seeds – GrowIt BuildIT

If you're looking to germinate Apple Seeds, you've come to the right place. I've grown numerous apples from seed over the years and will show you exactly what to do, as well as some of my results. I'm going to divide this article into a few parts, which you can click on the buttons below to jump around to the various sections - and I highly recommend you do so. But if you are in a hurry, the absolute shortest and most concise instruction for saving, and then germinating apple seeds below Saving Apple Seeds Germinating in Fridge Winter Sowing Apple Seeds What will my apples taste like? Saving apple seeds Saving apple seeds is relatively straight forward. Each healthy apple should have 5 seeds. The key thing to remember is that the longer the apple stays on the tree, the more mature the seeds will be, and thus the more likely they are to sprout. So, only collect seeds from mature apples that are ready to fall. Apple seeds often only sprout at a 30-50% rate - so save more seeds than you want trees. Remove the seeds from the apple taking care to not damage the coat Rinse seeds off in water Soak seeds in 10% bleach solution for 2 minutes, then rinse and dry Store the seed in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 1-2 years You don't need to actually slice all the way through the apple to separate it. What I did here was slice until I felt the resistance of the core. Then I continued cutting around the apple, making sure not to slice the core. Finally, once I had cut all the way around, I twisted the knife to 'pop' the apple apart. In this manner, I didn't damage any seed coats. Please note that Apple Seeds have a dormancy mechanism that prevents premature germination. And this dormancy mechanism is common to all apples you will find[1]. To overcome this, it needs to experience a prolonged period of cold-moist temperatures. You can achieve this by cold-moist stratifying the seed for 60-120 days[2] in the refrigerator using a moist-paper towel, sand, or you can winter sowing the seed (but don't let it freeze). I'll describe both methods below. Germinating Apple Seeds in the refrigerator Take a full sheet paper towel and moisten it with water. It should be damp enough that when you squeeze it only a couple drops of water fall out Fold the paper towel in half Place your apple seeds on the moist paper towel Fold the paper towel two more times, so that the apple seeds are sandwiched between several layers Place this into a Ziplock bag or sealed container for 2-3 months, checking weekly. Mist with water if it feels dry. You really want to check these weekly! It is easiest to transfer seeds just after the root tips begin to sprout. If you notice mold forming on the towel, resterilize the seed by soaking in 10% bleach/water for 2 minutes, and get a new moistened paper towel Once the apple seed sprouts, plant it in a large 6-9" deep container filled with moist potting soil to a depth of 1/8"-1/4" (3-6 mm). Be very gentle with the white shoots, as they are quite fragile. This guide can help you transfer the seedlings. This is what a sprouted apple seed looks like. Now, these newly planted seeds in containers can be placed in an unheated garage or shed until they emerge. If they emerge and it is still winter, you will need take the pot indoors to a location that receives lots of sun, like a south facing window, Once warming daytime temperatures arrive, they can be transferred outdoors regardless if they have emerged. Please note that the roots mustn't be allowed to freeze or the young seedling may die. Winter Sowing Apple seeds If you don't wish to germinate seeds in the fridge, you can simply winter sow the seed. This is my preferred method, as you can simply sow the seed in late fall/winter, and let nature do the cold stratification for you. You just need a suitable container for winter sowing. Note - you can just use a large pot, but you will need to water it weekly. If you use a milk jug, you probably won't need to water at all until Spring. The best time to Winter Sow Apple seeds is between October and New Years. Prepare a milk jug for winter sowing. I have detailed instructions here, but I'll give you the short-hand version below: Wash and rinse a milk jug in the sink Add drianage holes in the bottom using a knife or drill Cut a hinge just below the handle of the jug. Do this by slicing around the milkjug. (see detailed guide here) Fill jug with moist potting soil to 1" below the edge. Tamp firm with your hand. Lay your apple seeds on the soil, spacing them at least1" apart. Cover with 1/8"-1/4" potting soil, patted firm Close the milk jug and tape around it so it is secure. Leave the jug in an unheated garage or shed until late February or March (you can't let the seeds freeze) In very late winter or early Spring, place the jug in a location with morning sun or afternoon shade Seeds will germinate in Spring, usually by March in zone 6 (Pennsylvania). Once the outside temperature is forecasted to reach 70F (~20C), I