![]() How to Grow Peach or Plum Trees from Seed.How to Grow Citrus Fruits from Seed (Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit…).These are cold-hardy trees needing four seasons to flourish. It would be fun but no, not under normal household conditions. There are no cases of apple seed poisoning on record. That’s why it’s not an issue when we accidentally swallow seeds when eating apples. But it would take a very large dose to harm someone. Are Apple Seeds Toxic?Īpple seeds do contain cyanogenic glycoside, a cyanide-based compound. Fruit trees that flower at the same time are called ‘ pollinator partners’. You may also notice that each variety of apple tree has its own time to flower from late winter to late spring. Honey bees ( Apis mellifera) are the most common pollinators for apple trees, along with orchard mason bees ( Osmia lignaria), and (in much smaller numbers) bumblebee queens ( Bombus genus). You will need to water the potting mix if it is getting dry.Ĭome spring, at last frost, you will gradually reintroduce the plant to outdoor growing conditions over the period of a week or two.Īt some point, if your little tree is successful, you’ll want to find a suitable location in the ground with room to mature. Set a reminder on your phone to check on things every month or so. I overwinter potted trees in an unheated garage with a few inches of straw over the soil and plant to retain some warmth, safe from nibbling animals as well as winds which can dry the plant out. From there, it’s best to keep your little apple tree in a sheltered location where temperatures stay just above freezing. Generally, you want to keep the plant watered until just before frosts begin. This describes the overwintering process for potted trees in detail. For an established plant in the ground, this is not a worry beause the soil provides natural insulation. Like any potted tree, if you are growing your apple tree seedling in a container in a cold climate you will need some winter protection.Īpple trees are cold hardy but you can’t let their roots freeze. Once they get a bit bigger (about 6 to 8-inches tall), they should be transplanted into their own containers to avoid getting the roots tangled. This larger pot (in the photo, below) has seven apple tree seedlings. ![]() Start with a 4 to 6-inch wide (and deep) plastic flower pot with drainage holes and use organic potting mix. While you could plant your apple tree seedling right in the garden (in spring or summer), it will be much easier to protect and care for it if you grow it in a container for as long as possible. Personally, I love experimenting with seed starting, watching things grow, and propagating plants from food scraps is a favorite hobby to explore.Īnd, what a wonderful thing for a child (or anyone) to grow something from a simple seed and nurture it for years to come. *Antonovka seeds are one example of apple seeds that reproduce true to parent. That’s why plant breeders who want specific cultivars do not grow their trees from seed but instead propagate vegetatively, taking stems and grafting them onto other established rootstock, to grow genetically identical apples. ![]() In other words: every seed has a different combination of genes. Most apple trees require cross-pollination from another apple tree so any apples produced will have genes from both (the tree you grew and the pollinator tree) and, similarly, no two seeds will produce genetically-identical trees. If your apple seeds do grow to become fruit-bearing trees, the apples produced will not be same as the ones you started with. Or any other variety (with a few exceptions*). ![]() You won’t get McIntosh apples from McIntosh seeds.So, increase your odds by starting a bunch, preferably from several different types of apples. Even if you do everything right, some types never sprout, and for those that do, only half may germinate. The instructions (below) show you how to mimic stratification. The amount of time required to stratify varies depending on the variety. Apple seeds, along with other fruit seeds including pear, peach, and cherry, require stratification (cold, damp conditions) to prepare for germination.An apple you buy at the grocery store is very likely mature but an apple picked from a tree part way through the growing season will not have fully-formed seeds. For seeds to be viable (able to grow), they need to be mature. ![]()
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