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Tue, Jun 28, 11 at 23:18
| Hello all! This is my first post/ question and I am completely nieve to gardening. My family wanted to start a little project stemmed by my kids. I'm not even sure if this is even possible. We wanted to take some seeds from a Granny Smith apple and grow a tree that will produce apples. Is this possible? I understand that apple trees can not pollinate themselves so several apple trees need to be near to each other so that they can be cross pollinated by bees. But if I can get the trees to grow will I be successful? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by yiorges-z5il (My Page) on Wed, Jun 29, 11 at 8:14
| most (all) apple trees will self-polinaate. The seed from this apple will produce a tree and in 4-10 years will produce a apple BUT IT WILL NOT BE EXACTLY LIKE A GRANNY SMITH APPLE..... try take a cutting of the apple tree |
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- Posted by chuck2000xj none (My Page) on Wed, Jun 29, 11 at 8:54
| Thanks... I have been doing some reading and everywhere I have read all said that apple trees wont self pollinate. Not that it matters. I will plant a few. And why won't the apple be like a Granny Smith? |
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| Most of the commercial/grocery store fruit we buy comes from trees propagated by means other than seeds to ensure specific characteristics - they are produced from cuttings, grafting to produce exact duplicates of the 'mother' plants. Reproduction by seed can be widely variable, and while the offspring might be similar to one or both parents, some or even all of the desirable characteristics may be lost. Most commercially propagated apple trees are grafted onto dwarf rootstocks that are disease and cold tolerant. Seedling offspring of these nursery-grown trees will not have those same advantages. Then take into consideration cross pollination - and commercial orchards will often use crab apple planted as pollinators and you've thrown even more variety into the mix. You may have an apple tree that bears apples, but there is a strong chance they will be small fruit, and may or may not taste good. |
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- Posted by chuck2000xj none (My Page) on Wed, Jun 29, 11 at 11:41
| Ok I understand. Thank you both for your help. Even if I cant get a desirable apple to grow, I think it would be fun for all of us (especially the kids) to see something grow from a seed. I have a few seeds that have started to sprout in a moist papertowel. I am going to plant them in plastic cups to start with and see where it goes from there. |
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