Fruit · tree

Apple from seed

Malus domestica · also searched as fruit seed stratification

Sowing depth: about 1 in (25 mm)
Light: Cover the seed; darkness helps
Before sowing: Cold-moist stratification: 60 to 90 days at 34 to 40°F (1 to 4°C).
Spacing: see rootstock advice

Seed-grown apples do not come true to the parent variety; grafting is how named varieties are made.

Sowing

Apple seed is dormant. Keep it damp in a bag of sand or mix in the fridge for 60 to 90 days, then sow, or sow outdoors in autumn and let winter do it (Oklahoma State).

Care and transplanting

Seedlings are fine as rootstock or novelty trees, but fruit will not match the parent, can take many years and is often small or sour.

Problems

Mould in the fridge bag: use clean damp (not wet) medium and check it. Seed dried out after extraction loses viability.

Saving seed

Never let fresh seed dry out; stratify straight away.