To grow an apple tree from seeds, go to the roots of hobby gardening. Equipped with a long thread of patience and these instructions, you will experience first hand how a majestic fruit tree develops from a tiny apple core. For a successful process, various criteria must be taken to heart, such as the careful choice of seeds, overcoming the sprout inhibition as well as the well-balanced framework conditions. After reading these lines, the cultivation of apple pits is no longer a book with seven seals.
Table of Contents
Characteristics
- Rose family (Rosaceae)
- Name of the genus: Apples (Malus)
- Dominant species: Cultivated apple (Malus domesticus)
- Deciduous tree
- Height in culture from 100 to 1,000 cm, rarely higher
- White or pink flowers in May
- Juicy apple fruits from July
- Nuclear casing with slightly poisonous seeds
- Dependent on cross-pollination as a result of self-sterility
Of the more than 30,000 apple varieties worldwide, around 1,500 are suitable for cultivation in Germany. However, only a few varieties find their way to supermarkets, such as Golden Delicious, Elstar, Gala or Cox Orange. Growing an apple tree from seeds opens up a unique option for the interested hobby gardener to open up new paths that go beyond the well-trodden cultivation paths.
Seeds
A successful sowing is always based on the quality of the seed. Therefore, please do not choose a variety of apples from the supermarket at random to remove the stones. So that the seedlings actually grow and thrive in the bed later, they should come from native apple varieties. You will find what you are looking for at regional direct markets, as the fruit growers sell apples from their own harvest for sale.
If you live in the catchment area of a fruit juice factory that presses local apples, you have access to the ideal seeds. In the course of pressing, the apple pips go through a process that breaks the sprout inhibition. Just ask about apple pits made from pomace (pressed material). While these seeds represent the perfect starting material for the hobby gardener, they are unusable residues for the juice manufacturer.
Pretreatment
Stratification is required to get apple pits in the germination mood . Specifically, this means a cold stimulus lasting several weeks that simulates winter conditions. This is how easy it is to get the process going:
- Fill fresh apple cores with washed, damp sand or peat moss in a plastic bag
- Tightly closed for 6 to 8 weeks in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator deposit
- Check the seeds regularly for sufficient moisture
If you prefer a nature-loving approach, fill small pots with peat sand and put 1-2 seeds 2-3 cm in each. Then place the vessels on the wintry balcony for 2 months. It is beneficial for germination when the seeds snow in. To prevent the seeds from drowning in the meltwater, please do not use coasters.
Tip : The more precisely the sowing is in accordance with the actual seasons, the better the result.
sowing
After the stratification, you hold apple pips in your hands that are already alive. The first small roots indicate that the inhibition of germination has been overcome. This is how the cultivation from seeds continues:
- Place a pot of pottery or pebbles in pots of 10 or 12 over the water drain as drainage
- Each pot two-thirds filled with potting soil or sand emaciated potting soil
- Pre-drill a small planting hole in the middle with your finger or a wooden stick
- Use a germinating apple core in each case at two to three times the seed strength
Please handle the sprouting seeds very carefully, as the tiny root strands could break off. At the end, press the soil and pour with a fine effervescence.
Tip : The apple seedlings take even more trouble with rooting if there is a thin layer of ripe compost under the growing substrate. In order to get to the coveted nutrients, the root strands quickly gain length.
Disinfect the seed soil
Unwanted additions such as viruses, fungal spores or bacteria can lurk in any substrate and nip all hopes of healthy, vital apple seedlings in the bud. To avoid the risk of infection, we recommend disinfecting the seed soil . To do this, fill the substrate into a fireproof bowl and spray it with water. Put the lid on loosely without closing the jar. Then set the oven to 150 degrees top and bottom heat and slide the bowl in. All impurities are removed after 20 to 30 minutes . It is even faster in the microwave within 5 minutes at 700 to 800 watts.
Care up to planting in the bed
Set up the nursery pots with the germinating apple seeds on the bright, warm window seat. Although the sun’s rays are desirable and beneficial, shading should take place in the blazing midday sun. Normal room temperatures offer the seedlings sufficient warmth for further growth. Please keep the substrate slightly moist at all times. Since apple trees prefer neutral soil acidity in every phase of their life, we recommend switching between normal tap water and collected, filtered rainwater. Your pupils will not receive any fertilizer at this time. If the nutrients are delivered to them right in front of the root tips, the motivation to develop a strong root system is lost.
Toughen up
An apple tree grown from seeds only gets to know the warm, sheltered conditions behind glass. So that the fruit trees can cope with the hardships outdoors, we recommend hardening them in advance of planting . To do this, place the bucket in a partially shaded location on the balcony or in the garden for 2 to 3 weeks . In this way, a penalty can gradually get used to full sun . If you have decided on spring planting, bring the young plants into the house overnight if there is a risk of late frosts in the ground.
Solitary apple trees do not bear fruit
One of the typical characteristics of apple trees is that they are self-sterile. This attribute implies that at least one other apple tree of a different variety must be nearby for fruiting to occur. You can choose to use the seeds of different apple varieties as seeds or you can add a suitable pollinator variety from the nursery to your grown specimen. The latter has a convincing advantage: the result of sowing apple seeds cannot be precisely predicted. Which properties of the parent and grandparent plants will ultimately prevail in the young plant remains hidden from you until the first flowering. Since not all apple varieties are compatible with each other, choose the optimal pollinator variety from the nursery’s range as soon as the breeding result becomes apparent.
frequently asked Questions
Which native apple varieties are recommended for growing from seeds?
If you keep an eye out for tried and tested classics, you will significantly reduce the risk of failure. Recommended summer apples are Weißer Klarapfel, Schöner aus Barth or Astramel. In this respect Holsteiner Cox stand out among the autumn apples, fame from Kirchwerder and Alkmene. If you prefer the winter apples with a long storage time, focus on delicacies such as Kaiser Wilhelm and Landsberger Renette.
When is a young apple tree cut?
Winter hardiness is not yet fully developed up to the age of five. Until then, cut your self-grown apple tree at the end of February at the earliest. Otherwise the young tree is threatened by a total failure if it comes to late heavy frosts.
When is the planting time for an apple tree?
Control the cultivation of an apple tree so that it is ready for planting in the bed in autumn. At this time of year the ground is warmed up deeply with temperatures between 17 and 22 degrees Celsius. Under these ideal conditions, the young roots spread quickly, in good time before winter. Alternatively, put the fruit tree in the ground in spring.
