Apple Seeds

[Andy Hamilton]

I have a few apple seeds that I have collected from a few rare types of apples. I have heard that it is very difficult to grow from seed. I am begining to find that out. I have planted a few in compost and after about two/three months they have not done a thing. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I might need to do to get them growing. Or is grafting the only way to grow apple trees?

[FluffyMuppet]

I've never tried it, but it looks like apple seeds need 'cold stratification' - a period of cold to break down their dormancy - before they will germinate. You could try putting them outside, or in the fridge until spring time.

[Wombat]

G'Day Andy,

The other problem of growing from seed is that the variety of apple will not be true to type. Most apples are self sterile, you need a different cultivar to get apples. So the seeds have genes from two cultivars and the resulting tree will be a mix. Maybe you could have your own variety, Granny Hamilton, or Golden Andy? who knows?

The other thing is that seedlings take much longer to bear than the 5 years for grafted trees.

Nev

[Andy Hamilton]

Cheers for the advice I rather like the sound of golden Andy

I am prepared to wait the 5 years that it takes. I mean at the moment I have no where to plant them, as we are not allowed to plant trees on the allotment and I have no garden, so I was hoping to try and grow a few sapling indoors. It might end up being a too ambitious project but it really will keep with the ethos of the site (and of course myself). I am hoping to plant them out in 6 months or so when I do get a garden, so it seems that if I do refridgerate them untill spring I shall be Ok.