How Do I....?!?!?
TriggerStorm1309
Posts: 82 Member
I was wondering how i would go about growing apple trees from seeds? This is typically a question i would ask my Grandma, but she passed away so i cant. I know i got to take the seeds out of the apple but i dont know how to go about germinating them. I live in Canada and the weather is starting to get colder now so i want to grow them in the house over the winter months then plant in the spring. Does anyone know how i can go about doing this? Any info is welcome! Thank you for your time!
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Replies
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No idea. But I google everything I don't know!0
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i googled it but i was just looking to see if anyone has done it and knows of a way that works
I may try the soak in paper towel in a ziplock sitting in the fridge and see if that works lol 0 -
Don't you have to wait like 20 years to get apples?lol0
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lol im not sure, i dont really care if i get apples or not, i just want to grow a tree LOL.0
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there are issues if you care about apple type
http://treesandshrubs.about.com/od/propagation/f/applesfromseed.htm0 -
there are issues if you care about apple type
http://treesandshrubs.about.com/od/propagation/f/applesfromseed.htm
im not looking to eat the apples, i just want to be able to grow a tree 0 -
It will probably grow by just planting the seed but will take a long time before it even gets to be a couple feet tall. Why not just go to a greenhouse or nursery and buy a small apple tree? Once you plant it, you will still be growing it.0
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i always heard that you have to put the seeds in the fridge too, and it won't be a very fast process, but the trees are beautiful even before you get fruit, good luck0
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My hubby took the seeds from our apples, laid them out on a paper towel to dry then planted them...2 out of 3 grew!!!!0
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http://www.instructables.com/id/Growing-Apple-trees-from-seed/
has step by step instructions with pictures.0 -
It will probably grow by just planting the seed but will take a long time before it even gets to be a couple feet tall. Why not just go to a greenhouse or nursery and buy a small apple tree? Once you plant it, you will still be growing it.
Because she wants to grow a tree.
If it was me, I'd google and try different ways to germinate and see what works best.
You could also call an arborist in your area. They would be able to help you with your own climate.0 -
....live without you?!
...breathe without you?!
Sorry, couldn't help myself. :happy:0 -
bury the apple? it works for nature right?0
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Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but you probably cannot grow a fruit tree from any seed. Thanks to companies like Monsanto, fruits and vegetables are engineered to have sterile seeds. This isn't 100% full proof, but unless you buy seeds from a farm store, you probably will not be able to grow a plant from a seed you take out of a fruit.
Really, it's all about the money and controlling the food supply. Most fruit trees now are grown by grafting a limb from an existing tree.0 -
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Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but you probably cannot grow a fruit tree from any seed. Thanks to companies like Monsanto, fruits and vegetables are engineered to have sterile seeds. This isn't 100% full proof, but unless you buy seeds from a farm store, you probably will not be able to grow a plant from a seed you take out of a fruit.
Really, it's all about the money and controlling the food supply. Most fruit trees now are grown by grafting a limb from an existing tree.
I would agree with that, but I think Canada has more laws against this than we do in the United States. Still, if you buy seeds commercially, they shouldn't be too expensive.0 -
i would just try planting some apple seeds and see what pops up.
ITs worked for me for various other fruit (apricot, tomato)0 -
Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but you probably cannot grow a fruit tree from any seed. Thanks to companies like Monsanto, fruits and vegetables are engineered to have sterile seeds. This isn't 100% full proof, but unless you buy seeds from a farm store, you probably will not be able to grow a plant from a seed you take out of a fruit.
Really, it's all about the money and controlling the food supply. Most fruit trees now are grown by grafting a limb from an existing tree.
Not sure about all that Mel Gibson stuff, but my
Dad grows peppers from cheap ones he buys
at Walmart. LOL0 -
Just take the seeds out of any ripe apple and sow them in small pot, most will germinate & grow.
Our roads in the UK have lapple trees growing on the verges where folk have just lobbed an apple core out the car window, seeds just want to grow, there is no muck or magic involved for most seeds
You can do the same with citrus, or even avocado. Bur the chances of getting fruit from these is slim
I have a nearly 20 year mold grapefruit bush from a pip, never flowered but it is abice bush with dark green leaves, which I have to bring under cover in the winter0 -
We got all our fruit trees from seedlings, and transplanted them0
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Wether this will work or not I don't know,I have not personally tried it as of yet, but it is a methode my dad has used and seems to work for him.
Take the apple seeds and lay them to dry on a paper towel.
Place a moistened paper towel over top of dried seeds and put them in the fridge (for about a month). Check to make sure the paper towel doesnt dry out, moisten if necessary. After a month they should have started to sprout.
Once sprouted you can place them in a small pot with potting soild. ensuring the soil remains moist but not wet. Place in a warm sunny area
Now wait til it grows.
