When you were little, you planted a grocery-store avocado seed and grew a tree, so starting an apple tree from that tasty Braeburn should grow a blossoming, apple-bearing tree, right? Well, not really. The odds of growing a tree that yields Braeburn or any other recognizable apple variety is statistically slim. If you’re determined to try your luck, though, chill perfectly dry seeds in a bag of peat moss for a few months, then plant them in a flower pot or milk carton and place in a sunny window until the following spring when you can transplant your sprout in the yard.
Choose a spot where your apple tree will receive at least half a day of sun, preferably in the morning, to dry its foliage. Place it where it will be sheltered from strong prevailing winds and well away from other trees, with 20 feet or more to spread its roots.
Cultivate the soil to a depth of at least 8 inches to encourage root growth. Add organic matter such as well-rotted compost or peat moss to break up clay-heavy soil.
Check the soil’s pH. Apple trees require a slightly acidic soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. If the soil is alkaline, with a pH above 7.0, add garden lime at the rate indicated on the package for your soil.
Dig a hole wider and deeper than the pot in which your sprout has been growing.
Lift the sprout out of the pot, dirt and all, and set it in the hole, filling it halfway to the top of the hole. Lift the sprout gently by the base of its main shoot so it sits at the same level as it did in the pot. Firm, but don’t pack, the soil around the base of the root ball. Finish filling the hole with soil.
Water your sprout to settle the soil and remove air holes. Add soil as needed.
Make a 6-inch tube of deer cloth or chicken wire that stands at least 12 inches tall to protect your sprout against snacking rabbits, deer and other wildlife. Drive two or three 2-foot plant stakes into the ground and tie the cage to the stakes.
Water your apple tree sprout again after planting and each week during dry weather until it begins growing.
Things You Will Need
- Sterile potting medium
- Flower pot
- Garden spade
- Even though your apple sprout is tiny, this will be the last chance you have to give it a well-cultivated place to grow roots. Tree roots are shallow but extend as far as the canopy of the tree, so cultivate or improve the soil when you have the opportunity as you plant the tree.
- Growth is slow for the first year or two when you start a tree from seed, so don’t give up on your sprout. After it begins to grow, prune, spray and fertilize it as you would any apple tree.
- If you live in an area where winters are windy or cold, pack your tree’s protective cage loosely with leaves to shelter it for its first few years outdoors. If you live in an area rich with wildlife, replace the cage with a larger one as your tree matures.
- Do not fertilize your apple tree when you plant it. Give it a first feeding about a month after planting, then fertilize annually in June with a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer until it begins to blossom.
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