Planting apple seeds

Video: Turn Apple Seeds Into A Tree! How To Grow Apples From An Apple Seed

Content

To step
Method 1 of 3: Collect and prepare apple seeds
Method 2 of 3: Plant the seeds outside
Method 3 of 3: Plant the seeds indoors in pots
Tips
Warnings
Things you need

You don't have to buy seeds from a garden center to grow apple trees; you can plant trees using the core seeds of your favorite apple variety! Although growing apple trees from seed takes years and while the fruit may not be the same as the apple you took the seed from, it is exciting to watch your seedlings become apple trees over the years. Whether you are learning how to plant apple seeds for a school project, or satisfying your curiosity about the potency of seeds, it is important that you understand the delicate process of germination and planting so that you can ultimately enjoy the fruits of your labor!

To step

Method 1 of 3: Collect and prepare apple seeds

Core apple seeds from several apples. Buy some ripe apples, eat them, or cut them open to reach their core. Core the seeds carefully, making sure to remove all the seeds before discarding the core.
- Be aware that most apple trees grown by farmers and gardeners originated from grafted trees, and are not grown directly from seed. Planting trees from apple seeds produces very variable fruit, as bees often cross-pollinate trees.
- The more seeds you plant, the more likely it is that one of the trees will produce edible apples, as opposed to less edible varieties such as crab apples. There is a 1 in 10 success rate that seeds grow into apple trees.
- In the winter, try to start the process of preparing the seeds so that the seeds are ready to be planted by the beginning of spring.
Dry the seeds on a paper towel. After removing the seeds from the apple or apples, spray them with cold water to rinse them, then spread them on a paper towel to let them dry for three to four weeks.
- Shake the seeds every two days so they dry evenly on both sides.
Mix the seeds with potting soil. After a few days of drying, you can buy sphagnum moss or soil with sphagnum moss. Pour a few tablespoons of potting soil onto the paper towel and then sprinkle a few drops of water over it. Mix the potting soil with the seeds with your hands.
Put the seeds and potting soil in a bag and put it in the refrigerator. After you have mixed the seeds and potting soil, pour the mixture into a zip lock bag. Write the date on the bag with a highlighter, then put the bag in the refrigerator for three months.
- The process of preserving the seeds in moist, cold conditions is called vernalization. Vernalization softens the hard outer shell of the seed and encourages the embryo to germinate in it.
- By the end of the three months, you will see the seeds have started to sprout!

Method 2 of 3: Plant the seeds outside

Weed your garden plot. Choose a spot on your property or in your garden where you want to plant the apple seeds. Prepare the soil by removing weeds, roots and all. Also remove large stones and boulders and break large clumps of soil into pieces.
- Choose a spot in your yard that receives direct sunlight and that has rich, well-drained soil.
- Well-drained soil means that the water will drain easily through the soil, rather than pooling on the surface. Well-drained soil is usually dark and fertile in appearance, as opposed to sandy and dry.
- Plant the seeds early in the spring.
Spread compost over the soil. Before planting the germinated seeds, make sure the soil is as inviting and nutrient-rich as possible. After weeding, spread a layer of compost about an inch thick over the soil. You can make garden compost or buy it at a garden center.
- Compost enriches the soil with essential nutrients and also makes the soil more airy so that it can drain better.
Make furrows in the ground. Use your hands or a garden spade to make 1-inch furrows, or small trenches, in the ground. If you are planting a number of seeds, create several furrows spaced 12 inches apart.
Plant the germinated seeds in the ground. When you have dug the furrows, plant the apple seeds in the ground at intervals of 12 inches. Spacing the seeds gives them room to grow and prevents them from competing for nutrients from the soil.
Cover the seeds. After planting the germinated seeds, brush a thin layer of soil over the furrows to protect them. Then sprinkle a layer of sand about an inch thick over the soil you brushed on it. Sand protects the soil from crusting in cold weather, which can hinder the germination of the seedlings above the ground.
Spread mesh over the garden plot. Even if you have your seeds perfectly planted and prepared for growth, animals like squirrels or raccoons can torpedo your plans! To protect your seedlings, spread mesh over the garden plot, making sure to press the edges of the screen into the soil. Mesh allows rainwater to pass through but will protect the seeds from foraging animals.
- As the apple tree grows, or after about a year, set the mesh on stakes so that the mesh doesn't force the tree's branches to bend.

