How to Germinate an Apple Seed

Start with locally grown apples, if possible, to stratify and germinate apple seeds.

Apples and most other fruit trees are typically propagated asexually. This is usually accomplished from cuttings, using budding, grafting and other cloning techniques because trees grown from seed may not “breed true” or reflect the fruit quality and other traits valued in one or both parents. In other words, the chances are good that you can grow a tree from an apple seed, but you may be surprised by that tree’s characteristics. A process known as stratification is required to grow apples from seed, meaning that seeds need to “after ripen” or mature during a period of moist chilling before they will germinate.

Things You'll Need

• Mature locally grown apples
• Air-dried peat moss
• Covered plastic container or sealable polyethylene bag
• Refrigerator
• Four-inch planting pots
• Commercial germination soil or
• 50-50 blend of vermiculite & sphagnum moss

Instructions

1. Remove seeds from a fully ripe, locally or regionally grown apple. Growing seeds from grocery-store fruit can be disappointing, since the apples may have come from trees varieties that won’t do well in your area.

2. Mix apple seeds thoroughly with barely moistened peat moss. Mix 1 part air-dried peat moss (by weight) with 1 part water. Adding more moisture might speed the stratification process, but it can cause fungal growth that will damage seeds.

3. Place the seed and peat moss mixture in the airtight, covered refrigerator container or sealable plastic bag. Close tightly. Put the container or bag in a refrigerator.

4. “Moist chill” or stratify apple seeds by chilling for at least two months, preferably three or four months.

5. Sow the stratified apple seeds in individual pots, using a commercial germination soil mix or a mixture of equal parts vermiculite and shredded sphagnum peat moss. Fill pot three-fourths full with soil, place seed on the soil, then cover with 1 inch of potting soil.

6. Water until the planting soil is fully moist and excess water is draining through each pot's drain holes, and keep soil moist. Place the pots in a warm but dimly lit location until seeds germinate.

Tips & Warnings

• Some seeds may begin to germinate during refrigeration. These will grow into healthy trees if you handle them with care during planting. Do not touch emerging roots or shoots.

References

• University of Saskatchewan Extension: Seed Stratification
• Purdue University Horticulture: Growing Trees from Seed
• University of Illinois Extension: The Great Plant Escape
• Virginia Cooperative Extension: Plant Propagation from Seed