How to grow an apple tree from seeds at home?

In household plots and orchards in Russia, the apple tree is the most common fruit tree. Thanks to the art of breeders, both in the northern regions and in the steppe zone, today you can get decent yields, laying a garden based on zoned varieties.

Planting seedlings, which are offered in abundance by nurseries, has become the main breeding method for cultivated apple trees. And many do not even think about the possibility of growing an apple tree from a seed. But it was this method that gave impetus to the emergence of a modern variety of varieties and types of cultivated apple trees, bred through folk and directed selection. At the same time, seedlings obtained from seeds are not only a working material for breeders, but also excellent seed stocks, distinguished by a long lifespan, winter hardiness and endurance.

In order to grow an apple tree from a seed at home, you will have to choose a suitable planting material and be patient, because the first ovary on a tree can appear only after 5-10 years.

How to prepare seeds to grow an apple tree

Since the seedling obtained from the seed will not bear the features of the "parental" variety, it is better for germination to take well-ripened brown seeds from an apple of the Antonovka ordinary, Cinnamon striped, Grushovka Moskovskaya, Pepin saffron, Chinese or wild forest apple varieties. In this case, the developed plant will not produce fruits of excellent taste, but will only be vigorous and strong.

Before planting, the seeds extracted from the apple:

• rinse in warm water to remove the inhibitor of sprouting;
• soak for three days, regularly washing the bones and changing the water;
• on the third day, a growth stimulant is added to the water, for example, sodium humate or Epin.

During the time spent in a humid environment, the seeds swell. To simulate the onset of winter, harden the seeds and get developing sprouts at the right time, the planting material is sprinkled with sawdust, sphagnum moss or sand mixed with crushed activated carbon, well moistened, covered with a perforated film and stratified, sent for 90-100 days in the cold.

At home, apple seeds can be kept at a temperature of about +4 oC in the refrigerator, regularly checking the level of humidity, well-being and the degree of germination of the seedlings.

Ways of sowing an apple tree from a seed at home

Some gardeners, when carrying out preliminary preparation and stratification, adhere to the old method, when seeds from a ripe apple, just removed from a branch, were washed and planted in the soil. During the autumn and winter months, the seed acclimatizes, swells and hardens, and in the spring gives good shoots.The main thing is that from the moment of planting the seeds in the soil and the onset of stable cold weather, there should be at least 21 days, and soaking, before growing an apple tree from a stone, will only increase the number of shoots.

In nurseries, to obtain rootstocks, the seeds are soaked, stratified according to the first method, and then sown in the ground in the spring. Therefore, to the question: "When is it better to plant an apple tree in spring or autumn?", In both cases, you can give a positive answer. The soil for sowing in soil or in containers for home cultivation is enriched with mineral additives. For every 10 kg of a mixture of garden soil, chernozem and peat add:

• 30 grams of superphosphate;
• 200 grams of woody, well-sifted ash;
• 20 grams of potassium sulfate.

Apple seeds are planted in the ground to a depth of 15 mm, while the distance between plants should be at least 20 mm, and between individual rows - 15–20 cm.

After planting, the area or containers are watered abundantly, being careful not to wash the soil over the seeds that are close to the surface.

When four true leaves are opened on the seedlings, the plants are sorted, removing the notorious wilds, and thinned out, increasing the distance to 6-8 cm. If the gardener is thinking about how to grow an apple tree of a cultivar, it is important to remove those that show signs wild look. You can distinguish a wild from a cultivated plant by the smaller, brightly colored leaves and the presence of thin straight thorns on the stem. Varietal apple trees have no thorns, and the leaves are larger, often pubescent, with a curved leaf blade.

How to feed an apple tree in summer and features of caring for a seedling

In spring and summer, apple seedlings are actively developing, so the gardener needs to take care of fertilizing the seedlings.

