Apple is the fruit of the apple tree (Pyrus malus L.), tree of the Rosaceae family, which also includes other fruits such as peach, apricot, plum and cherry, to name a few examples. Although the exact origin of the apple is unknown, it is believed that it comes from the crossing of several European and Asian wild apple species. What can be assured is that man, since ancient times, learned to cultivate the apple tree and, currently, is one of the most widespread fruit trees worldwide.

It reached the New Continent in the sixteenth century by the Spanish conquistadors, where its cultivation soon spread and, a century later, from Latin America, the apple tree reached North America and later North Africa and Australia. Today, Spain is one of the leading apple producers worldwide.

How to plant an apple tree from the seed

Have you ever wondered if you can take the seeds of an apple and plant them in your garden? The answer is yes, of course you can do it! However, in order for you to get apples from the seeds you will need effort, patience and a little planning. Continue reading to learn how to grow and care for your own apple tree.

Part 1. Simulate the winter

a. Collect two different types of seeds.

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The apple tree should be planted in groups of two to bear fruit, because the apple tree does not self-pollinate, so you will need a different type of apple tree to pollinate. You can get the seeds of an apple that you are going to eat or you can also buy them in the store. Keep in mind that if you plant the tree with the seeds that you got from an apple, it will not necessarily guarantee that the tree born of these seeds will bear fruit. Collect or buy seeds that adapt to your area, otherwise the tree could die very fast.

It is recommended that you buy a young apple tree in the nursery instead of trying to sow it from its seed. If you want to plant an apple tree from its seed, you must also bear in mind that it can grow very tall (about 9 meters or 30 feet at its maximum height). If you think you have enough space in your yard for a tree of that size, perfect! You should also bear in mind that trees that are born from the seed could take between 8 to 10 years to bear fruit, while a young transplanted tree will bear fruit in a much shorter period of time.

b. Dry the seeds.

When you have extracted the seeds of the fruit and you have eliminated any piece of fruit adhering to them, it will be time to put them to dry. This means drying them in the air until there is no moisture in the shell.

c. Cover the seeds with a damp paper towel.

Put the paper towel and the seeds in a sealed plastic bag, in a jar with a lid or in a pan. Whatever the container, make sure you can close it. You can also use wet moss peat instead of paper towels.

d.Put the seeds in the fridge.

The seeds need a period of exposure to cold temperatures called "post-ripening". Basically, it's a simulated winter. During this time, the seeds will begin to sprout and take root. They must remain in that environment for 8 weeks or more. Keep the seeds at a temperature between 4.4 ° C to 10 ° C (40 ° F to 50 ° F), with an optimum temperature of 4.4 ° C to 5 ° C (40 ° F to 41 ° F).

If possible, perform this procedure when it is really winter so that when you take the seeds out of the fridge they are aligned with the actual seasons. Planting the seed buds in the first days of spring after the last frosts will allow you to obtain better results.

e. Check from time to time to make sure the towel is still wet

After 8 weeks, the seeds should have sprouted and developed small roots that come out from the bottom of the seed. When the seeds sprout, remove them from the refrigerator.

Part 2. Plant the seeds

a. Prepare flower pot and the earth.

The seeds should be planted in a small pot. Use a good mix of earth. Apple seeds grow better on the earth with a neutral pH level. Fill the earth pot and create a hole two or three times larger than the seed. Do not use fertilizer. At this stage it is not necessary, although if you wish you can use mulch or fertilizer to give the seeds an extra boost.

b. Place the seed in the dirt inside the hole.

Make sure to handle the seeds very carefully, as their roots are very delicate. Place the seed in the ground and then cover it, making sure to accommodate the earth by patting it gently. Sprinkle the seed immediately so that the soil sits around it and stays moist.

c. Keep the pot at room temperature.

While in the pot, the seed and soil should remain at room temperature (or at a slightly higher temperature). The seed should have access to sunlight for a good part of the day, so we recommend that you put it near a window that receives good sunlight.

d. Watch the growth of the seed.

A few weeks after you sow them, the seeds will start to develop small leaves. From this point they will grow larger and stronger. Keep the seeds in the pots until they look very strong and the danger of frost has passed. If the pot is too small for the growth of the seed, transplant it to a larger pot and continue watering it every day.

Part 3. Sow the seeds abroad

a. Choose a location for your apple tree.

There are several factors that determine where you should plant a tree. These factors include sunlight, land and available space.

Sunlight: the apple tree needs total exposure to the sun. This means that you must receive 6 or more hours of sunlight per day. If possible, plant the tree facing east or with a small incline to the north.

Earth: it is not good to plant the apple tree in marshy land. That means that you must plant it in a soil that retains moisture well but has good drainage. The soil must be moderately rich in nutrients and have a relatively neutral pH level.

Available space: because your apple tree was born from a seed, it will grow to its full size (which means it can reach up to 6 meters or 9 meters in height). You must make sure there is enough room for your root system to grow. Sow the apple tree at least 4.5 meters away from any other tree, especially if you are going to plant two apple trees in the same field.

b. Learn when it is good time to transplant the apple offspring.

When your offspring is big enough so that no one will step on it or think it's grass, transplant it carefully without cutting any of its roots. The best time of year to plant the shoot outside depends on your location and any other warmer area, planting in the fall can be very beneficial.

c. Remove the weed by a diameter of 1 meter (4 feet) from the planting site.

Dig a hole that is twice the diameter of the root system of the apple sprout. Make sure the hole is about 60 cm (2 feet) deep. When you have made the hole, loosen the soil from the walls of the hole, this will help the roots of the tree penetrate the soil.

d. Transplant the apple sprout.

