How to Grow Macintosh Apples From Seed
Although all commercially-grown apple trees are grown by grafting with rootstocks, it is possible to grow apple trees from seeds. If you want to grow a Macintosh apple tree from seed, simply extract the seeds from a store-bought Macintosh apple. Keep in mind, however, that the tree you'll grow from those seeds won't necessarily bear fruit that is identical to the original apple, because most store-bought apples are hybrids of some sort. Nevertheless, growing Macintosh apple trees from seed is easy and similar to growing any other fruit tree from seed. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Fresh Macintosh apple
- Paper towels
- All-purpose potting mix
- Seed tray with lid
- Planter pots, 6-inch variety
- Liquid fertilizer
- Shovel
- Organic compost
- Fruit-tree fertilizer
Instructions
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1
Remove the seeds from the core of the Macintosh apple. Rinse the seeds to remove any sugars. Spread the seeds on a paper towel to dry.
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2
Spread 2 inches of well-draining, all-purpose potting mix into the bottom of a seed tray. Insert the Macintosh apple seeds 1 inch deep into the potting mix, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Cover the seeds with another ½ inch of potting mix.
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3
Water to moisten the potting mix thoroughly. Place the lid on the seed tray until the seeds germinate and start to sprout, and then remove the lid. Set the tray in bright, indirect sunlight.
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4
Transplant the seedlings into individual 6-inch planter pots when they are about 2 inches tall and have two or three levels of leaves. Transplant only the strongest seedlings.
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5
Water the Macintosh apple tree seedlings at least once per week to keep the potting medium moist. Keep the young trees in bright, indirect sunlight and turn the pots once every week so that the trees will grow straight.
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6
Feed your young apple trees once a month during the growing season with a liquid fertilizer. Follow the directions on the label for fertilizer dosage. Transplant your Macintosh apple trees outdoors in the fall when they've grown large enough, about 3 to 4 feet tall.
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7
Dig planting holes for each tree that are twice the size of the planter pots in a location that receives full sunlight. Amend the displaced dirt with some organic compost (one part compost to four parts soil). Place the Macintosh apple tree into the hole and backfill with the compost and soil. Water the tree thoroughly to soak the soil down to the roots.
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Tips & Warnings
After transplanting your Macintosh apple trees outdoors, you should feed them once every spring and summer with a commercial fertilizer made for fruit trees. Follow the dosage directions on the label.
Don't expect your Macintosh apple trees to produce fruit until they're at least 5 or 6 years old.
