Northern Spy apples--how to germinate seeds

Granny Sue · #1 10/14/10, 08:21 PM

a friend gave me a Northern Spy apple and I'm a convert. They're delicious! I saved the core and would like to try to start the seeds and grow a tree. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to do this? We've grown peach trees and a Grimes golden apple from seed accidentally--they just came up in the yard. But this time I'd like to do it on purpose!

Danaus29 · #2 10/14/10, 09:16 PM

Looks like it's an old variety, might come true from seed but will take a while to produce:
http://www.vintagevirginiaapples.com...orthernspy.htm

Here's how to get the seeds to sprout:
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardenin...ed-473689.html

Good luck with your apple seeds.

Use Less · #3 10/15/10, 07:59 AM

Apple varieties are not typically grown from seed. You plant apple seeds & you'll get an apple tree. The new tree and its fruit may be similar to the original or wildly different to the point of nasty. It's all luck that your volunteer "Grimes Gold" is very like a recognizable variety. The years it takes are a LONG time to wait starting from an apple core. Better to buy a 3-4yr. old tree and plant that. It'll be true to variety, and start producing in about 3 years. Or if you have some wild apple (not crabapple) volunteers, try to find someone nearby with a tree of the variety you want, and graft in a bud at the proper time of year. Sue

ronbre · #4 10/15/10, 10:18 AM

i have started a lot of trees from seed and my best suggestion is to plant the entire core..i'm not sure why but that seems to work best..i think the acids in the rotting flesh help the seeds to germinate and the core feeds the seedling..i however would warn you that it is unlikly you will have your apple come true from seed to the exact apple that you want, it might have cross pollinated or it might revert to an ancestor..however I have always had good tasting apples from my seed plants

Granny Sue · #5 10/15/10, 11:30 PM

I'm aware of the possibilities of not having it come true to the original and don't mind waiting for it to bear. I was impatient when we moved here 35 years ago and planted semi-dwarf trees. Most of those are already gone, but the standard pear and apple trees we planted are still with us. And the wild seedling trees do quite well. So Ronbre, I will take your advice and plant the whole core and see what happens. If I get nothing, that's the same thing I started with so I won't lose anything. Danaus, thank you for the link. It's very helpful.