Question
I have just been given an avacodo from a friends tree. it is very large and purple. I live in south west Florida. What kind of avacodo is this. It is very firm and has a much stronger nut like flavor then the small or large green avacodos.
Next, There is a sprout coming out of the top of the seed. Thes is the widest part of the seed. I would like to know how to grow this. Does the sprout end go into the water or does the narrow pointed end go into the water. The seed is just about to split.
Thank you.
Chris

Answer
Hi Chris,
Thanx for your question.  There are over 1,000 different varieties of avocadoes.  Here is a database with pictures you can go through.

http://ucavo.ucr.edu/AvocadoWebSite%20folder/AvocadoWebSite/AvocadoVarieties/Var...

The sprout coming out of the top of the seed, the widest part is going to be the sprout, the tree part.  A white sprout will come out of the bottom (pointed end of the seed) and that will be the root.  Because it has sprouted, go ahead and plant it gently in a large pot about 4 inches deep into a 10 inch deep pot with good potting soil.  Keep the soil watered but not soggy and keep everything warm.  Once the sprout emerges from the top of the soil, you need to exose the seedling to a good light source.  An indoor light source is probably not going to be good enough and the plant will get spindly fast.  Put it in a window that faces east or south.  It's still going to get a big leggy if you live in the northern 2/3 of the U.S. (I'm making an assumption that you are in the U.S.  We get questions from all over the world, too.).  One temps outdoors are consistently above 50 (day or night) it's okay to bring the seedling outdoors but first, place the potted plant in a shaded place that is protected from wind, rain, hail and cold for about 10 days.  This plant must not be exposed to temps below 50 degrees while it is young.  Adult trees can stand an occasionally frost, saplings generally do not.  Anyway, once the plant has been outdoors in the protected place for 10 days, put it out in direct sunlight and don't let it get shaded.  Keep it watered and feed every couple of weeks with a balanced fertilizer.  Trim the growing point of the tree off so it branches out and does not get too tall.  I hope this helps.
Tom