What are apple trees fed with in summer? If during planting active organic fertilizers, for example, manure or bird droppings, capable of burning tender sprouts and becoming a source of bacterial infection of seedlings, are not used, then organic fertilizing is needed in summer. But in the first year of growth, it is better to abandon the introduction of manure again, replacing it with infusion of humus or other humic additives that are safer for young plants.

As in the case of adult apple trees, in August, the seedlings receive phosphorus-potassium fertilizing, aimed at better ripening of the shoots and the cessation of the development of green mass. Per square meter you will need: 15–20 grams of potassium chloride and twice the amount of superphosphate. Top dressing is applied while loosening the soil. Fertilizers are sprinkled with soil and the plantation is watered abundantly. Watering the seedlings is just as important as feeding. Until the apple tree, which has grown from the seed, has not formed a powerful root system, the seedlings are watered after 7-10 days, making sure that a dense earthen crust does not form.

If the grown seedling will be used as a rootstock, in October the plant is dug up, all the remaining foliage is removed and the central taproot is cut at a distance of 20 cm from the root collar. This measure will allow the formation of branched fibrous roots and somewhat cut the growth of the seedling itself. Until spring, when the grafting is carried out, the seed stock with a covered rhizome can be stored in a cool basement.

How to plant and grow an apple tree from a seed?

A young apple tree is planted in a permanent place in spring or autumn, after picking up a well-lit, dry place for a large tree with a powerful root system.

Planting a seedling and caring for it in the first year after planting is no different from those activities that are carried out with an ordinary apple tree seedling. Returning to the question of when is it better to plant an apple tree in spring or autumn, it should be noted:

• if an apple tree from a seed grew at home, the ideal time for transplanting it into the ground will be the period from April to May or the beginning of autumn;
• seedlings, originally grown in the open field, are transplanted to a permanent place from spring to late October.

At the same time, one should not forget that seedlings growing in room conditions, as they grow, require transplanting into more spacious containers, and watering in this case is carried out somewhat more often. When apple trees, especially in the first year of life, fall into open ground, they are very tender and are often affected by pests and diseases. Young seedlings are a welcome prey for animals. Therefore, in the first years, the future fruit tree or rootstock must be provided with reliable protection both from these enemies and from frost.

Seed stratification - video

You bought apples in the store and at the market, and you liked their taste so much that you immediately wanted to grow the same variety in your garden. What to do in this case? After all, the variety of apples is not always known for certain. In this article, you will learn how to grow an apple tree from a seed at home.

How to choose a seed for planting?

It is known that an apple tree grown from a stone is more hardy and strong. Also, such a tree has good winter hardiness and a long lifespan. True, the result can be found only after the first harvest. You can grow a delicious and new variety, or you can grow a wild apple tree, which has bitter-sour apples.

Experienced gardeners claim that a well-bearing tree can be grown if certain rules are strictly followed. But the harvest will still have to wait a long time - about 5-15 years.

The first thing to start growing with is the choice of seeds. Full seeds can be obtained from apples that grow on the periphery of the crown. It is in this place that flowers are best fertilized.

It is worth noting that the selected variety must be adapted to the region of your residence.

The seeds themselves must be:

1. Intact (remove the pits from the apples as gently as possible).
2. Dense and ripe.
3. Have a uniform brown color.

3 steps to seed preparation

Growing an apple tree from a bone is a long and laborious process, so be patient. For successful cultivation, it is necessary to properly prepare the seeds for planting.

It consists of three sequential steps:

Washing

Place the selected seeds in a container of warm water and stir with a small spoon for 3-5 minutes. Repeat several times. This procedure is necessary to get rid of the inhibitory layer that prevents germination. The water must be drained with gauze or a sieve.

Better to use a wooden spoon or stick. This material will not damage the seeds.

Soak

After washing, the seeds must be placed in a glass of water. The glass must be placed in a warm place for 3-4 days, while the water must be changed daily, otherwise the bones can become moldy. On day 3, a growth stimulant (sodium humate, Epin) should be added to the water.

