Apples

I recently discovered an abandoned apple tree in our company car park last week and tried one or two of the apples themselves and was surprised how good they were so, when I next saw the property owner I asked if I could have some of them he said that i could have the tree if I wished!. Needless to say I only took some apples. What I would like to know is, is it possible for me to grow a tree from seed and if so how?. I have saved quite a few seeds from the apples whilst 'er indoors was preparing them. I would LOVE to take the whole tree but its about 7-8 metres (20-25 feet) high and is about 400mm (16 inches) thick at the base, added to which I am somewhat restricted for room. By the way ...thet made wonderful apple pies!

 

You can grow a tre from the pips but the fruit, if it produces any will generally be very poor and will not run true. You will find that most fruit trees are grafts on vigorous root stock.

It is fun to grow a "Bonsai" apple tree from the pips.

If you are going to try then soak the pips for a couple of days before planting. They should be quite shallow when planted.

Hope this helps.

Chas.

 

It's not worth trying to grow apples from seed, it's highly unlikely that the fruits will be anything like as good as the parent tree.

It is possible to propagate from the original tree by grafting.... but this isn't straight forward.

 

Hardest part of grafting apple trees is getting hold of the rootstock in small numbers.

 

Somewhere at the back of my mind.... i remember reading something about a comercial grower who will do the grafting for you, if you have a special apple that you want to save....... Anyone know more about this?

 

Not the specific person you have in mine, but I have struck up a little friendship with a guy who owns a small local nursery near me-one of those out of his large back garden type jobs and asked him once about grafting a willow, he said he will do one for me for a fiver plus the cost of the rootstock he would use so that`s worth thinking of doing. Ask a local guy.

 

Hello BFG

If you can get some graftwood from the tree, growth that is fairly straight without side shoots from the upper part of the tree I will graft it for you onto whatever vigour rootstock you would like. The cost will be for rootstock and postage.

Best wishes

Gerald.

 

many thanks to everyone for their suggestions and help. I know absolutely nothing about gardening, but I will try and grow the apple seeds just for my own amusement and let you know what happens as I go along.
Best wishes
bfg

 

Best wishes! Apples are among the most variable species grown by man. Five pips from the same plant may easily result in five completely different trrees and fruits. But if you grow them from seed just for the fun of it wihtout special expectation regarding fruit you will have fun.