Growing An Apple Tree From Seeds

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

An experiment in the garden of growing an apple tree from seeds

Many years ago I was on an excursion to Valaam, listening to a guide who told me how the monks on this cold island planted an apple orchard. They collected seeds from those apples that they brought them as a gift, sowed, and then selected those seedlings that had large shaped leaves and did not have wild apple thorns on the branches.

The age of such an apple tree, which began to bear fruit, was about 15 years. I learned from other sources that an apple seedling needs to be replanted about three times in order to accelerate fruiting and maintain a variety. About 20 years ago, I sowed the seeds of several varieties of apples I liked, which I bought from gardeners in the Leningrad Region. I sowed in a convenient place near my house in the city, and after a few years I transported the grown and developed seedlings to the garden, and, finally, once again transported them to the then new garden plot. On the first transplant, I tucked the tap root 90 degrees.

Of the five seedlings that grew up, three were with small leaves, two with large, beautifully designed leaf blades. Of these two apple seedlings, one had thorns, and the other did not. The trees grew as they wanted, and I thought that it would be just decorative plantings. And suddenly these two apple trees bloomed in 2006 and gave one apple each, and in 2007 I reaped a good harvest of fruits from them, because by this time they were already large rooted trees, which, I hope, will be more durable than grafted … The fruits of one apple tree are similar to anise - large, light yellow with a red side, very aromatic when cooked. The fruits of another apple tree in appearance resemble the Golden variety, and inside there is a white sweet pulp with a bitter taste. I am not familiar with this variety, and if there were several apple trees in the garden, then perhaps it turned out to be a hybrid. The trees grew sprawling, I wanted to cut the lower branches to form a crown, and it's good that I didn't have time. There were also apples on the lower branches.

Now my family's beloved Baltika variety has grown old and is dying - it bears fruit every year, thin-skinned juicy fruits with a rich apple aroma. I do not know how to vaccinate. My daughter asked me to sow the seeds of this variety to save for the future. I have already sown some of the seeds in the open ground before winter, the other part of the seeds I will put in a wet paper towel in a plastic bag in the refrigerator door in the spring. When the seeds are baked, it is convenient to remove the paper napkin without damaging the roots.

I am already 70 years old, I probably will not wait for future apple trees to bear fruit, but they will remain for children. If anyone knows a way to speed up fruiting, please call me at 758-03-19.