Ideal avocado seed growing methods ?

[Avoman]

Ive never used bottom heat for sprouting avocado seeds but ive heard of it done by others so does it really help speed up sprouting, also is it a better idea to sprout in soil over sprouting in water what are the pros and cons, ive sometimes had fungus attacks sprouting seeds in water even cchanging water every 3 days or so.

[spaugh]

I just start them in 7 gallon pots now.  They grow so fast and roots fill in smaller pots so fast Im going directly into large pots in any warm location.  I use my GH which sits at 90F+ all the time.  They always sprout 100%.  No heat pad required.  If you are doing indoors and the temp is low then use bottom heat it cant hurt.

When saving seeds after eating, I put them in a bowl of water that is filled enough to cover the seeds half way up.  I can save seeds this way in the kitchen for a few weeks before planting in pots.  Just change the water every few days.




Heres some reed seeds started a few months ago in 7gal pots.

[Avoman]

That sounds like a good method Brad thanks for tips my air temps are too low i should do better once i set up a green house down the road.

[Avoman]

One of of my reed seeds started in water in june or july but half my reed seeds rotted out in water once again air temps must have been too cold also i wonder if reed seeds picked too early could have caused pooor sprout percentage rates

[spaugh]

Depends where the reeds come from.  In southern CA they should be ok to use after about 12 months on the tree.  By May they are usually good. 

You will probably have better luck once you are growing in CA.  I dont think Idaho is a great place to be doing avocado propogation without a decent GH.

I never have good luck grafting trees in such small containers either.  Its better to use a larger pot, the tree is stronger and larger.  I know the commercial nurseries can pull it off doing micro grafts in small sleeves but they have a greenhouse set to optimal temperature and humidity.

[Avoman]

My seed sprouting is mostly in the house but even that i think is too cold to get a high sprout rate ....the reed seeds i used came out of a whole foods in fresno ca, im thinking the reeds likely grown in southern ca somewhere, i have gallon size grafts work for me its seems like age of seedling and size of trunk matters most for success.im sure grafts done on trees already in ground have a very high rate of take but all mine done in pot so i get excited when they take i just had some jan boyce take in 1 gallon pots.

[dross99_si]

I just start them in 7 gallon pots now.  They grow so fast and roots fill in smaller pots so fast Im going directly into large pots in any warm location.  I use my GH which sits at 90F+ all the time.  They always sprout 100%.  No heat pad required.  If you are doing indoors and the temp is low then use bottom heat it cant hurt.

When saving seeds after eating, I put them in a bowl of water that is filled enough to cover the seeds half way up.  I can save seeds this way in the kitchen for a few weeks before planting in pots.  Just change the water every few days.




Heres some reed seeds started a few months ago in 7gal pots.

Great info spaugh. Thanks!

[spaugh]

 

Just for clarification, the bowl of water is just to accumulate seeds for a few weeks and keep them viable.  You can take the seed straight from the fruit, wash it, then go into a pot of dirt.  Pointy side up just below the dirt surface so the seed is barely covered.  Make sure the dirt stays wetted but not soggy.  The root system will develop quite a bit before the sprout pops up. 

[Jack, Nipomo]

You might snip off the tip of the seed (cutting off that part of the seed coat) so that the sprouting embryo does not get inhibited.  You are just removing a part of the cotyledons.

[OCchris1]

I soak all my seeds if I don't have time to plant right away, seems to work fine. I agree with the Reed's, they are super vigorous, though maybe not a good choice for colder areas?

[Avoman]

I,m guessing most of the big commercial outfits use zutano seeds instead of Reed for a few reason 1 prob cheaper to buy than reed and 2 the trees sold to northern cal would do better for cold, so im sure they realize most growers would not bother to protect the graft from the cold.... also brad made a good point if you have a cold hardy rootstock and the top dies completely off then at least you might have a surviving rootstock left to graft back onto.

[Avoman]

For thoses that have used both water and damp soil both to start out seeds what seem to do better,/faster ive had plenty of seeds not root in water and when ive tryed vermiculite or peat etc. i also had some  not work, so im thinking as far as dirt goes i either did not keep soil moist enough or my temps were not maintained at high enough.Sometimes it seems like if the the seeds just sit there and do nothing, but stripping the seed cover off completely seems to jump start the seed.

[spaugh]

They use zutanos for rootstock because the hass orchards plant zutanos in each row to act as polonizers.  But there's not much market for the fruit, it's one of the lousiest CA avocados.  But it makes a good rootstock and there's plenty of seeds available to big nurseries.

[Mark in Texas]

Just for clarification, the bowl of water is just to accumulate seeds for a few weeks and keep them viable.  You can take the seed straight from the fruit, wash it, then go into a pot of dirt.  Pointy side up just below the dirt surface so the seed is barely covered.  Make sure the dirt stays wetted but not soggy.  The root system will develop quite a bit before the sprout pops up.

I've always started seeds using the toothpick/water drill.  Had a Mexicola seed that sat there for 2 months - nothing.  Dropped it into a 1 gal. pot of soil and it's rooting.

[Avoman]

Ive had same thing happen seed did nothing sitting in water moved to soil and it took off

[MotherofDragons]

I just start them in 7 gallon pots now.  They grow so fast and roots fill in smaller pots so fast Im going directly into large pots in any warm location.  I use my GH which sits at 90F+ all the time.  They always sprout 100%.  No heat pad required.  If you are doing indoors and the temp is low then use bottom heat it cant hurt.

When saving seeds after eating, I put them in a bowl of water that is filled enough to cover the seeds half way up.  I can save seeds this way in the kitchen for a few weeks before planting in pots.  Just change the water every few days.




Heres some reed seeds started a few months ago in 7gal pots.

That is impressive!! Certainly makes a good argument for getting a greenhouse put together!!

[Mark in Texas]

Ive had same thing happen seed did nothing sitting in water moved to soil and it took off

Weird isn't it?  I've always been a die hard for the toothpick method but more than one avocado gardener said planting in soil improves germ.  Makes sense.

I've been posting to forums for decades and have warned others 100X not to germ their seeds in a damp paper towel/baggie and then move them to soil when they see the radicle pop.

[spaugh]

Its probably the warm dirt in a black pot that makes them grow faster than room temp water.  Theres really no reason to germ an avocado seed in water.  You wont find big nurseries doing it.  They put the seeds in small plastic grow sacks filled with dirt and sprout them in a GH. 

[Avoman]

True ive never seen large nurserys use water to sprout avo seeds and i think lynwood in New Ze like to use some kind of coir mix formula to germinate in , its seems like adding some extra heat over room temp seems to be key, so im wondering how much heat is to much heat is 90 to 95 degrees farinheit an ideal amount ? The main thing i like about growing in water is that you can see roots progress and grow, and if they stay white thats always a good thing.

[spaugh]

Room temperature 75F should be enough to get them going.  Or use a heat mat to warm up the pots more if you want.  Its not that complicated, avocado seeds should be germinating 100% or you got something way off like overly wet anerobic soil or really cold room.  Otherwise it should pretty much be a slam dunk. 

[Avoman]

I can get some at 75 degrees farn., but ive nver got 100 percent ive going to try heat pad, l loose some to fungus or algee growth or seeds split in half.

[Mark in Texas]

And make sure you water your orchids with ice cubes. 

Jeez, how many times have I read that!  Makes me want to scream.

[Avoman]

The seeds that want to sprout in cooler temps are likely going to to be the faster larger seedings, some i suspect are lazy and need the added heat, likey some types of fungus grow better  with the added heat if using water only.