Can You Grow an Apple From a Seed?

The Facts

• Apple trees are notoriously difficult to germinate. According to Garden Action website, there may be as little as a 30 percent chance of any given apple seed actually growing into an apple tree. As a result, you should plan to work around failure by planting several seeds in order to increase your chances of one producing a tree shoot.

The Procedure

• In order to increase the chance of seed germination, the seeds should be placed in damp peat and chilled for six weeks before being planted in a a small pot. Place the pot in a controlled environment such as a windowsill or conservatory where they will get plenty of sunlight. Only re-pot the seeds once they have outgrown the original and be sure to keep the soil moist.

Root Stock

• If left to their own devices, apple trees can grow as tall as 30 feet high. Apple trees in orchards are kept at a manageable size because their roots were cut off when they were a seedling and new rootstock from a dwarf tree was grafted on in their place. It is worth learning how to graft rootstock if you want to keep your apple trees down to a height you can work with.

Considerations

• Not all apple varieties are edible and even those that are will not necessarily taste nice. Pollination in apple trees results in a mixing of genetic material, which can seriously affect the taste and overall edibility of the apples the new tree will produce. To ensure you get apples that will taste nice, cut a "scion" from an existing apple tree and graft this onto rootstock to grow a clone of the original tree.