An apple seedling is from planting an apple seed in a plant pot filled with soil

5 months ago
31

I have some apple tree seedlings that I started as an experiment from overwintering apple seeds in spring. They simply came up from kitchen compost. The seedlings are about 2 inches high and have about three to four leaves.
There is one very important aspect to know when propagating apple trees from seeds. The apple trees you purchase in a nursery are produced by grafting because apple seeds are very unreliable. The seeds found in the apple are the result of cross-pollination between two different species or varieties of apples. This makes each seedling a genetically unique individual with unpredictable traits; for example, seedlings sprouted from your ‘Gala’ apple might produce tiny red crab apples. You will have years invested in these seedlings before finding out if they will produce an edible or flavourful apple.
That being said, experimenting with growing different kinds of trees from seed can be fun, and it is a great project for kids as well. It’s a good way to get them connected with the origins of the food they eat.

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