How to grow an apple tree from a seed and how to care for it

Many people, while eating an apple, wondered if it was possible to grow an adult tree from sunflower seed. Indeed, some gardeners use such propagation. But this is a labor-intensive process. How to grow an apple tree from a seed? What rules should you follow?

Content:

• How to prepare seeds and soil?
• What to do if the seed has sprouted?
• Growing conditions
• Caring for a young tree

How to prepare seeds and soil?

Initially, the seed material should be germinated. This will take a lot of time. For this process, it is necessary to adhere to certain rules, since the germination of an apple seed does not occur in the same way as for most other crops. Any mistakes will cause the death of the seed. Before you start germination, it is worth creating special conditions that resemble natural conditions. Stratification is carried out in the following sequence:

• Seed selection
• Landing into prepared soil
• Moving seeds that have sprouted to the most natural conditions

Carefully remove the seeds from the apple and rinse them in cool water to remove parts of the pulp. The seeding material must be reviewed and the strongest and most mature seeds selected. Ripe seeds have a more intense color. Once you touch the seed material, all soft seeds are not suitable for planting. There are some rules for washing seeds. To do this, you should adhere to the following sequence:

• The mug is filled with water to a third of its volume
• Seed material is poured into it
• Using a wooden stick, stir the water for 3-5 minutes.
• The mug is covered with gauze
• After this, it is turned over the sink
• All seed material will remain on gauze, which is placed on a plate
• The seeds should dry out, but they should not be kept for more than a day.

After this, it is worth creating natural conditions for the development of the plant. Gardeners often use the following methods for germination:

1. The sand is heated in a frying pan for 30 minutes. Sawdust is added to it, as well as activated carbon, which will protect against mold. Sawdust and sand must be taken in equal proportions. One tablet of coal is required for every 2 cubic centimeters.
2. Moistened sand with peat. This method does not require calcination of the sand.
3. Use of moss and sawdust. Many gardeners believe that these conditions are the most suitable for germination. seed material. But often the seeds die in such an environment.

You can choose one of the proposed mixtures. Seeds are planted in it. The containers are placed in the room for a week. After the time has passed, they move to a place where the temperature is lower. The bottom shelf of the refrigerator is ideal for this. You can also place the containers in the basement, but you should understand that such conditions do not maintain a constant temperature.

What to do if the seed has sprouted?

If everything was done correctly, sprouts will appear after a few months. This means that the seeds have sprouted and it’s time to proceed to the second stage. All sprouts need to be reviewed and the strongest ones selected.They are transplanted into a larger container. A pot or box is suitable for this. But for further development there will not be enough ordinary land.

Drainage is placed at the bottom of the pot. It will protect the sprouts from stagnation of water, so they will not die. It is recommended to use nutrient soil for the soil. It is better to purchase it in specialized stores. Some gardeners, after germination, place the sprouts immediately in open ground. But the plant is not yet so strong, so such conditions will still be too harsh for it.

This could lead to his death. But if the seedling takes root, it will be easier for it to survive frosts in the future. If a person decides to immediately place the sprouts in open ground, then you should not forget about some rules. There should be about 20 centimeters between each plant, and the sprouts should be deepened into the soil by 2 centimeters.

But many gardeners are in no hurry to move seedlings into open ground. They have been growing them indoors for 4 years. Special containers are used for this. In order for the plant to develop normally, it is worth replanting it systematically.

In order for the main root to have good development and be able to grow normally, it is worth transplanting the emerging sprouts into a large container. After this, the apple tree is not touched for a whole year.

As soon as this time has passed, the tree is disturbed again. It should be moved to another location. To do this, select a container that is larger in size when compared with the previous container. When replanting is carried out, the main root is shortened slightly. Some gardeners simply bend it 90 degrees.

After 3-4 years, the seedling will get stronger and become larger. During this period, he is ready to move to a permanent place.Replanting in open ground must be done carefully so as not to damage the rhizome.

Growing conditions

When a seedling is moved into open ground, it is necessary to take time to choose a place for planting. Now the tree is fragile and small, but after a while it will grow large, its rhizome will expand. Therefore, it is worth thinking about this in advance and choosing a suitable place for landings. The area where the apple tree will be planted should be spacious.

You should not hide seedlings behind other trees, as they do not like shade. It is worth replanting the plant to a permanent place in the second half of spring or the first half of autumn. If the tree was originally planted in open ground, then it can be replanted from spring to autumn, until cold weather sets in. If the owner is late, then this procedure must be postponed.

Caring for a young tree

In order for a seedling to develop normally, it needs useful microelements, just like an adult tree. For this reason, experienced gardeners advise feeding. It is worth remembering that it is forbidden to fertilize seedlings that are only one year old with fresh manure or bird droppings. Such active organic matter can cause burns on the tree.

Also, such feeding can cause a bacterial infection, which is extremely undesirable for the seedling. In the first years of life, the plant is just beginning to develop, so an infusion of humus for fertilizer is ideal for it. In order for the tree to develop better and the appearance of foliage to accelerate, it is worth adding potassium and phosphorus fertilizers to the soil at the end of August.

After fertilizing the soil, you must not forget about loosening it. Next, you should water the plant well. For apple trees, which are grown from seeds, feeding is important, as well as proper watering. During this period of plant development, the rhizome has not yet fully formed, so it needs moist soil. To do this, it is worth watering once every 7-10 days.

It is necessary to ensure that the top layer of soil does not dry out around the tree. So, to grow an apple tree in your garden, you don’t have to run to garden stores to buy seedlings. You can use regular apple seeds for this. But it is worth knowing certain growing rules.

Video about planting an apple tree from a seed: