Normally, fruit trees for the garden are purchased from specialist retailers when they are around five to six years old and then bear fruit after just a few years. With a lot of patience, these instructions and a little joy in experiments, you can also grow apple trees yourself.
How to grow an apple tree from seeds?
To grow an apple tree from seeds, choose seeds from regional varieties, stratify the seeds in the refrigerator for 2-4 weeks and then sow them in potting soil. Note that seedlings take longer to bear fruit and often grow into large trees.
The difference between seedlings and vegetative propagation
In commercial horticulture, apple trees are usually produced in such a way that the branches of a specific apple variety are grafted onto a vigorous rootstock with strongly developed roots through copulation. This method of propagation is also known as vegetative propagation because the offshoot and sometimes also the rootstock are asexually propagated plants from cut branches. While vegetatively propagated apple trees bear the same fruit as the mother tree, seedlings can revert to the wild form.
Getting apple seeds to germinate properly
If you want to wait the long wait while the seedlings grow, you can grow an apple tree from ordinary apple cores as an exciting experiment in the garden. However, there are a few things that need to be taken into account so that the seeds actually grow into small trees and can later survive in the local climate.
Choosing the seeds
The supermarkets in this country sometimes offer varieties that are not necessarily well suited for local cultivation. While apple varieties like “Granny Smith” sometimes do not survive a harsh winter in Central Europe, apple seeds from regional cultivation can be more promising. The tried and tested varieties traditionally grown in Central Europe include:
- Alkmene
- Cox Orange Reinette
- Gravensteiner
- Jonathan
- Red Boskoop
Preparing the seeds for germination
Apple seeds usually contain germ-inhibiting substances that are only broken down during fermentation processes. If you have access to the leftover apples from cider production, you will achieve a better germination result with them than with cores obtained directly from apples. Unless you leave the seeds in a pot outdoors over the winter, you will need to stratify them before germination. To do this, place the kernels between damp layers of kitchen paper in a container in the refrigerator for two to four weeks. Only through this simulated winter will the kernels sprout satisfactorily.
Tips & Tricks
Apple trees grown from seeds follow their genetic predisposition and therefore usually grow very large. If you want a small apple tree, you have to train it into a smaller trunk shape through grafting.
