How To Grow Fruit Trees From Seeds (And Why You Should!)
You may have heard that growing fruit trees from seeds will only lead to sadness. That you’ll get something nasty. Or that it takes so long that it’s just not worth the time involved.
In some cases, those complaints are correct. In other cases… well, just look at this:
Those peaches are growing on a tree that’s TWO YEARS OLD. From seed. But these peaches are old news for most of you, since I’ve posted on them here and at my site.
And – before I get in-depth, let’s ask the question: why would anyone want to know how to grow fruit trees from seeds? Is it worth it? Obviously, I believe it is – and hopefully you’ll agree by the end of this post. First let’s talk about the “why,” then we can talk about the “how.”
1. It’s Cheap As Heck
How cheap? BASICALLY FREE! At the very worst, you have to use a little potting soil or something. A nursery-grown tree may run you $20-$40. I like free better.
2. You Get Genetic Diversity
Genetic diversity is rarely discussed when talking about fruit trees but I believe it’s important. Trees like the Navel orange and the Gala apple came about because someone noticed something different… and cultivated it. Sure, the chances of accidentally breeding the next great commercial variety are very low, but you will have trees with edible fruit that aren’t exactly like anyone else’s. Name the tree after yourself if you like.
3. The Tree Is More Vigorous
Being in a pot and kept under perfect nursery conditions for years really does something to a tree. It makes it weak and never allows it to spread its roots properly. Have you noticed how long it takes for a transplanted tree to really adapt and start thriving? Some never do. Yet if you’ve ever seen a seedling pop up in your yard… boy do those things FLY! That’s because they grow right where they belong, right from the beginning. The roots are deep. The climate isn’t different from where they may have grown up. The soil is the soil they’ve always known. The winters are the winters they’ve always experienced. Seedling trees are vigorous and fast-growing. My peach trees are 10′ tall at two years old. Other trees I transplanted have done nowhere near as well as the seedlings have done.
4. No Grafting Or Pruning Has Been Done
The tree gets to have a nice childhood without being decapitated and having another head grafted on its neck. It also hasn’t been cut back to stay in a pot. Seedling trees can find their own size and form, unlike traditionally grafted, potted and pruned trees.
First, find some seeds. This is the fun part, because you get to eat fruit. If it’s a great-tasting fruit, save the seeds. If not, forget it.
Plant seeds from moderately local trees, if possible, so you’re likely to get a tree that has the proper chill requirements for your area. What are “chill requirements?” Those are the amount of hours a tree needs below 40-45 degrees in the winter in order to wake up again happy enough to bloom in the spring. If you plant a tree with the wrong chill hours, it will either wake up too early in the spring and get its blooms frosted off… or it will wake up too late and fail to bloom in time to get fruit. Both problems can be avoided by planting seeds from fruit grown in your climate.
Stone fruit are very easy to grow from seed and usually give you a tree that’s pretty close to its parent. They usually require some time in the refrigerator in order to sprout, so simply harvest the pits… put them in a baggie of slightly moist soil… pop them in the fridge… then pull them out a few months later and plant them. Like in the cartoon to the right.
If you want to be even more hands-off, just plant pits in the ground through the summer and fall and mark the spots where you’ve planted them. The chill of winter will usually get them to grow. (You can do the same with nuts. I’ve sprouted walnuts and chestnuts right in the ground.) Stone fruit grow quite quickly and can often bear in a remarkably short period of time.
Apples and pears are also easy to start from seeds but they don’t necessarily grow as true to type. Sometimes you’ll get a lousy tree, though that doesn’t happen as often as you might think. Plant the seeds right from the fruit and they’ll usually sprout easily. The biggest problem is keeping them from rotting when they’re seedlings. Use a nice, well-draining seed-starting mix. I like 50% peat and 50% perlite.
Persimmons are another tree that’s easy to grow from seed, though the trees take a while to get large. I plant American persimmon seeds in flats after we eat the fruit, then let the flats sit out all winter. I water them now and again, but mostly just wait. Some time in spring they’ll emerge. With Japanese persimmons, you just plant the seeds and they’ll pop up in about a month, no chilling required.
Pomegranates can be planted right away and grow quickly and easily from seed.
Loquat (which is not a citrus, incidentally) and citrus seeds cannot dry out or the embryos die. Plant them right after harvesting the seeds. Citrus pops up about three weeks after planting – loquats usually take a few months.
Pawpaw seeds also cannot dry out or they’ll lose viability. However, they also need chilling. Find out more on sprouting them here, plus discover just how weird I can be when I’ve had too much coffee and simultaneously gotten obsessed with a plant.
Learning how to grow fruit trees from seed is almost a lost skill, but it’s starting to come back as people realize just how screwed up the modern agricultural system has become. You’re bringing something new and beautiful into the world when you plant a seed. It’s more than just a survival or gardening thing: it’s about hope and faith. Some trees will take a long time to bear fruit… others will bear quickly. Papaya can bear in a year or less. Gingko trees don’t bear nuts for decades. In between those extremes there’s a lot a room to play around. Loquats take about 6 years. Mulberries take 10 (but only 1 year from cuttings!). Apples and pears take 6-10 years. Chestnuts can bear in 3. And, as I’ve discovered, peaches and nectarines can bear in 2 years under excellent conditions.
http://theprepperproject.com
In some cases, those complaints are correct. In other cases… well, just look at this:
Those peaches are growing on a tree that’s TWO YEARS OLD. From seed. But these peaches are old news for most of you, since I’ve posted on them here and at my site.
