Checking on Everyone's Progress

We're fast approaching Week 5 right now, and there's been a lot of changes since my last update a little less than a week ago. I thought I'd show whats going on in each group.

Do Nothing

There's some definite splitting at the bottom of seed #1, but no roots sprouting out yet. Seed #2 seems rather inactive.

 

Peel Outer Layer

Not much splitting from either seeds in this group, however seed #1 has pushed out a root nonetheless. No action so far from seed #2.

Cut Top and Bottom

Since the splitting of the top of seed #1 in Week 1, the split has enlarged. Both seeds have split at the bottom and seed #1 has just begun to produce a little root. Seed #2 is sure to follow soon enough.

Peel Outer Layer AND Cut Top and Bottom

These seeds have by far had the most growth. Seed #1 has completely spit in half and is only held together by the toothpicks, which have now been taped to the container. Both seeds have sprouted roots, with the roots of seed #1 being a few days ahead. 

Roots!

It's been almost 4 weeks now, and there has been little action aside from the splitting of some seed tops from the 2nd week. Well, now it's Week 4, and we have root growth!


Not much change in the majority of the seeds other than those who were split in Week 2 being more split, especially Peeled w/ Cut Top/Bottom seed #1.

All the seeds almost at Week 4

As you can see, Peeled w/ Cut Top/Bottom seed #1 has split all the way through, even more so than the one cup seed that's 3 weeks ahead of this project.

Peeled w/ Cut Top/Bottom seed #1 has split completely in half.

Peeled w/ Cut Top/Bottom seed #1 as seen with flash.

You can see the roots growing out of the two Peeled w/ Cut Top/Bottom seeds. Seed #1 must have been split for a while and kept growing under the radar, for its root is much longer than the one peaking out of seed 2. We can only assume the root growing process started sometime in Week 3.

You can also see in these two photos that Cut Top/Bottom seed #2 is splitting quite a bit at the bottom, so it's only a matter of time before it sprouts roots as well.

The root growth of the Peeled w/ Cut Top/Bottom seeds

The root growth of the Peeled w/ Cut Top/Bottom seeds as seen with flash.

How Does an Avocado Seed Grow?

It would be easier to guess what method of growing avocado seeds is going to work best if you understand just how an avocado seed grows.

I've had 5 avocado seeds growing for about 4 - 5 weeks now (one joined the party about a week or two late) and one of the seeds has started to really grow.

Note: these 5 avocado seeds are all untouched, unprepped seeds like the first two in our experiment

The bottom of an avocado seed that has been soaking in water for several weeks

As you can see, the bottom of this avocado seed has split open drastically, and there is some semblance of plant matter concealed in the middle, which will eventually take the form of roots.

It's also worth noting that his seed has become extremely slimy (you can see the slime in the right side of the crack there). Some of the outer layer had also disintegrated.



From what I can gather from this particular seed, avocado seeds grow by softening up in water for a long period of time until the outer layer and inner-seed are both squishy enough to allow the seed to pry open like the one above and push out roots. I can assume that it will eventually split at the top as well to push out a stem once the roots are established.

Based on these observations, I would predict that the Peeled Seeds will have an advantage seeing that they have no outer layer needed to be soaked through. I also think the Cut Top/Bottom Seeds will have the advantage of soaking more efficiently and allowing easier splitting of the seed. (Which some Cut Top/Bottom seeds have already begun doing. Read about it here)

We will continue to watch both the 8 Experiment Seeds and these 5 far-ahead seeds to learn more about avocado seed growth.

Signs of Growth

It has been almost 1 week since the avocado seeds were prepped and planted, and there's already potential signs of growth on a few of the seeds! Check it out:

Both "Peeled w/ Cut Top/Bottom" seeds have split on top

The majority of the Cut Top and Bottom avocados have begun to split, which would suggest they are going to push up a stem.

"Peeled w/ Cut Top/Bottom" with flash to show the splits better

One of the "Cut Top/Bottom" seeds has split as well

"Cut Top/Bottom" with flash to show the split better

I compared these pictures to the one taken on the first day the seeds were set up. There has definitely been a change:

No signs of splitting on the bottoms yet, but I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for further signs of growth!

4 Different Methods

There are lots of ways people claim you can grow avocados, and they break down like this:

In Soil? OR In Water?

In soil or in water is your first option. Do you want to start your avocado growing in water and then transfer it to soil once it's sprouted, or do you want to put it in soil and forget about it?

Personally, I'd go with in water. The seed with sprout roots and a stem faster this way, cutting down your overall growing time by a matter of weeks, even months. Sure you have to eventually transplant it, but in the end it's a clear choice.

After you decide on what medium to grow your seed in, there are tons of different methods people use to have them grow quicker. They are as follows:

1. Do Nothing
2. Peel Off the Outer Layer
3. Cut a Small Sliver from Top and Bottom

...and so on and so forth. These are just the most common three methods you'll read about on other sites. Some people will pre-soak their seeds in paper towels, others will boil them to kill diseases or mold....

While everyone claims their method will cause the avocado seed to sprout roots and a stem faster, they all say that it will take 2 - 8 weeks for this to happen.

So how do we know if these methods even make a difference? 

That's what I'm testing.

From left to right: 2 "Do Nothing"s, 2 "Peeled," 2 "Cut Top/Bottom"s, and 2 "Peeled w/ Cut Top/Bottom"

These are 8 avocado seeds I gathered in one sitting of making some guacamole. With them, I'm testing out every method discussed above. The avocado seeds are as follows:

"Do Nothing," "Peel Outer Layer," "Cut Top and Bottom," and "Peel Outer Layer AND Cut Top and Bottom"

I'm testing every method and every combination of methods. All of these avocado seeds are in the same container of water and are kept at the proper heights to ensure that each seed, no matter what size, has its bottom half submersed in water.

I did my best to only use the healthiest 8 of my 12 avocado seeds, so that no disease or mold could spread through the water and affect the other seeds.

I will be continuously posting updates on the growth of these seeds to prove which method works the best for growing roots.