Apple tree seedlings: how to grow from seeds
Now in the garden centers you can buy anything. But finding normal apple tree seedlings is a big problem. Lots of overkill! Therefore, the best option is to grow seedlings with your own hands. And we need to start now, in January

Preparing seeds for sowing

First of all, we collect seeds. If autumn or winter apples from your site are still in the cellar or refrigerator, this is what you need. For reproduction, it is better to take the largest, well-ripened fruits (1). They must be cut, seeds removed and thoroughly rinsed under a tap to remove special inhibitor substances from the surface that inhibit germination. After that, the seeds must be soaked in water for three days, every day it must be changed to fresh. On the last, third day, the Epin stimulator is added to the water (according to the instructions).

By themselves, apple seeds will not germinate: they need stratification – exposure to cold. The swollen grains must be mixed with a moistened substrate – a mixture of river sand and vermiculite in a ratio of 1: 3 (2). Vermiculite is a natural mineral that can hold water five times the volume of the mineral itself. For seeds, it is important that during stratification they are in a constantly moist environment.

And you can also add a little crushed activated carbon there: it will protect against mold. The mixture is poured into a shallow flower pot with a drainage hole and refrigerate.

Periodically, you need to look into the pot: if the sand is dry, it must be moistened with a spray bottle. Stratification of apple seeds lasts 100-120 days. So you need to send them to the refrigerator in late January – early February, so that by the end of May – the first days of June they are ready for sowing.

Seed sowing

At the end of May, the seeds must be taken out of the refrigerator and sown on a seed bed at a distance of 20 cm from each other to a depth of 2 cm. Here the seedlings will grow for the next two years. At this time, it is important to periodically water and weed them so that the grass does not drown them out. In the autumn of the second year, seedlings need to be dug up and planted in permanent places. Next spring, varietal twigs can be grafted onto them.

What is the benefit of your rootstocks? Own-rooted apple trees grown from seeds have a lot of advantages: they are more frost-resistant than their parents, resistant to diseases and pests, and still live and bear fruit for 80 years! These amazing properties were noted by Ivan Michurin.

Is it necessary to vaccinate seedlings

There is an interesting example from the history of gardening. In 1908, fruit grower Vasily Pashkevich described a new variety of apple trees, which he called Malt red. The tree was found in the garden of the Kuznetsov brothers in the village of Bagaevka, Saratov Region. The taste and aroma of these apples was incredible: later, in Soviet times, they were exported by plane to France! Breeders did not breed this variety – it is said to be of national origin. But it is obvious that the illiterate peasants of the Volga region have never heard of hybridization and artificial selection – the two main components of selection. So how did this wonderful variety come about? Yes, very simple. The Kuznetsov brothers ate apples in their garden and immediately threw the cores on the ground. Trees grew from seeds. And since several varieties of apple trees grow in any garden, they are pollinated. And their offspring usually don’t look like their parents. It happens worse, but sometimes it surpasses mom and dad at times! So, apparently, it happened with Malt, which is now known as Malt Bagaevsky. So you can experiment and leave a few seedlings without grafting. Seedlings usually give the first harvest in the 8th – 10th year. If you like the fruits from one of the seedlings, you can congratulate yourself – you will become the author of a new variety of apple trees!

And if not? Have to cut and uproot a healthy tree? Optional – you can graft your favorite varieties into its crown.

Popular questions and answers

She told us about the nuances of growing your own apple seedlings from seeds agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova.

What varieties of apple trees are best suited for growing seedlings from seeds?

Old varieties are best suited for this: Antonovka ordinary, Anis striped, Borovinka, Moscow Grushovka, July Chernenko, Melba, Autumn striped, Pepin saffron, Northern synapse. Good rootstocks are obtained from Chinese Long.

These varieties are hardy, grow good roots and are compatible with almost all other varieties.

Can I sow apple seeds without stratification?

To germinate, apple seeds need to spend some time in the cold. You can do without stratification if you sow from the garden in the fall, in late October – early November. But there is a danger that mice will eat them in winter.

What to do if you did not have time to plant a seedling in the third year?

It’s okay, you can instill it later. But the thicker the stem, the more difficult it will be to do this. However, varieties can be grafted even on mature trees, but in this case – with several branches in the crown.

When is the best time to plant an apple tree?

The best time is April, when active sap flow begins. But remember that the cutting itself must be sleeping. It is impossible to cut it off from a neighboring tree right in April and graft it onto a seedling. It is better to harvest cuttings for grafting in December and store in the refrigerator, and even better in the snow on the site.

Sources of

  1. Fruit and berry garden and vineyard (under the editorship of P. Andreev) // Saratov book publishing house, Saratov, 1955 – 472 p.
  2. Dubrova P.F., Egorov V.I., Kamshilov N.A., Koroleva N.I. et al. Gardener’s Handbook, ed. Second // State publishing house of agricultural literature, Moscow, 1955 – 606 p.

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