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How long does it take to grow an apple tree from seed?
Growing Apple Trees from Seed Also, it takes a long time to grow an apple tree from seed— it takes between 7 to 10 years before you will be able to tell if your tree will have good fruit.
Can you grow an apple tree from apple seeds?
It is possible to grow an apple tree from an apple seed. However, in most cases, apple trees don’t come true from seeds. Apple seeds need to be exposed to cool, moist conditions before they will germinate. The cool, moist requirement can be accomplished by planting apple seeds outdoors in fall.
Do you have to let apple seeds dry before planting?
If you want to germinate apple seeds collected from an apple first let the seeds dry out for 3-4 weeks. Set the seeds on a piece of wax paper etc and roll them over every day or 2. After a month or so the seeds lose that dark shine and get a lighter dryer look. This is a good indication the seeds have dried well.
How do you prepare an apple seed for planting?
Apple seeds need a period of chilling, or stratification, before they begin to sprout, so place the container in the refrigerator for at least two to three weeks – even up to a month or more. Then watch and wait. When seeds begin to sprout, carefully transfer them to pots filled with good potting mix.
Do you need two apple trees to produce fruit?
Answer: Pollination and fertilization are necessary for fruit development. Plant at least two different apple tree varieties within 50 feet of one another for good fruit set. Some apple varieties, such as Golden Delicious, will produce a crop without cross-pollination from a second variety.
How long does it take an apple tree to bear fruit?
Dwarf apple trees will start bearing fruit 2 to 3 years after planting. Standard size trees can take up to 8 years to bear fruit. Some varieties are more susceptible to insect and disease damage than others. Prune annually to keep apple trees healthy and productive.
Are apples hard to grow?
Growing apple trees organically can be challenging. Sadly, fruit trees also have a down side because they experience pest and disease problems, poor production, and nutrient deficiencies. And growing apple trees is notoriously difficult. When growing apple trees, there are so many potential problems to contend with.
Can you plant a whole apple?
4 Answers. Not if you just plant a whole fruit, no, very unlikely. There is a way to do it, but you need to extract the seeds from the fruit in autumn by cutting it open, lifting the seeds out carefully, then removing any remaining pulp by flushing with water.
When should apple trees be planted?
Planting Time In cold northern climates, spring is the best time to plant apple trees. In areas where winter is less severe, early spring or late fall planting is recommended. Remove weeds and grass in a 4-foot circle and dig a hole about 2 feet deep and twice the diameter of the root ball of the tree.
Can you grow an apple tree indoors?
Two major problems face the gardener who has decided to try growing an apple tree indoors. The first is the physical space required. A full-grown apple tree can easily reach 20 feet in height and diameter. Unless you have a very large indoor space, you will want to grow a dwarf variety.
How often should I water apple seedlings?
Irrigate the seedling with 1 gallon of water two or three times a week to keep the soil evenly moist, but not saturated, during the summer growing season when there is no rain. Use a drip irrigation system to keep the water around the tree and prevent run-off.
Why are apples not true seed?
Commercial apple trees are clonally propagated by grafting, hence breed true. Only breeders (and I guess gardeners) use seed to grow new trees. The issue is clonally propagated fruits do not breed true from seed. This is due to genetic segregation (meiosis) – basically think about how your kids don’t look like you.
How many seeds are needed to grow an apple tree?
We cut the apples in the middle and we collect the seeds. We need to have at least 3 dozens of apple seeds, because on average, only 1 out of 4 seeds will germinate and will manage to develop into a young tree finally. We first let the seeds dry and then we carefully wrap every 2-3 seeds into a wet towel.
How can you tell if a apple tree is male or female?
You cannot tell flower function (or gender) just by looking. Trees do not show their gender until they are sexually mature and start to flower. Sexual maturity in trees, depending upon the species, can occur from 1 to 50 years of age. Sometimes sexual maturity occurs for either the male or female flowers and cones.
How do you take care of an apple tree for the first year?
You will need to prune your apple tree—to train it to a central leader the first year and for maintenance every year after that—to stimulate fruit production and to keep the tree open and balanced. Without regular pruning, an apple tree produces lots of vegetative growth that then turns into fruiting wood.
How do I know if my apple tree will bear fruit?
The blooms are key to apple production. If your tree doesn’t have many blossoms or they don’t stay on the tree for at least 10 days, your might not have many apples. The blossoms must be cross-pollinated by another variety of apple tree, or by a crabapple tree, to produce viable fruit.