Stratification

This procedure is designed to harden seeds in order to prepare them for their natural habitat. At this stage, the onset of the winter period is simulated.

There are several ways to carry out stratification:

1. Artificial. Mix apple seeds with peat and sand in a ratio of 1: 3, then moisten the resulting mixture until water begins to seep to the surface. Instead of a substrate, you can use moss + wood chips or sand + sawdust + activated carbon. The seeds should not be in contact with each other so that the mold does not pass from one to the other. In the selected substrate, the bones should be kept for 6 days at room temperature. During this time, they should swell. After that, the substrate with apple seeds should be placed on the lower shelf of the refrigerator for 2-3 months. The optimum temperature should be + 4 ° C.
2. Natural. At the end of August or in autumn, it is necessary to remove the seeds from the apples, rinse them and plant them dry in open ground.After 2-3 months, cold weather begins, and natural stratification occurs. During the winter, the seeds swell, and in the spring they sprout.

Apple tree seed sowing technology at home

To plant apple seeds at home, any time of the year is suitable. For cultivation, it is necessary to select only the healthy and strongest sprouts.

We will describe the instructions on how to plant the bones step by step:

1. Prepare a container or box. Make small holes at the bottom so that excess moisture can escape.
2. At the bottom, lay a drainage layer of pebbles, expanded clay or broken brick.
3. Use only black soil as a soil. This soil has all the substances that a young tree needs.
4. When planting, use the following scheme: the distance between the seeds should be 2-3 cm, the width between the rows should be 15-20 cm, and the depth of the seed should be 2 cm.
5. Water the soil liberally. At the same time, make sure that the soil is not washed out and the seed is not exposed.

When the second pair of leaves appears on the grown trees, they must be sorted. Wild apple trees and weak plants must be removed. They differ from varietal ones in small and brightly colored leaves, as well as thorns on the trunk. So the distance between seedlings increases to 7-8 cm.

Apple seedlings care

Young trees need proper care for full development. At home, seedlings must be kept for at least 4 years. During this time, they will get stronger and will be ready for transplanting into open ground. If at home it is impossible to keep the plant for so long, then trees can be planted in a garden plot, provided that they are reliably protected from wind, cold and pests.

The volume of the container where the apple tree grows needs to be increased every year. Thus, the root system will develop correctly.

Also, it is important to take care of the correct feeding of the seedlings. It is strictly forbidden to use active organic matter (bird droppings, fresh manure). They can cause burns or cause bacterial infections.

In the first year, trees can be fertilized with infusion of humus. Every year at the end of August, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are shown to apple trees (15-20 g and 30-40 g, respectively).

At the same time, the soil must be thoroughly loosened and watered.

Another important care item is watering. Until the root system is formed, it should be watered every 7-10 days. There should be no dry earth crust around the base of the trunk.

Most people are used to buying ready-made apple tree seedlings. But it is much more interesting to grow a tree from seeds. This is a very interesting process, although it takes a lot of time and patience. The main thing is to adhere to the above instructions. Then your garden will be decorated with apple trees that you have grown with your own hands. This is a real cause for pride.

Apple tree that grew from a seed stronger and more resilient. It is generally more winter hardy than the parent tree.

The bone apple tree has a long lifespan. True, it is not known what result the planting of a seed will lead to.

After all, you can grow a completely new and tasty variety, or you can grow an apple tree, which has bitter-sour and completely inedible apples. Therefore, such an annual apple tree is very often used as a rootstock, grafting a variety on it.

Is it possible to grow an apple tree from a seed at home?

According to experienced gardeners, if clearly follow the rules, how to grow an apple tree from a stone at home, then everything will be successful and get a tree that will bear fruit well. But the harvest will have to wait 5-15 years.

Seed selection

Important! Choose a variety that is suited to your region, as the tree should grow well where you live. It is better if the selected variety is frost-resistant. The seeds should be firm, intact and uniform brown in color.

The selection of the seed begins with the selection of the fruit.

