How to grow an apple tree from a seed at home and is it possible

Gardeners use several methods to propagate fruit trees. The most convenient and common is the method of planting from seeds. If you want to grow an apple tree from a seed, it is important to figure out how to properly prepare the seed and soil. Also, factors such as further care, climate and environmental conditions are 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.

Positives include:

An apple tree grown from a seed is tall, durable, frost-resistant and strong.
A seedling from seeds can be started at home and only then transferred to open soil.
No special knowledge is required for landing, just follow the step-by-step instructions.

The main disadvantage of growing new trees from seed is the fact that after planting, it will take several years for the seedlings to grow and begin to bear fruit. Also, the disadvantages include the need for several transplants at the beginning of seedling development.

Rules for seed preparation

The procedure for growing a fruit tree requires preliminary preparation of an apple seed. Seed processing is necessary when planting both indoors and outdoors.

Preparation of seed material involves the consistent implementation of simple steps that even a novice gardener can do at home.

Flushing

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

Soaking

Washed seeds should be soaked for several days in filtered water to swell. The temperature of the liquid 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.Speci alty horticultural stores have a wide variety of these preparations, which can be selected according to the variety grown.

Stratification

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

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

The first way is artificial, for which you need:

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

Artificial imitation of winter conditions increases the immunity of seeds, which has a positive effect on further maturation 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, rinse them thoroughly and plant them in the ground.

Some time after the first frost, the seed adapts, and sprouts emerge in the spring, ready for changing weather conditions.

Date of planting

If the seeds are planted at home, then sowing in pots can be done annually, but transplanting to a permanent place in the open field should be done 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 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 you plant the seeds in the soil, you need to prepare it. The earth 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 seed in shallow grooves no more than 5 cm deep. 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 transplanting, 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 the seed at home, you also need to follow the 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. Further, 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, do not water the trees, as most of the moisture will immediately evaporate, and if water gets on the leaves, they can burn out.

Feeding

In the summer, for the active development of trees and improving the quality of the crop, it is required to apply top dressing to the soil. Common organic fertilizers such as chicken manure and manure are best avoided in the first year of seedling growth as they can adversely affect seedlings. A more suitable type of plant nutrition is humic supplements or humus infusion.

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

Pruning sprouts

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

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

Is it necessary to graft an apple tree grown from a stone

To grow an apple tree that will consistently bring a large harvest, experienced gardeners first get 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 particular variety from seeds is low, and grafting sprouts gives a positive result in most cases.

Grafting sprouts allows you to grow an apple tree, which will be distinguished by 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.

Pests and diseases of the apple tree and measures to combat them

Improper care, poor climatic conditions and infertile land often lead to the development of diseases and the appearance of harmful insects on trees. Among the diseases most often found: powdery mildew, scab and fruit rot.

Each infection has individual characteristics that can be detected by visual inspection.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 falls, and it ceases to bear fruit. Scab refers to a fungal infection that affects leaves and inflorescences. Due to the impact of the disease, the pouring of fruits is stopped, and their surface is covered with cracks and spots. Fruit rot has similar symptoms, in which the crop is damaged and crumbles to the ground.

Among the pests that attack apple trees, it is worth highlighting the green aphid, leafworm, sucker and codling moth. Insects infect the foliage and fruits of trees, which reduces the amount of crop, 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 challenges might you face

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

Common difficulties include:

The need for transplants. During the initial stages of seedling development, plants need to be transplanted several times. When transferring fragile seedlings to a new place, there is a risk of damaging the root system or stems.
Probability of being affected by diseases and pests. Violation of agricultural technology and an unfavorable climate lead to rotting and damage to foliage and fruits.
Spoilage of seeds. When preparing seed material, a number of nuances must be observed, so if the technology is violated, it will not be possible to get seedlings.