Once big enough to transplant you can place it in a larger pot and water (a little bit) daily
Once the chance of frost has past (Mid/end May for us), pick a nice sunny location with plenty of room to grow. carefully remove it from pot and plant
(if it helps we are Canadian ON)0 -
SO! I'm a HUGE garden nerd. I take all my questions to Gardenweb.com. It's an awesome community of other garden nerds, including plant ID from pictures and answering any questions you might have. But, here's what I know about trying to grow super market seeds.
1) The best way to make sure the seeds from your apple will germinate would be to buy locally grown apples from the farmer's market, it's a twofer, you know they'll grow in your area, because they're from a local grower and you'll probably have the highest germination rate because they're the freshest. (The store bought ones will probably still work though--I think I did that when I was younger) On the other hand, the store bought apples may do okay, as they would probably have spent a bit of time in a walk-in cooler, and sometimes a little bit of cold exposure (simulated change from winter to spring) can help the seeds to germinate--not sure on apples honestly...
2) The easiest way to see them germinate is by placing them in a tupperware on a damp paper towel in a warm place (they don't need sun until you have roots--but we're getting to that). Then a couple times a day you can take the lid of and take a look. If starts to get too dry, take a spray bottle and mist a couple pumps into the tupperware, to keep the towel *just* damp.
When they start to poke roots out, carefully take your soon to be plants off the towel and plant them in a good sterilized potting soil or soilless mix in a 2-4" pot, about an inch below the surface. (If the roots have grown through the towel, no worries, just carefully cut the part it's on and plant the whole small piece, seed, roots and tiny square of towel.
Move to a well lit window that will receive AT LEAST 6 hours of sun a day, or buy a small clamp grow lamp from your local garden center (keep it 3-5 inches above the tops of your plant leaves so as not to scorch the leaves). Give just enough water to keep it moist, but not wet or standing in water. Seedlings are highly prone to mold and something called "damp off" if they are too moist. People have had rather good luck preventing this watering their plants with a strong camomile tea--it inhibits the bacterias somehow. There has also been good luck arresting damp off by sprinkling powdered cinnamon on the soil! I know I actually have tried this one--side effect, it smells wonderful! Anyways, but try not to go to wet, as a good defense is simply sometimes a good offense.
3) So that's the highest chance of germination. You could probably also possibly get away with putting your seeds in individual pots, planted an inch deep, pointy side down (that's where the roots come out), in a good potting mix, not over watering and crossing your fingers. I've done that before too! Just not as successfully.
As a side note, I LOVE that you're growing something just to see if you can. Planting "why not" seeds is some of the more fun and enriching plant experiments you can do, and it teaches you how to do it right when you do go and buy seeds. Two more things though. First, who ever it was above it right. Most apples are not consistent in their seeds (same actually for peaches/nectarines), it's probably because large orchards mean that Oodles of cross-pollinating is going on or something (or a more scientific reason), but either way, large growing ops ALWAYS graft their stock.* Second, growing your apple in winter MAY weaken the plant. Most trees native to sub-tropical areas, expect some form of winter rest period. Your apple will be going a full year at "growing temperatures," I would recommend, if this is a long term experiment, putting your tree some place cool next winter, if you have a garage or unheated basement or cellar, that would be the way to go. Then, when it appears to be starting new growth again in the spring, bring it back up to the windows. (It may not come back, due to the weakened state caused by "off season" growing--this is a worst case, it may still come back).
(*Another fun experiment to try sometime--grafting is a method of cloning and existing tree through the process of taking a plant with a disease resistant sock and good root structure, cutting off the top of the young tree and literally cutting and strapping a variety you want tasty fruit from on top. There are many different methods of grafting, and some apple trees are sold that grow upwards of SIX different types on the same trunk! Anyhow, it can be kind of a fun franken-experiment.)
HAPPY GARDENING! And friend me if you'd like.
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Oh also, it takes about 3-4 years for a well cared for apple to make fruit and will most likely require some form of cross-pollination.0
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Don't you have to wait like 20 years to get apples?lol
No, you don't. Apple saplings will grow apples. Not as much as a full tree, naturally, but so many that it will sometime bend the tree over if you don't prop it up.
I don't know about planting but wild apple trees grow from dropped apples, so I'd try planting the whole apple rather than just the seed.0 -
Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but you probably cannot grow a fruit tree from any seed. Thanks to companies like Monsanto, fruits and vegetables are engineered to have sterile seeds. This isn't 100% full proof, but unless you buy seeds from a farm store, you probably will not be able to grow a plant from a seed you take out of a fruit.
Really, it's all about the money and controlling the food supply. Most fruit trees now are grown by grafting a limb from an existing tree.
the apples that i am taking the seeds from came from a fresh farmers market from apples grown and picked in their orchard. Im not really looking for the fruit just want to be able to grow a tree is all.0 -
SO! I'm a HUGE garden nerd. I take all my questions to Gardenweb.com. It's an awesome community of other garden nerds, including plant ID from pictures and answering any questions you might have. But, here's what I know about trying to grow super market seeds.