In order to select seeds, you must first select the best fruits. If the apples are underdeveloped, then the seeds are also in them. Full-fledged seeds are formed in apples growing on the periphery of the crown, since this place has the best conditions for fertilization of flowers and the best illumination.

Seed preparation

Washing

Seeds for washing and further cultivation must be recently removed from the fruit, they must not be stored for several years.

The seeds must be removed from the fruit, and immediately rinsed in warm running water to wash off the inhibitor (it inhibits growth).

For this the bones are placed in a container with warm water, stir with a small wooden stick for 3 minutes, then move the bones onto cheesecloth and drain the water.

Soak

• Place the seeds in a glass of water.
• Place the glass in a not very warm place in the room and wait 3 days, rinse the seeds and change the water daily, otherwise the water will stagnate and the seeds from the apples may become moldy, and, therefore, they cannot be planted.
• On day 3, a growth stimulant is poured into the water, for example, Epin, sodium humate, on day 4 you will see that the seeds have swollen.

Stratification

Important! In order to improve the chances of seed germination, stratification is used (this is to ensure the best conditions that mimic natural conditions in autumn and winter to accelerate the germination of the apple seed).

You can start stratification in different ways:

• it is required to mix 1 part of seeds with 3 parts of peat and sand. We must not forget that the number of seeds is put with a margin, since not all germinate as a result.
• Then everything is mixed and moistened with a ruler. The seeds should not come into contact with each other, otherwise mold will not pass from one rotten seed to others;
• instead of peat soil and sand, mix wood sawdust and peat soil and soak the seeds in this substrate;
• you can make a composition of sand and sawdustby adding crushed activated carbon there, which will prevent mold from forming;
• Water is added to the substrate until moisture appears on the surface. Then they wait 6 days for the seeds to swell;
• then the resulting composition with apple seeds is placed on bottom shelf of the refrigerator and leave for 2 months.

Advice: Every 3 days, check if there is mold, if the substrate in which the seeds are placed has dried out, if they have hatched.

There are another method of stratification, it was used by the monks of the Valaam Monastery.

In August or autumn, they picked apples, took seeds from them, then washed them and planted them dry in the soil.

The seeds of the apple tree are sealed to a depth of 2 cm, observing an indent of 10 cm. Usually, after 2-3 months frosts begin, and natural stratification... During the winter, the bones swell and harden, and in the spring they sprout.

Sowing technology, how to plant an apple tree from a bone at home

They take a pot or a box, they should have holes in the bottom, drainage from broken bricks, pebbles, rubble is placed on the bottom. Poured into a box soil taken from where you plan to plant the tree in the future.

For every 10 kg of earth, they are poured:

• 30 g superphosphate;
• 200 g of ash;
• 20 g of potassium sulfate.

Further the best and strongest sprouts are selected... The hatched seeds are placed in the soil to a depth of 15 mm, watered, but so as not to burrow the seeds.

The strongest shoots are selected for planting.

The technology of growing an apple tree from a seed at home

Landings are placed on the southern windowsill, it is required that they are well lit... They need to be constantly moisturized.

When the first shoots appear, they are transplanted into large pots.

If the sprouts are planted directly in the garden, then leave an indent of 20 cm from each other, and make a distance of 15-20 cm between the rows.

If the shoots are powerful, then they can be transplanted to a permanent place.

Growing apple sprouts.

If the sprouts are frail, then first transplant them into pots, and then plant them in a permanent place in the country.

An apple tree grown from a seed must be transplanted three times in 4 years:

• 1st time - from a bowl where the seed sprouted into a pot or box. This is necessary for the growth of the tap central root;
• 2nd time - then the apple tree grows in a pot for a year, and then it is transplanted into a larger pot. When transplanting, it is required to cut off the central root (or bend the root at a right angle);
• 3rd time - planted in a permanent place.

Transplants are made so that the apple tree begins to bear fruit earlier, otherwise apples will be poured into it only after 15 years. And further competent care is very important.

