llisa32 Report post Posted January 25, 2008 Hi - in amongst the chaos thats been my week J really enjoyed a particular science lesson and has decided that he wants to try and grow an apple tree from apple seeds! So...we googled it up and it seems possible (although not great odds, so the more apples we all eat this weekend and save the seeds for planting the better!) But...just trying to manage expectations....have any of you ever managed to grow one?? Even an ickle one?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mumble Report post Posted January 25, 2008 Haha - enjoy! Does he know how long it takes and how unlikely it is to work? I think about 1/3 germinate, but of those that do, a tiny fraction will grow into viable trees and produce edible fruit - probably about 1/20 of the 1/3 that actually germinate, i.e. 1 in 60 of the pips you plant has the probability of producing a tree from which you can eat the apples. But even then, that takes something like 6 years, and lots can go wrong in that time. Oh, and contrary to intuition, I think they need cold to begin growing, so keep them outside. How about trying a variety of fruits/veg? And teated seeds, i.e. the ones you buy in packets from a garden centre are more likely to grow, so he could try pumpkins or such like aloneside, so at least something is likely to grow. Enjoy munching - 'fraid I won't be able to help you out on this one. I could do orange pips if you fancy your chances with them? Oh, and I used to believe that if you ate apple pips, mini trees would grow out of your ears! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bard Report post Posted January 25, 2008 You're talking to an ancient hippy here, of course I've grown trees from seeds, including rather a manky apple. You don't get the species the apple was, e.g. a cox. Because apple trees are usually the product of grafting, what you get if the pip germinates is a sort of wild crab apple tree, the rootstock. I've had a lot more success with orange, grapefruit and lemon pips. trees about a metre tall with nice shiny leaves and the occasional blossom. B planted 14 acorns in my front garden, four years ago. he wanted his own forest. 10 of them survived, and he checks every spring that I haven't weeded them...the forest is on its way. There are three horse chestnut trees in the herb garden, and numerous other saplings that he's growing in secret locations. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pearl Report post Posted January 25, 2008 Bard, I bet you had "The Pip Book" didn't you? We did! Did you ever try an avocado stone? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
krystaltps Report post Posted January 25, 2008 Never, ever... and we try frequently, even our own home-grown apples which are not grafted or interfered with in any way refuse to co-operate on this one. I think you're better off buying apple tree seeds. But even then it would take forever. Why don't you buy a baby apple tree? We bought some babies (apples, cherries and pears) a few years ago, and the apple trees are now giving us a pretty good harvest. The kids love watching them grow and swell throughout the summer... until the dogs notice the nice shiny red "balls" and pull them off (the trees are only about 4 feet tall yet). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bard Report post Posted January 26, 2008 Bard, I bet you had "The Pip Book" didn't you? We did! Did you ever try an avocado stone? Am I not a child of the 70s? It matched the bathroom suite at home! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted January 26, 2008 (edited) Anyone ever grown an apple tree from seeds? Well there was this American guy, supposedly... Johnny something-or-other I think... Mind you, he was rumoured to have green fingers and brown thumbs (frostbite and cheap paper?) Have you thought about carrot tops or cress? Nowhere near as impressive, but MUCH quicker... you could make one of those stocking heads and plant seeds so it grew 'hair'... Other than that, I'd wait until March and bed in a leetle miniature 'tri-variety' sapling.. .they can be giving fruit within a few years, and because they create 3 types of pollen they cross pollenate themselves (fnar fnar)... whichever route (stock ) you take, i hope it proves fruitful L&P BD Edited January 26, 2008 by baddad Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
forbsay Report post Posted January 26, 2008 (edited) Well i have little apple trees going from seed. My daughter was eating an apple a few months ago and saw the pips inside. I said that if we planted them then they might grow into apple trees. Planted them and we now have 3 little trees growing on my kitchen window ledge. We planted 5 seeds so that is really good. Also got a christmas tree growing from seed. I did not think for one minute that this would grow - got one of these packs that says grow your own christmas tree. and after about 8 weeks the little tree started to appear.......... there are now 2 but the second one is not looking too good! Forbsay (aka greenfingers ) Edited January 26, 2008 by forbsay Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pearl Report post Posted January 26, 2008 Am I not a child of the 70s? It matched the bathroom suite at home! Ours spent months in the airing cupboard skewered with a toothpick over a jam jar. (The stone, not the bathroom suite. Ours was Primrose Yellow) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canopus Report post Posted February 3, 2008 Every apple tree I have grown from seeds produces lousy apples that aren't worth eating. Apples are genetically very complex and reproduction of varieties is done by grafting in order to clone the tree rather than using seeds. Very occasionally a tree grown from a seed produces high quality fruit so give it a go and you might end up developing a new variety of commercial apples. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jb1964 Report post Posted February 3, 2008 Hi my daughter did this with her gran when she was little - can't remember how old she was - but it's a couple of foot tall now. Take care, Jb Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
llisa32 Report post Posted February 16, 2008 Hi - just an update.... 5 out of 10 seeds have sprouted!!! With proper ickle leaves and everything!! J's really pleased Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
forbsay Report post Posted February 16, 2008 that is good I have got four apples trees all growing at different stages Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
