Avocado Stems Drying Up And Turning Brown at the Tip

Question

Hello, I started to grow avocado plants from pits (seeds) a while back. I did this with a pretty popular method of hanging an avocado seed in a cup of water using 3 toothpicks. They successfully grow large taproots into the water and then develop smaller roots that branch from the large taproot. Then the stem begins to emerge from the seed, but right as it is about the come out of the crack the tip of it dries up and turns brown and it stops growing. Why is this happening? What can I do about it?

I have made sure that the taproot is always submerged in water and that the top half of the seed stays dry.

Answer 1

This is a fungal infection. I do not start my pits in this fashion, as it is very prone to fungal infection. Changing the water daily, and adding a few drops of peroxide will help avoid this, but I recommend a different method all together.

I wrap my pits in a damp paper towel, and place them in a plastic ziploc. Leave some air in this, and place it in a drawer. Check daily until you see a root tearing through the paper towel.

Once you see some action, it will be ready to be placed directly into soil. as is. Place it so that the top is just over the soil level. This method grants me a %100 germination rate, and no infections.