After each transplant, the sprouts are thoroughly watered.

Watering is required after each transplant.

When 4 true leaves grow on the sprouts, then you can sort the future apple trees by removing those that grow wild.

You can distinguish a wild apple from a varietal tree by the fact that the wild has smaller and brighter leaves, thin and straight thorns on the trunk and short shoots.

Cultivated apple trees do not have thorns, their foliage is larger, it is dark green or grayish in color, with pubescence below, the edge of the leaves is wavy or curved, their stem is thicker and the buds are symmetrically located.

How to grow an apple tree from seeds at home: further care

Trees grown at home are transplanted to a permanent place, from mid-April to late May and in September and October.

If the apple trees originally grew in the open field, then they can be transplanted to a permanent place throughout the summer season.

Try to choose a location that is brightly lit by the rays of the sun, so that there are no other trees nearby.

Before planting in the ground, humus, ash and mineral fertilizers are sealed.

ATTENTION! If not used during landing

fertilizers

, then organic matter is introduced in the summer. But in the first year it is best to feed not with manure, but with infusion of humus, rotted compost. Since fresh manure or chicken droppings can lead to burns on the trees.

In addition, this organics are often the cause of bacterial infections.

In August, the seedlings stop feeding with nitrogen and are fed with phosphorus and potassium, so that the shoots ripen for winter, and the development of leaves stops.

15-20 g of potassium chloride and 30-40 g of superphosphate are poured onto 1 m² of the trunk circle, then the soil is loosened and watered abundantly.

Water the tree in the first year of cultivation every week, and then shallowly loosen it.

If you want to make a stock out of a seedling in the future, then in October, dig it up, tear off all the leaves, and, stepping back 20 cm from the root collar, cut off the central taproot, then the seedling will not grow so intensively, and branched fibrous roots will grow.

For the whole winter, a seedling with a covered rhizome can be placed in a cool basement.

BUT in the spring you need to get vaccinated.
It is best to plant the stock after 1-2 years of growing. After grafting, you need to constantly water the apple tree so that the soil does not dry out.

Useful videos

See how to grow an apple tree from a seed at home in the video:

Watch a video on how to perform seed stratification:

Growing a columnar apple from a seed

For planting, it is required to use fruits grown on a columnar apple, but those varieties that adapted to your area.

The best varieties of columnar apple include: President, Medok, Ostankino, Vasyugan, Moscow necklace.

You can also grow an apple tree from a seed at home, like an ordinary apple tree, first select, soak for 3 days, then stratify.

To obtain a columnar apple tree, which has excellent characteristics, the apple tree grown from the seed can be used as a scion, grafting it on a dwarf clonal (vegetative) stock.

Conclusion

Pitted apple trees have excellent frost resistance and resistant to diseases and pest attacks... In addition, you have the opportunity to get a new variety.

It is quite possible to grow a large apple tree from tiny seeds. To do this, it is enough to create an ideal microclimate for germination at home, different from natural conditions. You can learn more about this from the article and the corresponding video.

Where to begin

First you need to decide on the purpose of growing an apple tree from seed.

There may be several options:

• getting a good stock;
• cultivation of varietal crops;
• growing an apple tree as a houseplant.

For the future rootstock, seeds of local durable and vigorous varieties are suitable. The seedlings obtained from them are distinguished by good growth and excellent adhesion with the scions. In addition, the hardiness of the grafted apple tree depends entirely on the original mother plant.

Attention! Seeds of varietal apple trees for growing stock should be taken from the fruits of local trees, or imported from more northern regions.

In the middle lane for the stock, the following varieties are suitable:

• Antonovka;
• Tablet;
• Anise;
• Grushovka Moscow.

The rootstock is most often grown from seeds.

For the southern regions, the following are more acceptable:

• Renet Simirenko;
• Sary-sipana;
• White rosemary;
• Gulpembe.

