Yellow apple tree leaves

[Chilliguy]

Hi, this is my first post so apologies if it's in the wrong place. I've been growing an apple tree from seed since last year and this is it's first winter.
It's about 10 inches and has been indoors in a pots since it germinated.

The 2 top (newest leaves) have gone yellow and some others have small patches of yellow on. I have read this morning about chlorosis and I'm wondering if that is the issue!?

I've tried to test the soil for pH level but all I did was take some soil, add water and dip litmus paper in (it was pH 6/7) is there a better way to test without buying a pH meter?

I have some pictures if that helps to confirm chlorosis but is there a way to upload them to the post without a URL?

Thanks

[greenishfing]

Hello and welcome. I'm no expert but do have a few apple trees. They are deciduous so are completely leafless at the moment. Are you in the UK too? There is no need for apples to be indoors in the UK.

[veggiechicken]

Hi and welcome!
I'm surprised that you have leaves on your seedling at this time of year, maybe you're keeping it too warm and it thinks its spring already. The yellow leaves could be because its stressed indoors - not enough light?.
Maybe its pot is too small or the compost is stale?
Put it somewhere in good light and cooler. If you have a greenhouse that would be good.

You won't be able to post images directly to the forum until you made about 10 more posts and proved that you're a genuine gardener.

[nickdub]

Hi, this is my first post so apologies if it's in the wrong place. I've been growing an apple tree from seed since last year and this is it's first winter.
It's about 10 inches and has been indoors in a pots since it germinated.

The 2 top (newest leaves) have gone yellow and some others have small patches of yellow on. I have read this morning about chlorosis and I'm wondering if that is the issue!?

I've tried to test the soil for pH level but all I did was take some soil, add water and dip litmus paper in (it was pH 6/7) is there a better way to test without buying a pH meter?

I have some pictures if that helps to confirm chlorosis but is there a way to upload them to the post without a URL?

Thanks

Stick it outside so it gets a cold break - if a severe frost is forecast, bury the pot in the ground.

As you may be aware apples are not normally grown from seed, the chance of getting anything decent in terms of fruit from a seedling is low (but better than winning the lottery). It will take about 5 years before it starts fruiting.


One other thing, if it is a disappointment in terms of fruit, you can still graft a named variety of apple on to it if you know someone you can get off cuts from. The chances are though that ultimately you could end up with a big tree - say 40' high if planted in the ground.

[ameno]

Assuming you live in the northern hemisphere, I suspect the issue is that you have been keeping it indoors.
Apples are deciduous, and need a winter rest period where they drop their leaves and go dormant. But being indoors, where it is always warm and they have artificial light, is likely to prevent this from happening.

Put it outside in a sheltered spot for now, although it may be too late for it to go dormant this year. Repot it once it starts new growth in the spring, and from now on just leave it outside.

[Chilliguy]

Thanks for the replies.
Yes I'm in the UK, I didn't put it outside over winter I thought it was maybe a bit to small to last out there. I've not had it exceptionally warm inside, though not cold either.

I had read that commercial apples are pollinated with crab apple pollen so tbh I'm not expecting anything great from it. It's just that it's my first time growing a fruit tree so just learning the ropes.

I'll put it outside now and see what happens. Thanjd again

[ameno]

It may or may not turn out to be a good eating variety, but an apple grown on its own roots won't fruit for a minimum of 5-6 years, and probably more. It will also grow huge, some 30ft+.
If you want to practice growing a fruit tree without too much investment, personally I'd recommend buying a cheap apple tree from somewhere like Tesco or Wilko. You should be able to get one for less than £10, and it will be grafted onto an M26 rootstock, which means it should start fruiting within 3 years, and will grow no more than 10ft (and can be kept to about 7ft with pruning).

[Chilliguy]

It may or may not turn out to be a good eating variety, but an apple grown on its own roots won't fruit for a minimum of 5-6 years, and probably more. It will also grow huge, some 30ft+.
If you want to practice growing a fruit tree without too much investment, personally I'd recommend buying a cheap apple tree from somewhere like Tesco or Wilko. You should be able to get one for less than £10, and it will be grafted onto an M26 rootstock, which means it should start fruiting within 3 years, and will grow no more than 10ft (and can be kept to about 7ft with pruning).

Awesome, thanks for the advice