1) The best way to make sure the seeds from your apple will germinate would be to buy locally grown apples from the farmer's market, it's a twofer, you know they'll grow in your area, because they're from a local grower and you'll probably have the highest germination rate because they're the freshest. (The store bought ones will probably still work though--I think I did that when I was younger) On the other hand, the store bought apples may do okay, as they would probably have spent a bit of time in a walk-in cooler, and sometimes a little bit of cold exposure (simulated change from winter to spring) can help the seeds to germinate--not sure on apples honestly...
2) The easiest way to see them germinate is by placing them in a tupperware on a damp paper towel in a warm place (they don't need sun until you have roots--but we're getting to that). Then a couple times a day you can take the lid of and take a look. If starts to get too dry, take a spray bottle and mist a couple pumps into the tupperware, to keep the towel *just* damp.
When they start to poke roots out, carefully take your soon to be plants off the towel and plant them in a good sterilized potting soil or soilless mix in a 2-4" pot, about an inch below the surface. (If the roots have grown through the towel, no worries, just carefully cut the part it's on and plant the whole small piece, seed, roots and tiny square of towel.
Move to a well lit window that will receive AT LEAST 6 hours of sun a day, or buy a small clamp grow lamp from your local garden center (keep it 3-5 inches above the tops of your plant leaves so as not to scorch the leaves). Give just enough water to keep it moist, but not wet or standing in water. Seedlings are highly prone to mold and something called "damp off" if they are too moist. People have had rather good luck preventing this watering their plants with a strong camomile tea--it inhibits the bacterias somehow. There has also been good luck arresting damp off by sprinkling powdered cinnamon on the soil! I know I actually have tried this one--side effect, it smells wonderful! Anyways, but try not to go to wet, as a good defense is simply sometimes a good offense.
3) So that's the highest chance of germination. You could probably also possibly get away with putting your seeds in individual pots, planted an inch deep, pointy side down (that's where the roots come out), in a good potting mix, not over watering and crossing your fingers. I've done that before too! Just not as successfully.
As a side note, I LOVE that you're growing something just to see if you can. Planting "why not" seeds is some of the more fun and enriching plant experiments you can do, and it teaches you how to do it right when you do go and buy seeds. Two more things though. First, who ever it was above it right. Most apples are not consistent in their seeds (same actually for peaches/nectarines), it's probably because large orchards mean that Oodles of cross-pollinating is going on or something (or a more scientific reason), but either way, large growing ops ALWAYS graft their stock.* Second, growing your apple in winter MAY weaken the plant. Most trees native to sub-tropical areas, expect some form of winter rest period. Your apple will be going a full year at "growing temperatures," I would recommend, if this is a long term experiment, putting your tree some place cool next winter, if you have a garage or unheated basement or cellar, that would be the way to go. Then, when it appears to be starting new growth again in the spring, bring it back up to the windows. (It may not come back, due to the weakened state caused by "off season" growing--this is a worst case, it may still come back).
(*Another fun experiment to try sometime--grafting is a method of cloning and existing tree through the process of taking a plant with a disease resistant sock and good root structure, cutting off the top of the young tree and literally cutting and strapping a variety you want tasty fruit from on top. There are many different methods of grafting, and some apple trees are sold that grow upwards of SIX different types on the same trunk! Anyhow, it can be kind of a fun franken-experiment.)
HAPPY GARDENING! And friend me if you'd like.
Thank you so much! i will try that for sure. Just a quick question, when i put the seeds on the damp paper towel, should i let the seeds dry out first or soak them for a few hours first in water? i read on the internet that doing either of them work im just not sure. I am using apples bought from a farmers market so they are fresh apples.0 -
Wether this will work or not I don't know,I have not personally tried it as of yet, but it is a methode my dad has used and seems to work for him.
Take the apple seeds and lay them to dry on a paper towel.
Place a moistened paper towel over top of dried seeds and put them in the fridge (for about a month). Check to make sure the paper towel doesnt dry out, moisten if necessary. After a month they should have started to sprout.
Once sprouted you can place them in a small pot with potting soild. ensuring the soil remains moist but not wet. Place in a warm sunny area
Now wait til it grows.
Once big enough to transplant you can place it in a larger pot and water (a little bit) daily
Once the chance of frost has past (Mid/end May for us), pick a nice sunny location with plenty of room to grow. carefully remove it from pot and plant
(if it helps we are Canadian ON)
i think i will try this way too. I am in New Brunswick Canada so our weather is about the same lol. Do i put them in a bag or in a tubberwere container in the fridge? what do you recommend for potting soil?0 -
Thank you everyone who has commented and helped. Has anyone tried using water beads or water crystals to germinate the apple seeds?0
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Thank you everyone who has commented and helped. Has anyone tried using water beads or water crystals to germinate the apple seeds?0
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Does anyone else have and ideas or tips?0
This discussion has been closed.
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