Apple Trees

Hello there!

I was really impressed to find that as soon as I wanted to post a question to Gardener's World a new forum has been set up!

I was wondering if anyone could give me any tips on growing an apple tree from seed? The method I intend on taking at the moment is to ensure that the seeds are dry and pop them on a tray in the fridge for a month with damp paper over them.

The most efficient method would be to buy a tree from a garden centre, but I'd love to try this as an experiment as much as anything

Also, I live in North Yorkshire, which brings the problem of very thick, heavy soil with poor drainage characteristics and the intensely cold winters we have here! The current apple tree must be 50 years old and is only just on it's last legs so it must be a survivable environment!

Any ideas on any of the questions I'm pondering on would be very much appreciated!

James.

Hi James! What a fun way to grow apples! Be aware though, that the tree you grow may only produce crab apples, or tasteless, inedible apples. The variety is very unlikely to resemble variety the pip came from. But it's a great way to grow apples, and who knows, you might grow a brand new type.

But if you want to give it a go, just save the seed from an apple and sow them in a pot in spring. Keep repotting whenever the pots becaome root-bound, until you're ready to plant it in the ground. It should take around six to seven years before the tree fruits, when you'll find out if the experiment was worth it or not!

Kate

crab apples are good for wild life though  

my son has grown an apple tree which is now 13years old and 10ft tall but has never produced a flower. Ive been told it may produce in time. my son is 20 now so maybe in time for his children one day

I grew an apple from a pip 25 years ago. It fruited after about 15 years, and now produces a good crop of small apples annually. I keep mine in a very large pot, and it has had no trouble surviving North Yorks winters.

This year, I have grown about a dozen small apple trees from seed (via the fridge, as you say) which I originally planned to use as rootstock for more reliable cutting/grafting in a few years time. Trouble is, I'm not sure how big they may get as they came from a standard sized tree. I've also grown three quince trees from seed which I believe are more likely to 'come true' (Vranja) than apples would but I'm not sure if that's the case.