Have you ever thought that maybe you could take the seeds from that apple you just ate and plant them in your yard? If you have thought about this, congratulations, you can do it! However, growing apple trees from seed does require some effort, planning, and patience. Scroll down to Step 1 to start learning how to grow your apple tree from seed.
Simulating Winter
For seeds to germinate, they need to experience cold temperatures, as if they were experiencing a real winter. Due to this need, you will have to use a refrigerator to simulate winter.
Collect two types of seeds. Apple trees must be planted in pairs because they do not self-pollinate, so different varieties of apple trees are needed for pollination. You can get the seeds from the apples you eat or buy them from the store. Remember, growing an apple tree from seeds you collect does not guarantee fruit. Try to select or buy seeds from apple trees in your climate zone, otherwise your tree will die in one fell swoop.
- When you try to grow an apple tree from seed, you should also keep in mind that the resulting tree will not have any dwarfing characteristics (meaning its total height will be approximately 9 meters tall). If you think you have enough room in your yard for a tree of this size, great! You should also keep in mind that it can take 8 to 10 years from the time a tree is sown to bear fruit, whereas transplanted saplings will bear fruit sooner.
Take your seeds out and let them dry. Once you have removed the seeds from the fruit and removed the protective pulp, they should be laid out to dry. This means simply drying in the air until the shell is free of moisture.
Cover the seeds with a damp paper towel. Place paper towels and seeds in a sealed plastic bag, lidded jar, or plastic box. Whatever container you use, make sure it can be sealed.
- You can also use moist peat moss instead of paper towels if you have it on hand.
Place your seeds in the refrigerator. The seeds need to be exposed to low temperatures for some time, a process we call “after-ripening.” This essentially simulates winter. During this time, the seeds will begin to take root and germinate. They will need to be left in place for 8 weeks or more. During seed storage, the temperature needs to be maintained at approximately 4.4-10ºC, and the optimal temperature is 4.4-5℃.
- If possible, it’s best to do this in the winter so that when you take the seeds out of the refrigerator, they will be in tune with the true season. Planting the young shoots in early spring after the last frost will give you the best results.
Check every once in a while to make sure the towels are kept moist. After eight weeks, your seeds should germinate and have begun to sprout small roots from the base of the seeds. When your seeds have sprouted, remove them from the refrigerator.
Encapsulating Sprouts
Get your pot and soil ready. You will need to plant the seeds in a small pot. Use a good combination basin. The best soil pH for apple seeds should be at a neutral level. Fill in the soil and create a layer of sod in the soil that is two or three times the size of the sprouted seeds.
- Do not add any chemical fertilizers. This is not necessary, but if you want to give your seeds extra energy, add leaf mulch or compost.
Sow seeds in the turf layer. Be sure to sow your sprouts very gently as their roots are very fragile. Place the seeds in the soil, cover them with soil, and pat them firmly. Water immediately to ensure the soil settles around the seeds and remains moist.
Keep jars at room temperature. While the seeds are growing in the jar, the seeds and soil should be kept at room temperature or slightly warmer. The seeds should be bathed in sunlight for most of the day, so it is recommended to place them on a windowsill to get sunlight.
Pay attention to the growth of the seeds. Within a few weeks of planting, your seeds will begin to produce small leaves and then slowly grow taller and thicker. Keep them in the jar until they are strong enough and the frosts are over. If you find that your seed has grown outside of the pot, move it to a larger pot and water it daily.
Plant Your Saplings Outdoors
Choose a site for your tree. There are several factors to consider when choosing a site for your tree, including light, soil, and space.
- Light: Apple trees need full sunlight. This means that they require six or more hours of direct sunlight per day. If possible, plant trees on the east side or a shady slope.
- Soil: Apple trees don’t like to be soaked in water. That is, they need soil that can hold moisture but is well-drained. The soil should be moderately fertile and have a relatively neutral pH.
- Space: Because you start the tree from seed, it will grow into a full-sized tree (meaning it will reach a height of 6 to 9 meters). You need to make sure it has enough room for its roots to grow. Leave at least 4.5 meters between two trees, especially when planting two apple trees in a row.
Learn what conditions are best for transplanting. Once your sapling has grown large enough that no one will step on it or think it is a weed, it can be transplanted carefully without cutting off any roots. The best time of year depends on your location, but if you’re in zone 8 or warm, you’ll do well with transplanting in the fall. If you are not in zone 8, you can transplant in the spring as long as the threat of hard frost has passed.
