Growing Apple trees from seed.

Step 7: Watch your lovely apple tree grow.

Thanks for reading my instructable.

Comments

[GerminationGrower]

To be honest, I don't care if my apple seed grows to a crab apple tree. I would be just happy that I grew a tree. I germinated my seed much differently, and It grew in 2 weeks. A 1 and a half inch tall plant in 2 weeks. I took a small bowl,about 2 inches wide and, 1 and a half inches long. I put soil and pushed down the seed. I rapped water aroudn my fingers for about 3 mintues and dripped tiny droplets of water in the bowl until it was moist, with the soil in the bowl, and seed pushed in. Then I took a sandwich plastic baggy and rapped it around the bowl and it left the bag upwards about 3 inches over the bowl. I took a rubber band and put it around the bag part that was around the bowl. Then I put it in the sun. It started growing and condensation filled inside of the bag and it kept the soil moist. My plant looks like how yours did. With the 2 round leaves and the 2 narrow leaves going diagnally upward. This method of growing seeds is much better and promising then the method of germinating in a paper towel. I have tried the paper towel germination 4 times with no luck, and the bowl with the plastic bag and rubber band in the sun once, and that succeded far more and faster. My plant grows taller each day I see it. Thank you for reading.

[carlos1w]

Very interesting.  Pardon my ignorance, but could you tell me why grafting is required?  If you planted the seed of a desirable apple, wouldn't that work without grafting?  Thank you for the instructable.

[georion]

if you want EDIBLE apples you have to graft otherwise you may not live long enough to grow EDIBLE apples----apples are an amazing genetic Universe --research is an amazing Process !!!!!!!!!!!!

[potato wings]

 I graft because if you just left the apple tree to grow from the seed it would cross polinate with another tree and there would be an almost impossible chance of it ever producing apples.

[jtobako]

Watch your tense on your verbs-would is future tense, had or has is the past tense you are looking for. 

[jtobako]

Most variants of apple are hybrids, and don't breed true.  The ones that do are crossed to create apples, not good rootstock, and so aren't as hardy.  There is also a matter of aging-a tree won't produce until it is a certain age (oaks don't produce acorns until they are about 50 years old) but the graft thinks it's as old as the original tree, not as old as the rootstock or graft.

[ironsmiter]

I don't think you put enough emphasis on this part

" the graft thinks it's as old as the original tree, not as old as the rootstock"

That's the MAJOR reason for "not getting flowers" on the grafts. Apple Trees, most varieties anyhow, take 6-10 years before they are mature enough to produce flowers/fruit, when grown from a seedling.

Another concern is, the rootstock of most of the "good fruit" is inferior to hardy, native crabapples.

My family apple tree(died 12 years ago @nearly 100 years old) was crabapple stock. Infact, about 20% of the tree continued to produce crabapples till the day it died. The grafts where Johnathon and McIntosh. All three varieties of fruit formed every year on the same tree.