Perfect for rootstocks and seedlings of apple trees growing in nature. For example:

• for middle latitudes - a forest apple tree;
• for the south - a forest Caucasian apple tree;
• for the northern regions - the Siberian berry apple tree and the muddy (Chinese).

It is almost impossible to grow a varietal tree from a seed that corresponds to the apple taken for this. The output is likely to result in either a wild or a tree with much smaller and less tasty fruits.

When grown as a houseplant, it is best to use dwarf seeds. An apple tree in a pot does not grow higher than 2 m - this is due to the small area for root nutrition. It is very difficult to achieve flowering and fruiting from a tree in such conditions.

Seed preparation

Seeds should be collected only from large, well-ripened and tasty apples, because only high-quality planting material is suitable for growing a tree.

Advice. To collect the seed grains, it is better to take fruits that have ripened at the edge of the crown. The apple itself was well lit by the sun here and the seeds managed to accumulate a lot of nutrients.

The selected specimens must be large, regular in shape and dark brown in color. They are washed well in running water and dried.

Choose large and whole seeds for planting

Then the seeds are placed in a wet mixture of sand and sawdust and sent to a cold place (cellar or refrigerator) for 20-30 days. Thus, stratification and simultaneous hardening occurs, that is, an artificial winter is created for the future plant. After the time has elapsed, the seeds are removed from the refrigerator and laid out between two cloth napkins soaked in a growth stimulant solution. Having placed all this in a plastic container or on a saucer, they return to a cold place and wait for the emergence of seedlings, constantly moistening the napkins and monitoring the temperature regime (the range should be 4-10 ° C). After germination, the seeds are immediately transferred to heat and planted in containers.

Advice. It is best to start germinating apple seeds in winter. In this case, young plants will already be ready by spring, which can be taken out in pots to fresh air or temporarily planted in the ground.

Planting and growing seedlings

For planting the hatched seeds, small containers are used, into which drainage is first poured, and then loose soil rich in organic matter.

The landing itself is carried out as follows:

1. 2-3 holes are made in the ground, no more than 1 cm deep.
2. A seed is added to each hole.
3. Sprinkle with earth. Lightly tamp.
4. Watered with rain or settled water.
5. Place the pots of plants on a light windowsill.

As they grow up, weak shoots are removed, leaving the strongest.

Attention! Wild boar sprouted from varietal seed is immediately noticeable.It develops light leaves and thorns appear.

In autumn, plants are transplanted into larger containers and arranged for wintering in a greenhouse. They can be planted in a permanent place next spring, after the onset of stable warming. At the same time, as experienced gardeners recommend, the taproot of the apple tree should be bent 90 °.

Apple sprouts

Landing in the ground

Apple tree seedlings should be planted in a permanent place in late spring, when the threat of frost has passed. Even with slight drops in temperature to zero, they can die.

Before planting an apple tree in the garden, given that the tree will grow here for more than a dozen years, you need to choose a good place, observing the following conditions:

• sunlight should be at least 6-7 hours a day;
• the site should not be swampy, and the groundwater should be far from the surface;
• the soil should not be acidic;
• the roots and crown of the future apple tree should have enough space for growth and development, so the distance between the seedlings should be kept at least 5 m.

The place intended for landing needs to be dug well. Fertilizers are applied to the soil in the fall. It is not recommended to add them to the soil during planting, as irreparable damage to the roots can be caused.

Before transplanting an apple tree, carefully prepare the soil

After the seedling is immersed in the planting hole, its roots are evenly leveled and covered with earth, leaving the hole for irrigation, which is immediately well filled with water. In the future, the soil is moistened regularly, every week and a half. After the seedling reaches 30 cm in height, they begin to water less often.

In order to successfully grow an apple tree from a seed, you will need to stock up on a lot of patience. But it's worth the effort. Indeed, in a few years, regardless of whether a small tree becomes a stock or grows on its own roots, it will be possible to pamper yourself and loved ones with delicious fruits.

Growing an apple tree from seeds: video