Remove any weeds within 1.2 meters in diameter of the planting site. Dig a hole twice the diameter of the seedling’s root system and about 60 cm deep. Once you’ve dug the hole, try to loosen the surrounding soil as much as possible – this will help the tree’s roots penetrate the soil.
Transplant seedlings. Gently spread the seedling’s roots so they don’t get tangled in the hole. Start replacing the soil around the roots. Once you’ve covered the roots, pat the soil down firmly to avoid any air bubbles that might hang around the roots. Fill the rest with loose soil.
- Again, do not add any fertilizer or unaged compost to the soil around the tree. Chemical fertilizers may “burn” the roots of saplings.
Water the sapling well to eliminate air bubbles. When watering the tree, cover it with mulch to help the sapling retain moisture. Using hay, straw, or organic wood chips as mulch for apple trees all work well. Covering soil should be within a 1-meter radius around the tree. Doing this will help retain moisture and insulate grass growth from competing with the sapling’s roots for water and nutrients.
Take Care of Your Tree
Water the tree. When the tree is still small (about 15 to 20 cm tall), it should be watered every 10 to 12 days. But as the tree grows, watering can be reduced as long as the soil remains moist (but not wet). As the tree ages, the amount of watering should be reduced. But in summer, water every one to two weeks.
- At other times of the year, you can let nature do the work. But if you live in a very dry place, remember: 2.5 or 5 cm of water every week for the first year is the ideal amount. To give the tree a good soaking process, don’t just sprinkle it on and be done with it.
Fight off pests. If you live in deer territory, you need to protect your small trees. Deer love eating apple leaves, and in some cases, they even damage the trunk itself. Building a fence larger than the tree and enclosing it as a safety measure will work in most situations; spraying the tree with a purchased or homemade spray may also be effective in areas of low pressure.
- Place short wire fencing around the base of the tree to keep out rabbits and mice.
- Spray away insects. You’ll most likely have to battle pests that are causing disease on your fruit. You can buy a spray at your local nursery or garden supply store to keep them away.
- Fight apple maggots. This is one of the most common apple tree plagues. In June, hang one or two baseball-sized red balls from a tree branch and cover them with a sticky substance such as Tangle Trap, which can be purchased at garden supply stores.
When the tree has aged, fertilize it. Your apple tree should be fertilized each spring. Apply fertilizer after the last snow (if it snowed) has melted and before the tree begins to sprout. You should use a fertilizer with a 10-10-10 nitrogen and oxygen content (NPK). Apply fertilizer under the canopy, reducing the amount by 226.8 grams for every 2.5 centimeters downward.
- Do not use a weed-feed fertilizer – this mix may harm the apple tree.
Try to prune young trees as late as possible. Prune as little as possible during the first few years so you don’t delay fruiting. Any diseased branches will need to be pruned. Apple trees don’t begin to bear fruit until they are very large. This is how they reproduce, so let it grow freely until it starts to bear fruit.
- Remove misaligned shoots promptly or you will have to prune them later when they have grown into branches.
“Train” your tree. This may sound a little strange, but we need to shape the branches of the tree into a shape that maximizes results. If the angle between the branch and the trunk is less than or equal to 35 degrees, we need to “train” its angle better (any angle larger than 35 degrees is acceptable). Bend the branch almost horizontally to the ground and tie it with a rope to the ground or a lower branch for several weeks.
Remove excess fruit. Producing too much fruit is a bad thing for your tree – the extra fruit can weigh down the branches and reduce the quality of the apples produced. You should remove some of the fruit so that there are only one or two apples per bunch so that you can achieve a distance of 15-20 cm. You’ll understand how wise this is when you finally eat the delicious fruit from the tree.
Prune mature trees every year. Once your tree has established fruit, you will need to prune it every year. Do this while the tree is dormant. Cut off any upright stems that are growing vigorously (usually higher up on the tree). Dead, diseased, broken branches, as well as branches that are growing into the tree or crossing each other, should be pruned.
- Cut off branches that are growing very low – basically, branches should start growing 46cm or more above the ground.
- You should also remove thin shoots, which often grow on the underside of branches.
Tips
- Place only one seed in a jar to prevent the seeds from competing with each other for nutrients and light.
- The shoots are cultivated in jars until they reach a height of 40-60 cm.
- Check the apples for bugs and bruises before eating them.
- Check out local promotional bulletins for general apple care, or choose one of the many great books at your local library.
- Never let the tree dry out or it will die.
- It is recommended to keep an eye on local precipitation and take good care of your trees. If the leaves are starting to wilt and there may not be rain for a while, you should water with a hose.