Apples from seed…How to…

[PrairieShadow]

I’ve got a bunch of seeds from a local Haralson apple tree. I want to do a little project this winter/spring with my son and grow some trees from seed.I know it’s a crap shoot on what I will actually get for trees but they will be fore the deer anyway. Not really a concern of mine.

What method will bring me the best results?
How many hours in the fridge? Or freezer?

By themselves ina ziplock or in a wet paper towel?

What media should they be planted in? Root trapper?


Thanks guys.

 

[DJN]

I had good luck with a *slightly* damp paper towel in a ziplock bag. Kept them in the fridge for a few months until they showed signs of life. Planted them in Rootmaker 18 cell trays, using ProMix media. Grow lights to start (since I had planted them in February at that point) and grew them out for a few months before transferring them to 1 gal Root Pouch (fabric) pots to finish growing outside for the season.
Did another batch last year but planted in the trays (no fridge time) this time of year and left them on the back deck for the winter. They sprouted in the spring.

 

[sandbur]

If you have a garden, till some ground and cover them with 1/4 inch of sand. Then cover in some way with 1/4 inch mesh to keep mice from eating the seed.

Or do the same with pots that are left outside. I don’t know your location but am assuming you have winter weather to stratify the seed,

I plant 5-6 seeds per pot or location and thin to the fastest growing or select for red leafed varieties.

Some experienced people feel that the fastest growing seem to flower earlier in the spring and might be more susceptible to spring frosts. They select for slower growing seedlings.


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[sandbur]

I will add that rabbits and probably mice will eat the tiny seedlings. They need protection.


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[PrairieShadow]

Sorry, Zone 3b here. That used to be in my signature line but appears to have disappeared.

I like the idea of starting them inside with a grow light.

Thanks guys.

 

[Charles Clear]

I did the milk jug method last year with some crabapple seeds. Saw it on here, someone posted it. It worked excellent. I am going to do it again this year

 

[PrairieShadow]

I did the milk jug method last year with some crabapple seeds. Saw it on here, someone posted it. It worked excellent. I am going to do it again this year

Interested. Do you have a link?

 

[Charles Clear]

Apples,apples and more apples

Your pic of your grafts looks promising Jeremy. Looking forward to completing the process with planting at least some live grafts and hopefully many. Ended today with 89 mature apple trees being fertilized with 1.1 lbs urea per tree. It was a slow process as it was measured out manually and...

habitat-talk.com

 

[yoderjac]

I’ve got a bunch of seeds from a local Haralson apple tree. I want to do a little project this winter/spring with my son and grow some trees from seed.I know it’s a crap shoot on what I will actually get for trees but they will be fore the deer anyway. Not really a concern of mine.

What method will bring me the best results?
How many hours in the fridge? Or freezer?

By themselves ina ziplock or in a wet paper towel?

What media should they be planted in? Root trapper?


Thanks guys.

Here is my experience: https://habitat-talk.com/threads/starting-apples-from-seed-indoors-how-to.6613/

 

[bigboreblr]

zone 3b...... besides what kind of tree you may get, you have to worry about a short season. Frost kills those young blooms and you might have a tree that produces once or twice every few years. These wild trees, or trees you have seen produce fruit for several years? If not, might be better time energy and money going with a proven producer in a zone 3.

MY hunt camp is in a zone 3 near saint lawrence nurseries.. Fedco has several zone 3 apple trees as well as scionwood.

I got 18 antonovka trees from this spring. Going to graft most of them. 3 or 4 I will graft with some good zone 3 scionwood. I will wait 2 or 3 years to transplant them up north. The rest will lbe at my home.

 

[PrairieShadow]

zone 3b...... besides what kind of tree you may get, you have to worry about a short season. Frost kills those young blooms and you might have a tree that produces once or twice every few years. These wild trees, or trees you have seen produce fruit for several years? If not, might be better time energy and money going with a proven producer in a zone 3.

MY hunt camp is in a zone 3 near saint lawrence nurseries.. Fedco has several zone 3 apple trees as well as scionwood.

I got 18 antonovka trees from this spring. Going to graft most of them. 3 or 4 I will graft with some good zone 3 scionwood. I will wait 2 or 3 years to transplant them up north. The rest will lbe at my home.

I’ve got lots of proven producers.(although only a Couple have produced yet) This is a proven tree that resides in my friends front yard. More of a fun project for my son and I than anything.