As a rule, apple trees are purchased for one's own garden when they are around five years old, when a noble variety has been copulated on the growing base. With a little patience, you can also sow an apple tree yourself from seeds.
How to sow an apple tree from seeds?
To sow an apple tree from seeds, you need local apple seeds, a refrigerator, damp kitchen paper and loose potting soil. Stratify the seeds in damp paper in the refrigerator for two weeks before placing them in the potting soil and allowing them to grow.
Finding suitable seeds for sowing
Basically, apple cores from the supermarket can also be used to grow a seedling. However, some of these varieties are not ideal for cultivation in this country due to the climate, or, like the popular Golden Delicious apple, they are very susceptible to fungal infestation and diseases. If you don't want to use sprays and other chemicals in your garden, it's better to use local varieties. You can easily find proven material on this at farmers markets, from direct marketers or from the fruit grower around the corner.
Bypassing the protective mechanism of apple seeds
If you remove the cores from the core of the apples and place them directly in the soil to multiply, nothing will happen at first. Since the apple seeds only germinate after winter due to their genetic properties in nature due to certain inhibitors, so-called stratification is first necessary. To do this you need the following:
- some space in the fridge
- a suitable container
- some kitchen paper
- some water
- some fresh apple cores
Place the clean kernels between two layers of damp kitchen paper and place them in the container in the refrigerator for about two weeks. After this time, the artificial winter has been registered by the seeds and they can be placed in loose potting soil with the first signs of germination.
Caring for seedlings
Since the young apple trees initially grow relatively slowly, you can also let them grow together in one pot. When planting in autumn, the young trees can then be carefully separated into their own containers. This method generally requires at least six to eight years of patience before the first harvest.
Tips & Tricks
The properties of the offshoot from a core do not necessarily correspond to the tree from which the apple with the core was harvested. Since half of the genetic information comes from the pollen carried during pollination, surprises can arise.