Sprinkle the roots of the shoot abundantly so they do not get tangled or piled up in the hole you made. Start replacing the earth around the roots. When the roots are covered, pat the soil firmly to remove any air bubbles that may be around the roots of the tree. Fill the rest of the hole with the loose earth. Do not add fertilizer or fresh manure to the soil around the tree. The fertilizer could "burn" the root.

e. Water the tree well to eliminate air bubbles.

After watering the tree, water the mulch to help it retain moisture. Hay, straw or organic wood chips work just as well as mulch made from an apple tree. You must water the mulch in a circle of 90 cm (3 feet) around the tree. This serves to retain moisture and prevent the grass from growing and compete for water and nutrients with the roots of the tree.

Part 4. Caring for the tree

a. Water the tree.

While the tree is small (approximately 15 cm or 20 cm tall), you should water it every 10 to 12 days. However, as you grow, you can stop watering it as often, as long as the soil remains moist (but not bogged down). The more it grows, you should water it less often. However, in summer, water the tree every 1 or 2 weeks.

• During the rest of the year, you can let nature do the rest, unless you live in an extremely dry area. In that case, keep in mind that the equivalent of 2.5 cm to 5 cm of water per week is ideal for the first year of tree growth. Make sure you give a good amount of water.

b. Protect the tree from pests.

If you live in an area with deer, you must protect the tree while it is young. Deer love to graze the apple tree buds, in some cases even damaging the trunk of the tree. Fence the ground with a mesh larger than the tree. In areas with low pressure spraying the tree with beer from the store or homemade beer can also work.In areas of low pressure, spraying the tree with a commercial or household spray may also be effective.

Keep rabbits and mice away by placing wire mesh around the base of the tree.

Keep the insects away. Insects can negatively affect the health of fruits. You can buy an insecticide at the nursery or at the nearest garden store.

Fight the apple worm. This type of worm is one of the most common pests that affects the apple tree. In June, hang 1 or 2 red balls the size of a baseball from the branches of the tree. Coating the balls with a sticky material like (coating to catch insects or any other similar product that you can acquire in your gardening shop.

c. Fertilize the tree when it has grown.

You must fertilize your apple tree every spring. Fertilize it when the last snow has passed (if it snows in your area), but before it starts producing shoots. You must use a fertilizer with nitrogen and oxide content. You must put the fertilizer under the canopy of the tree, applying ½ gram of fertilizer for every 2.5 cm of trunk diameter.

Always perform a soil test before adding the fertilizer. Depending on the results of this test, you probably need to use an organic slow release. Keep in mind that a large amount of nitrogen will lead to overgrowth of vegetables and limited fruit production. Do not use growth fertilizers and pest control, fertilizers with this type of combination can damage apples.

d. Avoid pruning the tree while young.

In the first years, prune the tree as little as possible so you do not delay the growth of the fruit. You should prune only the dead or diseased branches. An apple tree needs to grow long before it decides to produce fruit (its way of reproducing), so let it grow until it starts to bear fruit.

Cut out the tree shoots that are out of place before they grow into branches that you should prune anyway.

You will also need to prune the tree to establish a "central leader". If there are two branches that grow vertically, prune the smallest or the least you want so that the tree can concentrate all its energy on the central leader.

e. Address the tree.

It may sound weird, but the branches of the tree must be shaped to maximize fruit production. Any branch that has an angle of 35 ° or less from the trunk, should be directed at a better angle (any angle greater than 35 ° from the trunk). Bend the branch so that it is almost completely horizontal and tie it with rope to sticks stuck in the ground or other branches that are below. Leave the branch tied for several weeks.

f. Reduce the excess of fruit.

Produce a lot of fruit can become harmful to the tree, because it can bend the branches of the tree, thus reducing the quality of the apples it produces. You must reduce the fruit so that there are 1 or 2 apples per cluster, with about 15 cm at 20 cm distance from each other. You'll be glad you did when you finally bitten the delicious apples that your tree produces.

g. When the tree matures, take it every year.

When the tree has produced fruit and has been refilled, you should start pruning it once a year. Do it when you are inactive. Cut the strong branches that grow upwards (usually found in the highest part of the tree). You should also prune the broken, dead or diseased branches, as well as the branches that grow towards the tree or that cross each other.

Cut any branch that is very close to the ground, in general, the branches of the tree should begin to grow 45 cm (18 inches) or more from the ground.

You must also eliminate the weak branches, which usually grow around the strongest branches.

TIPS

Place a single seed in each pot so they do not have to compete for nutrients and sunlight.
Keep the apple sprout in the pot until it is 40 cm to 60 cm high.
Before eating the fruit, check that there are no insects or bruises.
Research the Internet for more information on the general care that should be given to apples, or read a book of the many that are available in your nearest bookstore.
Never let the tree dry.
You should be aware of the level of rainfall in your area and monitor the apple tree. If the leaves start to wilt and it is not supposed to rain for a long time, you should water the tree with the hose.

¡Grow apples in your garden at home and enjoy a fruit tree as beautiful as the apple tree!

For more information visit:
http://frutas.consumer.es/manzana/propiedades
https://www.lechepuleva.es/aprende-a-cuidarte/tu-alimentacion-de-la-a-z/m/manzana
https://es.wikihow.com/sembrar-un-%C3%A1rbol-de-manzana-desde-la-semilla
The videos were edited to change the playback format and uploaded to my youtobe channel.

If you got here ... Infinite thanks for reading me.

"God bless you and protect you"

MONDAY: How to plant an apple tree from the seed