Planting an Avocado Seed

How to grow an avocado plant at home:

About a year ago, I decided to try and see if I could actually plant the seed from the middle of an avocado and have it grow. So, I "Googled" directions on how to plant the seed and to my amazement it actually worked! This is how I did it...

The first step is to get the seed out of a regular old avocado that you can buy at the grocery store. 

Take 3 or four toothpicks and stick them (not too far) into the sides of the avocado seed so it can rest on the top of a glass. Fill the glass full of water so half of the avocado seed is in the water and the other half is not. Something like this:

 

Put the avocado seed in full sun and wait. It took my avocado seed about 2 whole months to grow a little itty bitty sprout. The seed that I planted kind of split down the middle and then the sprout came out of that. After you see a noticeable sprout, it is time to plant your seed. 

I have read that you should plant the seed in regular potting soil, but the seed should be very close to the top of the soil. The sprout should be pointing down and the top of the seed barely covered by the soil.

After just about a week, this is what happened. I was so proud! My avocado plant grows at an alarming rate! I keep him in full sun and water him about once a week, or when his soil gets dry. After about 4 months this is what my little guy had become: 

Now I am not sure why, but about halfway through my little avocado plants life, he got sick and all of his poor little leaves fell off...
but in just a couple months, he has regrown some healthy new leaves.
This is him today, in his cute new permanent pot home:
 
Aww...