will remove the tap and leave the lid open. This way I won't 'cook' my seedlings! So, my results for winter sowing apple seeds are really great. The first time I attempted it I only had six seeds. I let the jug sit outside all winter and 50% germinated, which according to the USDA is a pretty good germination rate. The second time I attempted it I kept the milk jug indoors until March, when it wouldn't get below freezing for prolonged periods of time. I got nearly 100% germination! Once you have true leaves on a seedling, you can transfer them to their own individual pot. Be gentle, and use a fork to do this, as it helps break up the soil without damaging roots too much. Over here I have a detailed guide to separate/transplant seedlings. These are some of the apple tree seedlings. Overall I had 18 of 19 seeds germinate. Really nice results by winter sowing without letting the milk jug freeze for a prolonged period of time. Which method is better? Germinating Apple seeds in the fridge or Winter Sowing? Ok, I've sprouted apple seeds in the fridge, and I've Winter Sown them too. My personal opinion is that winter sowing is better for several reasons. First, there is no risk of moldy paper towels when winter sown. And you don't need to check the jug very often, just go pick it up once a week to make sure it hasn't dried out. Second, even if your seeds sprout 'early', as in too early to take them outside, it should be ok. You see, the cold temperatures of a shed or garage will make it so that the sprout develops slowly, and you don't have to worry about transferring to a larger pot. And third, the seedling will develop more quickly in the milk jug. The milk jug will act as a miniature greenhouse, so that once the temperatures are warm enough to keep outside, it will grow that much faster. What kind of apples you should save seed from You can save seed from pretty much any apple tree, and even germinate it. But, know that the apples that the tree produces will likely be very different from the one they came from[3]. You see, each new Apple sprouted is a completely new variety. This happens because apples are heterozygous, which means that each apple will have various sets of dominant and recessive genes[4][5]. And since apple trees must be cross pollinated to fruit, you will get a totally unique mix of genetics. As a side note, here is a fascinating article describing some of the thousands of varieties of apple that exist in North America, and a group dedicated to saving them. So how do Apple Orchards grow the same kind of Apple Tree over and over in neat rows? Ok, so anyone who has gone to a store has seen hundreds and hundreds of the same apples in bins. And anyone who has been to an apple orchard has seen rows and rows of trees that are the same variety apple. But how do they do it? Well, the answer to that is grafting. Nurseries (or the orchards themselves) will germinate numerous apple trees to serve as root stock. Then, after these trees grow to a certain height, they will cut off the tops and graft on cuttings from other apple trees. Any part of the tree that grows above the graft line will be genetically identical to the tree it came from. What happens if you grow apples from seed you bought at a store Most apples bought at a store are grown from trees that were grafted. And the nursery stock they were grafted onto is most often crab apples. That, plus the fact that crab apple trees are often used in cross pollination mean that the apples in the store will have a significant amount of crab apple genetics. Thus, you have a pretty significant chance of those apple seeds growing crab apples, which are tiny and often not good to eat. Why can't I just plant some seeds directly in dirt and be done with it? Apple seeds have a dormancy mechanism that prevents them from germinating too early. This is nature's way of ensuring seeds germinate in Spring, when the new sprout can look forward to a full growing season. Another reason this dormancy mechanism protects the apple tree is that if we had apple seeds sprouting in October, right after being eaten, these baby trees would not have deep roots. And, if the roots of an apple tree fully freeze the tree will die. So, by not germinating until after a prolonged cold-moist period, the seed ensures it has the best chance of survival by only germinating in Spring. But, truth be told, you can just plant apple seeds in the dirt. There are a couple factors to consider though, first, if the seed freezes solid for too long, it may not germinate. I've seen this happen when I first Winter Sowed apple seeds and left the container outdoors all winter. It froze solid for prolonged periods, and I only got 50% germination. Second, consider that there are various rodents, birds, and animals that may eat that apple seed. So, while you can absolutely direct sow the seed, you probably won't get nearly as high a germination rate as if you winter sow (as described above) or use a paper towel. Find more gardening tips here