Maybe an odd idea for fruit trees

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WillyPete

Maybe an odd idea for fruit trees

Post by WillyPete »

I have considered planting fruit trees at my place for some time now and had a maybe crazy idea to get started.
My wife bought several types of fresh fruit yesterday and I thought about taking the seeds and sprouting them in the seed sprouters I picked up earlier. Can this be done? I'm figuring on sprouting them outside while it's warm then transferring them to larger containers and keeping them in the garage with some heat and lights until spring when I plant them and get them going.
We have pear, apple, plum, kiwi and some others I can't remember just yet. Any suggestions?
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Watchman
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Re: Maybe an odd idea for fruit trees

Post by Watchman »

Better than average possibility that the fruit is GM hybrid and will not reproduce.
“Two is one, one is none”
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WillyPete

Re: Maybe an odd idea for fruit trees

Post by WillyPete »

Yeah, there is that. I do not know whether or not these particular fruits are GMO or from heirlooms, no labels anywhere on them to tell.
I'm going to give it a go with only one of my starter trays and some buckets I can probably get from bakeries or construction projects to grow them over the winter to plant in the spring.
Hopefully I'll get lucky and they're not GMO, we'll see. If not, I'll let them grow to see what happens.
Toepopper
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Re: Maybe an odd idea for fruit trees

Post by Toepopper »

I have tried to do the same but could never get anything to sprout. I have planted apricot and plum pits, apple pear, and kiwi seeds and nothing ever sprouted except Bing cherries which grew from the cherries that dropped onto the ground from a tree my neighbor gave me. These new cherry trees actually became a nuisance to deal with. The best way to produce viable fruit trees is to take a small cutting from a tree that produces consistently good fruit, cut the end at a 45 degree angle to expose more bare wood and then immediately dip the end into some "Root Tone" root growth powder and place this in a Jiffy 7 peat pot during the spring time when the fruit trees begin growing again. If you plant during the winter time when trees are dormant it won't take. For positive results its best to plant cuttings when the trees naturally begin to grow. I keep my peat pots warm and damp (with a small spray bottle) in a covered rooting tray untill roots appear and as soon as you notice new roots growing out of the Jiffy 7 pot, transplant it into a larger container so the roots can get established. After transplanting its good to cut back on watering to twice a week so your new trees don't develope root rot or mold. I get about a 75% success rate by doing this method, actually you are making a clone of the original tree. Depending on growth rate it may take a year and several larger pots before placing in the ground permanantly.
Last edited by Toepopper on 21 Jul 2010 13:16, edited 1 time in total.
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WillyPete

Re: Maybe an odd idea for fruit trees

Post by WillyPete »

Thanks Toepopper, I had forgotten about Root-Tone. A buddy of mine uses it from time to time to get some of what he plants started. I have a pear tree that isn't doing all that great that I'm going to clear around it and trim it back to get rid of trash limbs and see what happens there. I'll do a few cuttings with Root-Tone if the clearing doesn't work. There's a wild grape vine growing all through it too that I've considered getting strung and trained to have a grape supply too. These I've always known as "bullises" and they are some really good grapes, makes good jellies and jams too. :D
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side_job

Re: Maybe an odd idea for fruit trees

Post by side_job »

most tree seeds need stratification or scarification...

http://forestry.about.com/b/2010/05/01/ ... -seeds.htm

This does work, I have tried it a few times years back, and they will sprout... but my attention span was too short to tend to a sprout tree... germination is only the first milestone.

Good luck!
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