Method 3 of 3: Plant the seeds indoors in pots

Separate the germinated seeds from the potting soil. It is possible to grow the apple trees indoors instead of outdoors. To start potting your plants, take the ziplock bag with seeds and potting soil out of the fridge. Carefully remove the germinated seeds from between the potting compost and set the seeds aside.
- Keep in mind that apple trees grow healthier if they are planted outdoors from the start, rather than in pots.
Fill biodegradable pots with loamy soil. Buy some small biodegradable pots about six inches, depending on how many seeds you want to plant. Fill the plant pots with loamy soil to about an inch below the rim. Make sure the plant pots have drainage holes in the bottom.
- Degradable pots make transplanting easier and less shocking to the seedlings.
Put two seeds in each jar. After you have filled the pots with loamy soil, poke two 2.5cm deep holes in the soil of each pot about three inches apart, then put a seed in each hole. Since not every germinated seed is guaranteed to grow, you should plant five to ten times as many seeds as you want apple trees.
Water and cover the seedlings. After you have covered all the seedlings, water the soil in the pots. This will shift the soil so it will cover the seedlings. If the seedlings are still exposed, brush some soil over them so they are just covered.
Place the pot in a warm, sunny spot in your home. Place the pots in direct sunlight, preferably in a greenhouse, but somewhere in your house where it is warm and there are plenty of windows.
- Apple trees will eventually need to be repotted outdoors, where conditions are better for growth.
Water the plant twice a week. Since the apple seeds grow indoors, they will need to be hand-watered twice a week. Water until the soil is moist and dark, but be careful not to overwater and flood the soil.
Prepare your garden for transplanting. You don't want to keep your apple trees in your house indefinitely. Apple trees thrive outdoors, where they have room to grow, as well as better sunlight and soil nutrients. After a few months, or when you are ready to transplant, clear an area of weeds and large rocks.
- Choose a spot in your garden with well-drained soil, which means that when you pour a lot of water on the soil, it quickly soaks into the soil.
- Also choose a spot in your garden with direct sunlight.
- Put a layer of compost about an inch thick over the soil to enrich it.
Dig holes in the ground and put the pots there. Use a small shovel to dig into the ground and make holes about the same depth as your pots high. Then carefully put a biodegradable pot with seedlings in each hole.
- The biodegradable pots will eventually decompose, so that the apple tree seedling is completely in the soil.
- After burying the pot, you should just see the edge of the pot above the ground.
- Some biodegradable pots have bottoms that come off easily. You can also cut the bottom of the pot to speed up the process of integrating the plant into the soil.
Replace the soil and water. Press down any displaced soil around the edge of the pot until there is no more space between the pot and the surrounding soil. Then give the plants plenty of soil and water.
- Consider spreading an inch thick layer of sand over the soil if you live in a cold environment. With sand you prevent the soil from forming a crust when it is colder.
Cover your seedlings with gauze. If you have successfully planted your apple seeds outside, cover the garden area with a layer of gauze to prevent animals from eating the seeds. Press the mesh into the ground a few inches deep. After a year or so, when the trees start to become saplings, you can put the mesh on stakes so the tree can grow upward.

Tips

Water the apple trees once a week if you live in a dry area.
Regularly weed weeds to keep the trees healthy.
Keep in mind that there is a high failure rate for apple trees from seeds. Of every 100 seeds you take from the apple and germinate and plant, only five or ten will survive and grow into trees.
Growing apple trees from seeds is not for impatient people. It takes about four years for a tree to reach a height of four feet, and even ten years for them to start bearing fruit.