And – before I get in-depth, let’s ask the question: why would anyone want to know how to grow fruit trees from seeds? Is it worth it? Obviously, I believe it is – and hopefully you’ll agree by the end of this post. First let’s talk about the “why,” then we can talk about the “how.”
Why Grow Fruit Trees From Seeds?
There are multiple reasons to grow fruit trees from seeds, but here are a few of my favorites.1. It’s Cheap As Heck
How cheap? BASICALLY FREE! At the very worst, you have to use a little potting soil or something. A nursery-grown tree may run you $20-$40. I like free better.
2. You Get Genetic Diversity
Genetic diversity is rarely discussed when talking about fruit trees but I believe it’s important. Trees like the Navel orange and the Gala apple came about because someone noticed something different… and cultivated it. Sure, the chances of accidentally breeding the next great commercial variety are very low, but you will have trees with edible fruit that aren’t exactly like anyone else’s. Name the tree after yourself if you like.
3. The Tree Is More Vigorous
Being in a pot and kept under perfect nursery conditions for years really does something to a tree. It makes it weak and never allows it to spread its roots properly. Have you noticed how long it takes for a transplanted tree to really adapt and start thriving? Some never do. Yet if you’ve ever seen a seedling pop up in your yard… boy do those things FLY! That’s because they grow right where they belong, right from the beginning. The roots are deep. The climate isn’t different from where they may have grown up. The soil is the soil they’ve always known. The winters are the winters they’ve always experienced. Seedling trees are vigorous and fast-growing. My peach trees are 10′ tall at two years old. Other trees I transplanted have done nowhere near as well as the seedlings have done.
4. No Grafting Or Pruning Has Been Done
The tree gets to have a nice childhood without being decapitated and having another head grafted on its neck. It also hasn’t been cut back to stay in a pot. Seedling trees can find their own size and form, unlike traditionally grafted, potted and pruned trees.
How To Grow Fruit Trees From Seeds
First, find some seeds. This is the fun part, because you get to eat fruit. If it’s a great-tasting fruit, save the seeds. If not, forget it.
Plant seeds from moderately local trees, if possible, so you’re likely to get a tree that has the proper chill requirements for your area. What are “chill requirements?” Those are the amount of hours a tree needs below 40-45 degrees in the winter in order to wake up again happy enough to bloom in the spring. If you plant a tree with the wrong chill hours, it will either wake up too early in the spring and get its blooms frosted off… or it will wake up too late and fail to bloom in time to get fruit. Both problems can be avoided by planting seeds from fruit grown in your climate.
Stone fruit are very easy to grow from seed and usually give you a tree that’s pretty close to its parent. They usually require some time in the refrigerator in order to sprout, so simply harvest the pits… put them in a baggie of slightly moist soil… pop them in the fridge… then pull them out a few months later and plant them. Like in the cartoon to the right.
If you want to be even more hands-off, just plant pits in the ground through the summer and fall and mark the spots where you’ve planted them. The chill of winter will usually get them to grow. (You can do the same with nuts. I’ve sprouted walnuts and chestnuts right in the ground.) Stone fruit grow quite quickly and can often bear in a remarkably short period of time.
Apples and pears are also easy to start from seeds but they don’t necessarily grow as true to type. Sometimes you’ll get a lousy tree, though that doesn’t happen as often as you might think. Plant the seeds right from the fruit and they’ll usually sprout easily. The biggest problem is keeping them from rotting when they’re seedlings. Use a nice, well-draining seed-starting mix. I like 50% peat and 50% perlite.
Persimmons are another tree that’s easy to grow from seed, though the trees take a while to get large. I plant American persimmon seeds in flats after we eat the fruit, then let the flats sit out all winter. I water them now and again, but mostly just wait. Some time in spring they’ll emerge. With Japanese persimmons, you just plant the seeds and they’ll pop up in about a month, no chilling required.
Pomegranates can be planted right away and grow quickly and easily from seed.
Loquat (which is not a citrus, incidentally) and citrus seeds cannot dry out or the embryos die. Plant them right after harvesting the seeds. Citrus pops up about three weeks after planting – loquats usually take a few months.
Pawpaw seeds also cannot dry out or they’ll lose viability. However, they also need chilling. Find out more on sprouting them here, plus discover just how weird I can be when I’ve had too much coffee and simultaneously gotten obsessed with a plant.
Learning how to grow fruit trees from seed is almost a lost skill, but it’s starting to come back as people realize just how screwed up the modern agricultural system has become. You’re bringing something new and beautiful into the world when you plant a seed. It’s more than just a survival or gardening thing: it’s about hope and faith. Some trees will take a long time to bear fruit… others will bear quickly. Papaya can bear in a year or less. Gingko trees don’t bear nuts for decades. In between those extremes there’s a lot a room to play around. Loquats take about 6 years. Mulberries take 10 (but only 1 year from cuttings!). Apples and pears take 6-10 years. Chestnuts can bear in 3. And, as I’ve discovered, peaches and nectarines can bear in 2 years under excellent conditions.
http://theprepperproject.com
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.