Most sold are grafted in order to produce a named variety. The only bought tree that i own that was not grafted is a pomegranate and that was grown from cutting. The chances of growing a great piece of fruit without knowing the parentage of the seed and only planting one are low. In general, trees on their own roots will take a long time to bear fruit. If your friend is going it for fun or curiosity then go ahead. If he/she wants a great piece of fruit then spend the money on a named variety. Warning: Growing fruit trees is an addicting and delicious hobby. Good luck.

I figured that was the answer. He is a newbie at gardening. He thinks he can grow great tomatoes and peppers from seeds he saved of store bought vegetables. I've tried several times to explain hybrids and heirloom seeds, but he won't listen. I said to try it and see what happens.

Goyo is right about pomegranate being one of the obvious tree (or shrub) fruits that is not grafted. Most fruiting shrubs, vines, and of course brambles are not grafted either though. If everything were easy to grow from cuttings, grafting would be less common and more about conferring specific traits of a rootstock.

It is also true that plants take longer to bear from seed than with grafting, but all of this emphasis on grafting and time to bear really applies most strongly to apples. Many stone fruits, including apricots and peaches, can easily bear within three or four years from seed. They also tend to carry a lot more of the traits of their parents than do apple trees from seed apparently.

So, you're right that your friend may be a bit naive, but growing a peach tree from seed is not that crazy, as long as he knows that what he gets may be surprise.

Thanks! I'll tell him. He is so curious, I just need to let him experiment.

" The chances of growing a great piece of fruit without knowing the parentage of the seed and only planting one are low"

For peaches, this is simply not true.

JR is right. Seedling peaches have a very high likelihood of producing acceptable to very good fruit.
With some of the 'landrace' peach strains, I've seen figures that something like 85% of seedlings will produce fruit all but indistinguishable from the mother.
Time to bearing for seedling peaches is not all that long either.

The only example of a peach grown from seed that I know of first hand grows peaches that taste good,, but not much peach between the thick skin and seed. He is going to try to make it over by grafting this year. Of course he said that last year too..

We have grown some good fruits such as apple from seeds. My neighbor grew a peach that tasted like a cross between Kool-Aid and gasoline... I just finished teaching him to graft and we grafted it over. I love growing fruits from seed but if your friends purpose is to fill their belly or wallet put off growing things from seed until that is no longer their main concern. I plant some from seed as a hobby but 90% of what I do is grafted.

This post was edited by ClarkinKS on Sun, Apr 13, 14 at 17:47