Re: Need information on growing an avocado seed into a plant for science projec

There are many websites and books with instructions for growing an avocado seed 
in water. I've listed some in the references. 

If you want some unusual plants, there are many so-called "supermarket plants" 
that can be grown from seed including grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime, date 
palm, papaya, starfruit, mango, guava, kiwi, pomegranate, and passionfruit. 
These are tropical fruits which have no seed dormancy to overcome as in 
temperate fruits such as apples, pears and peaches. It is best to grow most of 
the smaller seeds in potting soil rather than water.

It is also easy to root a pineapple top in water and grow a fragrant ginger 
plant from a ginger root in potting soil, although it actually is a ginger 
rhizome or underground stem.

You can sprout a whole carrot root in aerated water and get a Queen Anne's lace 
flower. Use toothpicks to suspend the carrot root in a two liter soda bottle 
with the top opening enlarged, and use an aquarium air pump and tubing to 
gently bubble air in the water to provide oxygen. Cover the outside of the 
container with aluminum foil to exclude light so algae do not grow. 

Other interesting plants that can be grown from seed indoors are cotton, 
coffee, and peanut. The chia seed from the Chia Pet can be grown into a very 
tall plant if grown in potting soil.

Whatever you do, grow several seeds to protect against losses.


References



Sprouting an Avocado Seed


Avocados, seed to tree


How to Grow Your Own Avocado

Selsam, Millicent Ellis  and Wexler, Jerome . 1980. Eat the Fruit, Plant the 
Seed. Morrow,William & Co. (Gives directions for growing plants from the seeds 
found inside avocados, papayas, citrus fruits, mangos, pomegranates, and kiwis)