4 years. Even better, you'll know exactly what variety you're growing because the scion came from a mature, fruit-producing tree.

So go ahead and sprout that avocado pit. Enjoy the process, learn from it, and watch it grow. Then, when your seedling is ready, graft it with your favorite variety.

You'll get fruit years sooner, you'll know exactly what you're growing, and you'll have the satisfaction of saying, "I grew this tree from a tiny avocado pit."

To me, that's one of the coolest parts about growing avocados.