Is it possible to grow an apple tree from a seed and how to properly care for seedlings at home

To propagate fruit trees, gardeners use several methods. The most convenient and widespread method is considered to be planting from seeds. If you want to grow an apple tree from a seed, it is important to understand how to properly prepare the seed and soil. Factors such as further care, climate and environmental conditions are also important for the development of trees.

Advantages and disadvantages of the method

The method of propagating fruit trees has a number of comparative advantages and disadvantages.

Positive points include the following:

1. An apple tree grown from a seed turns out to be tall, durable, frost-resistant and strong.
2. You can start growing a seedling from seeds at home and only then transfer it to open soil.
3. To perform the landing, no special knowledge is required; just follow the step-by-step instructions.

The main disadvantage of growing new trees from seeds is the fact that after planting you will have to wait several years for the seedlings to grow and begin to bear fruit. Another disadvantage is the need for several transplants at the beginning of seedling development.

Rules for preparing seed material

The procedure for growing a fruit tree requires preliminary preparation of an apple seed. Processing of seed material is necessary when planting both at home and outdoors.

Preparing seed material involves sequentially performing simple steps that even a novice gardener can do at home.

Washing

The first step in preparing seeds for growing seedlings is washing. To do this, place the seeds in a container with water heated to room temperature and gently stir for 5 minutes. Then it remains to drain the water and spread the seeds on a gauze cloth. The process of washing the seed is necessary to remove the top coating, which can slow down growth.

Soak

The washed seeds need to be soaked for several days in filtered water to swell.The liquid temperature should be 20-25 degrees. To increase the ability of seeds to germinate and prevent the occurrence of infectious diseases, growth stimulants can be added to the water. Specialized gardening stores offer a wide variety of these preparations, which can be selected taking into account the variety being grown.

Stratification

The stratification process involves the special creation of unfavorable conditions for seed hardening.

As a result of stratification, seeds are prepared for natural germination conditions. There are several types of stratification.

The first method is artificial, for which you need:

• mix apple seeds with peat and sand, maintaining a ratio of 1:3;
• dilute the resulting mixture with water until the liquid begins to flow to the surface;
• keep the seed for a week at room temperature for swelling;
• place the substrate in the refrigerator for 2 months.

Artificial imitation of winter conditions increases the immunity of seeds, which has a beneficial effect on further ripening and yield. There is also a natural method of stratification, for which you need to remove the seeds from the fruits at the end of summer or in September, wash them thoroughly and plant them in the ground.

Some time after the onset of the first frost, the seed begins to adapt, and in the spring sprouts emerge, ready for changeable weather conditions.

Landing dates

If the seeds are planted at home, then sowing in pots can be done annually, but replanting to a permanent place in the open ground should be carried out in late spring. As apple seedlings develop, they need to be transplanted into larger containers.

In the case of placing seeds on natural stratification, the optimal time for planting seeds is the beginning of autumn. You can also plant apple trees at the end of summer. In this case, the seeds, after washing and soaking, are immediately transplanted into the soil. During autumn and winter, the seed material swells, undergoes natural stratification and sprouts with the onset of spring. The main rule that is important to follow when planting is that the seeds should be placed in open soil 3-4 weeks before the expected onset of frost.

Preparing optimal soil and planting seeds

Before planting seeds in the soil, you need to prepare it. The soil must be saturated with nutrients. When growing at home, you need to fill the containers with fertile soil, peat, humus, wood ash and superphosphate. A similar composition is required when planting in open ground.

It is necessary to plant seeding material in shallow grooves with a depth of no more than 5 cm. The distance between seedlings should be 10-15 cm for free development of roots. If plants are planned to be grown in one place for several years without replanting, then the distance should be doubled.

Seedling care

To ensure intensive growth of seedlings, it is necessary to properly care for them. After the germinated seeds are transferred to open ground, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for the development of roots, the growth of green vegetation and the ripening of apples. If you want to germinate seed at home, you also need to adhere to standard care rules.

