Apple Pips

[poultrychat]

Part of my land used to be an orchard, now there is only 1 tree left and it's in my neighbours field so the autumn before last I popped over the fence (as you do ) picked up a few windfalls and planted the pips, only 1 took and it is now about 4-5 inches high in a 3 inch pot in my greenhouse. I'm not bothered whether it grows fruitful or not but would like to keep it growing but don't know what to do with it or how to look after it, any ideas?

[Cab]

Apples grown from pips can turn out nearly any way at all. The beauty of the apple is that it doesn't breed true; grow one from a pip and it could turn out almost any way at all, big, small, tasty, sour, dwarfing tree, great big tree, heavy fruiting, hardly fruiting at all... You just don't know.

A three inch seedling like that has a good chance of survival; I'd keep it in a pot till all it isn't frosty out, harden it off, then I'd plant it outside, again, in a much larger pot. It'll grow on well this year, and you'll be able to leave it outside over winter.

During its dormant season after its lost its leaves (next January/Fenruary I'd aim for) plant it into its final location, it'll be fine. Keep that spot free of weeds until the tree is big enough to fend for itself.

[andrewo]

It doesn't work

The problem with apple trees grown from a pip, is that they don't come true e.g. they will not be the same breed and will not pollinate (no fruit) as they need a partner tree (of the same variety and vigour). You will get a new breed and it may pollinate itself, or you will have to do it by hand but the product may be truly awful, and you will end up with a giant of a tree.

[Nicos]

I've got about 8 baby apple trees from my sister-in -law's tree from 2 yrs ago before she moved house. They are only about 8 ins high and I was looking forward in years to come to eat the huge, sweet cookers from them! Imagine how I felt when the same advice was given by Sarah Raven last week! Will still plant them and see what comes up, but I thought I'd have to graft them onto some other rootstock first, or graft them onto an existing tree? I'd plant them in the hegerow for the birds if I didn't think they would be slashed down by the council hedge slasher!

[Cab]

The problem with apple trees grown from a pip, is that they don't come true e.g. they will not be the same breed and will not pollinate (no fruit) as they need a partner tree (of the same variety and vigour). You will get a new breed and it may pollinate itself, or you will have to do it by hand but the product may be truly awful, and you will end up with a giant of a tree.

Wildling apples tend to find pollinators; if there are other apple trees nearby your chances are good.

As to the size, you simply don't know. Its rare that wildlings are really monstrous, but it does happen.

[Cab]

but I thought I'd have to graft them onto some other rootstock first, or graft them onto an existing tree?

I've been picking wild apples for years, and the range of flavours, textures and colours you find wild is truly staggering. What you're doing is you're growing eight essentially wild (or 'wildling', as they're derived from domestic stock) apple trees. They could be eaters, cookers, hard things like crab apples, they might be something inbetween all of those. They could be yellow when ripe, red, green, long and thin, squat and flat... Or they may turn out to be random triploids that never quite find good pollination partners. Fun, isn't it?

They won't need to be grafted, but be careful where you plant them. You have no idea how big they'll get, how well they'll grow, etc. Taking a grafting onto another rootstock would at least keep them under control, but its a lot of faff for trees that may turn out to be kind of useless.

[poultrychat]

Thanks for all of the info, much appreciated I do know the pip is from a cooker and I have other young apple trees here so maybe one day it will fruit.

[nick the grief]

If you grow it in a big pot you can restrict it somewhat and get it to fruit a bit earlier, try it if it's OK then you ahve the descision to make about what to do with it.

If you wanted you could grow and train it as a big (V Big) Bonsai, be a talking point at least. Who knows, in a hundred years time there maybe someone on this forum asking if anyone know where they can get a Poultrychats seedling from

[Jaxom]

There is an apple that most of us see every time we shop at a supermarket that grew from a pip to be one of the most widely eaten in the UK. It's the Granny Smith.
Brambly Apples are all related to the original mother tree from about 200 hundred years ago. All descendent trees are grafted onto another rootstock. You will never grow a Brambly from seed.
If there ever is a tree you like the apples of and wish to grow with out ordering a growing/named tree from a supplier, you have to take a twig off the tree you like and graft it on to another rootstock. this is the only way to get a true copy tree.
Jax

[poultrychat]

Thanks again for all the ideas/info, I will keep it growing and see what happens, I have the space for it to become a monster so that doesn't bother me.

ps. I like ntg's idea best - poultrychat's apples