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Wed, Oct 8, 14 at 21:11
| due to the cost of ordering trees i decided to grow a few trees from seed. there are still those who believe that apples just wont grow in a tropical climate, no not in the Caribbean,not in Grenada.i have heard of a few people who have trees and of one lady who has a fruiting tree. for me its the challenge that has me hyped. have 6 trees growing one of which i am going to give to a friend. i have been treating my tress as mature tress and trying to enforce flowering, little did i know of my ignorance when it comes to seedling trees. was going about it wrong, got the trees to grow yes but also did them an injustice by pruning and treating them like any other tree. so i am going to change the way i care for the tress i have now. i have a few sprouting and those who make it pass the month mark will be given the A class treatment. it is my intention to grow these new trees organically but if i discover that the only way to get maximum out put is to use store bought fertilizers then that's the way to go.my main goal with these new tress is to bring them to fruit within three years. will be posting updates as time goes by also will be posting the methods i employ and research i do. would like to know how others are fertilizing they seedling apple trees grown from seed. there is another post here in this forum the addresses the question can apples grow in a tropical climate?, very interesting am hoping that people post updates on trees they have growing and the care they give them. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by harvestman 6 (My Page) on Thu, Oct 9, 14 at 8:37
| I think you should try somehow to get scion wood to graft onto the trees or the apples will likely not be very appealing to the palate. Only the rare self fertile variety (Gravenstein) has a decent chance of producing fruit anything like the parent. Northern Spy is a variety that has been used in Africa, partially because the wood naturally roots so you can propagate it directly and get good fruit. I believe the leaves must be stripped annually, probably a couple weeks before the years shortest day, to create false dormancy. |
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| Apples carry a lot of genes. It is statistically rare to get a good mix of genes in planted seeds. So better to plant the seeds then graft to the small tree. You can graft only a portion of the tree if you want t o try the seeds genetic fruit, but by grafting you are more likely to get good fruit. If you can grow great apples there and pick them only when fully ripe, you will be the king of that place. |
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| FYI - This website has info about growing apples in the tropics. |
Here is a link that might be useful: apples in the tropics
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| Wish I could grow bananas in the yard in Arkansas...year round to fruiting :) |
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| -In woody perennial plants, the length of the juvenile period is influenced by environment16 and is inversely correlated with vigor. Accordingly, environmental conditions that reduce vigorous growth, such as mineral deficiency, low light, water stress, defoliation or cold stress, tend to delay the transition from the juvenile to adult phase, whereas the conditions that allow for vigorous growth can shorten the period of juvenility. In apple (Malus × domestica), where field-grown seedlings typically do not flower until they are at least 5 years old, plants can be promoted to the adult reproductive phase after as little as 10 months under optimal growth conditions. Growing the seedling as fast and vigorously as possible. This can best be achieved by avoiding any check to growth in the early stages of development and, where this is not possible, to keep disturbance to a minimum.- Well I don’t have a greenhouse so I will have to grow the seedlings outdoors. It was also suggested that growing apple seedlings under a 16hr day light schedule also helps decrease the jeuvinile phase, well that’s not an option for me. But With the tropic climate here I am hoping that the year round unchecked growth that can be achieved with irrigation will be a plus to give me that first year height 2 Meters and above. Evaluating the juvenile phase of seedlings, Zimmerman (1973) found that the lowest bud of a seedling which may be an indicator of the point of transition to the adult phase occurred at a height of 1.8-2m on greenhouse plants in crab apple. I am hoping this will be the case with my seedlings ( wishful thinking I guess but I won’t know if I don’t try) grown in pots outside. This will be challenging I know but I am going to give it a go. Growing them in pots will allow me to move the plants around to take advantage of the prime spots as the sun move across the sky throughout the year and to give them shelter from storms. I am still researching fertilization and will welcome suggestions. My soil mix will include coconut choir, sand, bio char, agro-lime and homemade compost. Not the best of materials but they are local and practically free. Still working on a good ratio. Will post it up at a later date. My biggest challenge I believe is irrigation as potted plant do need more attention as far as water is concern. And the pots being outdoors call for more water than indoor plants. May have to use a size bigger pot as that would allow for mulching … Would love to hear from others growing apple seedlings in pots/containers… seedlings in pic over a week old |
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| almost a moth old |
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| lovely seedlings |
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| transplanted my seedlings into larger pots the plan is to grow them in the pots for ten months or until they get root bound which ever comes first. |
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| It is easy to maintain seedling rootstock trees to two meters in the tropics, and 2x3m spacing is common where rainfall and soil fertility allow it. Leaf-stripping is governed more by the seasonal rain pattern than by day length, which will be pretty constant in the tropics. The apples are likely to taste like grass or cotton, but it is good practice in case you want to import apple trees, which can be done. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Apples Fighting Nature
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| Thanks applenut i do intend to import apples trees if all goes well will place my order late January. if not 2016 for sure. like the video. my plan thou for the seedlings is to keep them in pots till the 2016 rainy season. trying to reduce the juvenile stage of my apple seedlings. growing them in the pots will allow me to have a greater influence on their growth. aiming for 2 meters in height before i plant them out. |
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