This is one of those interesting facts I like to dredge up occasionally to impress/confuse others with. Of course, some of the most wonderful apples have come along as 'chance seedlings' in someone's orchard or out in the farmer's dooryard. There's a streak of whimsy in me that always, always causes me to toss apple cores out of my car and onto roadsides, (well back, please, and in rural locales only. Maybe an apple tree will grow up where I flung that core, and maybe it will be wonderful and delicious. At the very least, some deer or rabbit will enjoy it.

I bet many of the apple cultivars you enjoy in Australia are quite different from ours here in Atlantic Canada, Stuart, although we do grow some cultivars that came from elsewhere, of course. Do you have Gravensteins there? They are now included in the SlowFood Ark of Taste--quite an acheivement for an apple brought to Nova Scotia from Europe about 150 years ago by Charles Ramage Prescott, the father of apple growing here in the Annapolis Valley.

This is an overall great blog for anyone who wants to enhance their gardening skills. I like how this article goes in depth about apple trees. I have learned a great deal. Keep up the great work.

Jodi - I've heard of Gravensteins but I've never seen one before. The main commercial varieties here are Red Delicious, Fuji, Granny Smiths, Pink Ladies, Gala. Then there are a heap of antique apples that gardeners are now growing as they are coming back into fashion.

Donald - thanks for dropping by and I'm glad you enjoyed the post.

What a great article on growing apple trees from seeds. I know this is something I am going to try this spring actually. I have been saving all my apple seeds for the past month or so. I am going to give it a try, guess I'll have to wait 6 years to see my results, but I have a lot of land so I will wait and see what happens.

Great blog, will definitely help other people interested in gardening.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle

I started my 2 "baby" apple trees by putting seeds in a cup of water, only water, and waiting on roots to form. After the roots appeared I planted the seeds in 2 seperate coffee cups. Now 3 weeks into the farm, I have 2 plants that are almost 3 inches tall. I am waiting till I have about 5 inches of growth before I transplant them into larger pots.

How cold temperature needs to be for seeds to germinate in water??

i too started my apple seeds in just water! actually when i bit through to the core one of my seeds was already sprouting --just a little bit though. thats what inspired me to try to grow it. i'm not sure what the temp of the water has to be, but i did mine in cold water AND i stuck mine right against the window in a plastic baggie. it's march in Michigan so it still frigid out side. we've had snow, frost, and now its finally getting to rain. i think the cold might help-- michigan is known for it's apples, and a lot of them are grown farther north of where i live.

All I did was put water from the tap in a cup then I sat the cup in my office at room temp. I have since brought one baby tree home with me and it isn't doing too well. My office is in the city where there is cloronated water. I live in a rural area and have a well. When I started using the well water it seemed to cause the baby tree, I had brought home, not to grow much. The one I brought home I planted about 3 weeks before the one I left at the office but the one at the office is much taller and healthier looking. Anyone have any suggestions. Should I take them out of the potting soil and replant in soil? I am open for sound suggestions.

I have just gotten germination on my seeds that my son and I harvested back in Jan. We put them in moist paper towels, inside a ziplock baggie and placed them in the refrigerator. We don't care if we get tasty fruit or not, we'll see if they get big enough to plant outside and our deer will love them either way.

3 years ago i sort of did this, and now I have a tree that is growing 1-2 feet per year, probably a but more than that ()its 7' tall. It had gotten nailed with a weed wacker in its early life (i transfered it really early and didnt tell my family) but its still kicking even after the gypsie moths nested it last year and the Japanese Beatles before that,

This concept has always fascinated me. If you start with a tree that is grown on its own rootstock - and if you can control pollination - you should be able to know what type of tree the seed will produce in my estimation.

But aside from that, I found this web site selling seeds for apples of an old American southern variety. What are these? Does anyone know?

D2230 Old Homestead Apple Malus pumila var. Wrigthii
These apple trees have been growing in the south for generations providing cooking and fresh eating apples. The apples have a sweet/tart flavor that is unique to their strain. Excellent for pies. A heavy bearing fruit tree.
Package of 10 seeds $2.00

Source of info:
http://www.seedman.com/fruit.htm

I live in Jamaica (West Indies), a tropical country which I have been told is not suitable for Apples of the Northern American variety. Back in high school around 1999 I germinated a Delicious Red seed from which a healthy plant grew. I then transplanted in a cool area of my yard but it grew too slow, I assume it was the lack of sunlight since it was planted in a shady area. Unfortunately a flood came through my yard and washed it away. It has crossed my mind so many times of what could have been. Today, I purchased two Fuji Apples and I am going to attempt the process one more time. I am not necessarily looking for fruit from the tree, but just to actually have a tree growing in my yard.

I plan on purchasing some additional varieties such as Red Delicious and Gala and see how well they do. And if they end up germinating and growing into healthy plants I will then plant them side by side with the Fuji to increase chances of pollination in the future to produce a healthy fruit or possibly a new variety!

I love the Fuji by the way, its my favorite and I am surprised by the abundance of seeds it contains, I got 8 seeds out of it, I must can get something working in 3 to 6 weeks hopefully.

I would like to know how long it would take to germinate an entire apple just by leaving it on the ground. Surely this method would be more successful, given that the purpose of the flesh/fruit is to provide moisture and nutrients for the seeds.... One way to simulate the 'natural' way whilst still propagating the seeds in the 'normal' way, would be to use apple juice instead of water.... I have plenty of apples for experimentation, so I think I will try lt ;)

Well, my experiment is kinda paying off. I tried Ricks suggestion of placing seeds in a cup of water and one out of 3 sprouted! I am going to try another variety Apple. Thanks again

I too have a young son who is very interested in plants. And we also shared an apple (pink lady) only to find seeds that were already sprouting. We transferred them to a pot with top soil and a few slices of the fruit (using the logic that nature wanted it that way). 4 weeks later we have 3 inch trees. Only 4 of the 6 we planted are still around but that is better than i expected.

It may take many years to taste the fruits of this labor, but for children (and adults) who love growing things, it's a most wonderful excitement to see those mini trees come from a "store bought" apple!