Someone brought some apples into work that they'd grown. Since they were delicious pie apples I got to thinking I'd save some of the seed and try to start my own tree. There aren't very many varieties of apples that will do well around here, so I figured this would be sort of tried and true.

Has anyone else done this? will it even work? Is there any special process that apples seeds need to germinate?

I myself have never grown apples -- I glean them from my brother's home which used to be an apple orchard. However, I was watching a BBC program last night that was all about apples. (With my garden an ocean away, only TV and web sites satisfy my gardening urges.) They stated that apples never breed true, so the apples that you do get will not be like the apple that you ate. According to the program, all apple trees sold are grafted onto stock -- the choice of the root stock determines (in a large part) if the tree will be small, medium, or humungous. Of course, they never mentioned if an apple grown from seed will have viable root stock or tasty apples.
Hope someone else is able to provide you some first-hand knowledge.

Thanks Catie.
I'm not too worried about the size of the tree, none of them get very big around here, but I do want good pie apples.

When starting apple trees from seeds you have about one chance in a billion of getting the kind of apples the seed came from. Most apple trees are started fron scion wood (grafts) so that the fruit will be just like the parent.

With seeds you have genetics from who knows where so if the seed even germinates and grows to a tree you will not know hat kind of apples you will get until theu produce the apples. Only something like 50% of seed started trees ever produce fruit and most produce inedible fruit but some produce super fruit and those are usually chosen to take cutting from so they can be grafter to apple root stock.

I believe to get the seeds to germinate you need to freeze them and you may have to scar the seed coat as well. than put the seeds in dirt and wait for germination to happen and after a year it would be time to plant the seedling in the ground and than another 4 years until the first apple or two (if the tree even makes apples) and the taste test to see if it is worth it to go on with the tree.

There are people out there that believe the fruit from seed started trees is vastly superior to grafted trees in nutrition. All commercial apples are started from grafts, not seeds.

Since you know where the apples came from ask if you can have material to graft onto apple root stock (or a tree if you already have apple trees. Or stick the twig in water-I have gotten them to root this way. You will need other apple/crab apples for pollination.

I think that most apples today are f1 hybrids that produce sterile seed. Like the previous posts states, alot of them are grafted onto a hearty rootstock, usually a crab apple that can survive the winter and dry conditions. I guess all you can do is try and see if it grows and if it is edible in the end. Jane

Ohioorganic:
What about the heirloom apple trees you can get these days? Are those also grafted?

I believe all commercially available apples are grafted in this country, even the old varieties. Grafting has been going on for centuries because all apples are hybrids. (The f1 seeds would not be sterile but would likely not reproduce anything like the parents) and pretty much garantees a tree that has the apples you expect.

I believe that Johnny Appleseed did grafting of Rambo Trees rather than spreading seeds of this tree as legend tells us (He actually was carrying hard cider to the people of the Ohio territory and was a wildly popular guy, the apple trees seemed to be secondary to the hooch)

I wonder if you could graft a piece of apple tree AND a piece of pear tree to the same root stock, and grow a 2-for-1 plant. That'd be something the neighbourhood could talk about...

Or the two varieties of apple and pear on the same root stock, so you don't need to plant two of the darned things to pollinate the flowers!

I've seen several trees in garden catalogs that are 3 or five kinds of apples (or pears, or peaches, or cherries) grafted onto a common root stock. That way, you can plant just 1 tree, and not need another for pollination, and you also get different varieties (and ripening times, for a longer bearing season) from a single tree. Great for people who want a large variety of fruits, but with limited space for tree planting.

I've heard of this too. I think the best thing to do is go to a nursery and buy an apple tree or two with the kind of apples you want and plant them.

The Gurney's catalog has a 5-in-1 apple tree, and a 3-in-1 cherry tree. I've never found the "multiple grafts" at the local nurseries, just the mail order places. Hope this helps.

Yes, almost all heirloom apples are grafted. Some northern nurseries only graft onto standard root stocks instead of one of the Malling selections.

There is a very short list of open pollinated apples that could be grown out from seed, it is the rootstock that is of use (antonovka comes to mind) from those.

You can grow out apple seed and graft a known and desirable cultivar onto your own rootstock. It aint hard.