Hi from western PA, USA

[3riverschick]

Hi,
I am here to get some help with planting a dwarf orchard and how to grow seed to seedling stage. I can grow flowers and vegetables from seedlings. But don't know how to grow them from seed to seedling. Does anyone know if a Snow apple and a Maiden Blush apple are the same thing?
Thanks,
Karen and the Light Sussex

 

[journey11]

Karen!

 

[thistlebloom]

Welcome to TEG Karen!

 

[897tgigvib]

Howdy!

Are you thinking of starting the Apple trees from seed to seedling? If so, understand that they won't breed true. Some of the heirloom apples will kindasorta breed true, and show definite family resenblence, but there will still be differences to expect.

Being that you want them to be dwarf they will need to be grafted to dwarfing rootstock. You might consider simply purchasing some scion stock of your favored varieties.

I know that Snow Apple is also called in French, Fameuse.

At any rate, I have grown Apples from seed.

I used the most old fashioned technique there can be. We had Raccoons that ate things such as Nanking Cherries, Cotoneaster berries, Crabapples, Currants, Grapes, Nanking Cherries, and lots of other things such as that where I worked in Montana.

They always habitually pooped at only a couple places, and sure enough, each spring there'd be seedlings of these things sprouting each spring. Come fall I would transplant them.

At first it was just a mishmash of random things sprouting. Until I decided to manage what the Raccoons ate.

Then things got much better. Seedlings from our super hardy Valiant Grapes, Indian Summer Crabapple, Service Berry, Dolgo Crab, State Fair Macintosh, and I added podded seeds to where they ate too, such as Miss Kim Lilac, other Lilacs, Red Lake Currants, Alpine Currants, etc. But my favorite starts were the Crabapples. Some of them were crossing, and we had a lot of real hardy and beautiful varieties with different leaf colors. Golden leafed Indian summer usually bred true, but then I got one with silvery leaves! One among 39 plants.

So, what Apple seeds need is stratification. They need to be planted outside. Going through an animal's intestine first really helps. Then they need nature's normal cold and thaw period.

I understand that for Raspberries there is a treatment smart red in our forum here used, first soaking them in water mixed with bleach. Can't recall the dilution. Raspberries are in the same Rosaceae family.

 

[lesa]

Welcome! Welcome! Sounds like you have big plans...Happy Gardening!

 

[ducks4you]

This is by FAR the nicest forum around. Bring your ideas and questions and...you HAVE to post pictures.

 

[Carol Dee]

Karen and

 

[Smart Red]

Welcome to TEG, Karen! Glad you found us! You're gonna love this group!

 

[baymule]

Welcome to TEG!! Can't wait to hear more about you. Just fall on in here and get to posting, we love newcomers!