Frequency and amount of watering

The basic rule of care is regular watering. The soil should be kept moist throughout all stages of tree development.At first, after transplanting seedlings into open soil, watering should be done twice a day using a small amount of liquid. Then, during the first year of life, until the root system grows to a large size, watering can be done once a week.

It is recommended to irrigate seedlings in the early morning or in the evening, when the sun begins to set. In hot weather, you should not water the trees, since most of the moisture will immediately evaporate, and if water gets on the leaves, they may burn out.

Top dressing

In summer, to actively develop trees and improve the quality of the crop, it is necessary to add fertilizer to the soil. Common organic fertilizers such as chicken manure and manure are best avoided during the first year of seedling growth as they may adversely affect the seedlings. A more suitable type of plant nutrition is humic additives or humus infusion.

Before the onset of autumn frosts, grown seedlings are fertilized with potassium-phosphorus solutions, which act as a growth stimulator. While loosening the soil, superphosphate and potassium chloride are poured onto the surface. When using mineral fertilizers, be sure to complete the fertilizing process by watering.

Pruning sprouts

Once the seedlings grow tall and form a large number of dense branches, the vegetation can interfere with other plantings and complicate care. In this case, a sample of sprouts is required. The main goals of pruning are to give the seedlings optimal volume, restore active growth and remove old branches.

First you need to cut off dried and broken branches, and then reduce the height of the crown.In order not to lose well-growing branches and not reduce the harvest, you should trim the crown so that less than a third of all branches are removed.

Is it necessary to graft an apple tree grown from a seed?

To grow an apple tree that will consistently produce a large harvest, experienced gardeners first obtain a sprout from a seed, and then graft it onto an adult tree.

This approach to tree propagation is due to the fact that the probability of obtaining a specific variety from seeds is low, and grafting sprouts gives a positive result in most cases.

Grafting sprouts allows you to grow an apple tree that will have a strong trunk and resistance to negative external influences. To simplify the process of care and further harvesting, a tree of a low-growing variety should be used for the rootstock.

Apple tree pests and diseases and measures to combat them

Improper care, poor climatic conditions and infertile soil often lead to the development of diseases and the appearance of harmful insects on trees. The most common diseases are powdery mildew, scab and fruit rot.

Each infection has individual characteristic signs that can be detected by visual examination. With the development of powdery mildew, a gray coating appears on the surface of the bark and vegetation, which darkens over time. The leaves of the trees begin to turn yellow and dry out, the immunity of the apple tree drops, and it stops bearing fruit. Scab is a fungal infection that affects leaves and inflorescences. Due to the impact of the disease, fruit filling stops, and their surface becomes covered with cracks and spots. Fruit rot has similar symptoms, in which the crop is damaged and falls to the ground.

Among the pests that attack apple trees, it is worth highlighting green aphids, leaf rollers, copperheads and codling moths. Insects attack the foliage and fruits of trees, which reduces the amount of harvest, and in advanced cases, seedlings die. To prevent diseases and combat their consequences, it is necessary to treat trees with fungicidal preparations. To destroy pests, insecticides and repellent solutions are needed.

The advantage of using chemicals is that they help grow trees without harming humans.

What difficulties might you encounter?

When trying to grow a new apple tree from seeds, even experienced gardeners can encounter a number of problems.

The list of common difficulties includes the following:

1. The need for transplants. During the initial stages of seedling development, it is necessary to replant the plants several times. When transferring fragile seedlings to a new location, there is a risk of damaging the root system or stems.
2. The likelihood of being affected by diseases and pests. Violation of agricultural practices and unfavorable climate lead to rotting and damage to foliage and fruits.
3. Spoilage of seeds. When preparing seed material, you need to observe a number of nuances, so if the technology is violated, it will not be possible to obtain seedlings.

By adhering to standard rules of care and accuracy, you will be able to grow healthy trees that will regularly produce apples.