Interesting. There’s a bunch of stuff I want to try, might add that to the mix. Like what if you budded that onto a fruiting spur?
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Following up on my budding of a 3-month old seedling above, it looks like one of the buds is starting to grow. I did four and the other ones eventually died. I did a couple other seedlings given how well the first one did and I also expect a few will make it. Some of them the seedling was in fact still growing OK, I just “stole” a dormant bud off the stem. I am getting a bit optimistic that this may cut a year or so off the apple seed grow-out.
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Love what you do,@SkillCult, and been a YT subscriber since last year. I cannot thank you enough for your taste-testing and apple breeding videos–which seemed to be the catalyst for my wife allowing me to begin a hobby orchard. After seeing your enthusiasm for all-things-apples, I believe she thought the hobby could keep me both mentally and physically healthy…and also provide a legacy of sorts to our children and grand-children. My first attempt at home-brewing cider (8 gallons) was very successful also, and it was your all-things-about-apples videos, AGAIN, I have to thank for it. (It was only after watching your videos, that my wife allowed me to buy the grinder, press, & etc…) THANK YOU!!
As for your money-making ideas and the how-to’s of bill paying, I wonder why you don’t write a book? Honestly, I have purchased books by apple experts that are not really “all that,” and I am sure you could do better!.I think it would only be a matter of presenting your unique perspectives in an organized manner/format which could earn you that passive income you desire and allow you to pursue your goals more easily. Easier said than done, of course–and I’d bet you’ve already thought about it–but I have a feeling you’d sell enough to make it worthwhile at least. I would certainly love to hear the story of how your interest in apples began, and also your thoughts on growing apples using the common-sense and practical methods to be directed at the novice/hobbyist grower–and without all the confusing and complicated holistic/elitist grower BS, if you know what I mean. Tell the reader how to make a self-pollinating franken tree with varieties suitable for their growing zone; how to graft scions onto rootstocks and CARE FOR THEM afterwards; how to choose rootstocks (in detail); oh, and tell us how you become such a taste-testing connoisseur, and “wordsmith.”
Anyway, just a thought, a wish for your success, and a sincere thank you from a huge fan. Good luck, and best regards.
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Very interested to follow your progress on that project. My tallest seedling is still only 6 inches tall. It’s a super cool spring here.
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Ha, well, glad to enable anyone to invest in orchards! I have contemplated doing something on how I taste stuff. I essentially prioritize my overall motive reaction, like what do I want to keep eating without polluting that too much with analytical stuff. That’s the bottom line for me, is what is compelling. The analytical part is best subjugated to that. Also thought about doing an apple book. Probably random snippets, stories, experience, and practical philosophy. There are too many holes in my knowledge to try to make anything comprehensive regarding practical growing.
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I think you under estimate your knowledge base. You certainly have enough expertise to write a book on apple culture. A book is permanent and long lasting unlike the internet. People still use “Apples of New York” as a reference and it was written over a century ago. Also a book will make you a “serious apple guy” 
which might come in handy at some point.
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I’ve ‘made’ a few seeds in the time since your post here, but the freezes
messed up plans in 2020. Have some Odysso x Arkansas Black seeds, and some Niedzwetzkyana x Redfield. And 5 Odysso x unknown (but only 4 trees in bloom so I might end up figureing out the ‘unknown’ if I manage to get seedlings and grow them to fruiting.
Hoping for many more crosses next spring.
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I’ve seen sources online suggest that dried apple seeds have a 30% germination rate. I certainly don’t think it’s that low. Even though this is my first year experimenting with planting apple seeds I’ve had a 90% germination rate. (This includes both seeds I’ve ordered from Skillcult as well as with seeds that were open pollinated that I collected from Seed Savers Exchange).
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I saved a bunch of random apple seeds during the fall and winter of 2023, storing them in a glass jar in the fridge until spring of 2024. Put them in some pots of dirt and in an area where they got watered fairly regularly. Few germinated… Fast forward to the spring of 2025 and there are tons coming up in those same pots. I’m not sure why storing them in the fridge for many months, at probably 33F Was insufficient to stratify them. Perhaps because they were stored dry as opposed to wet?
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That would be my best guess as well. The seeds that have germinated for me this season were all stored in containers full of damp sand.
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They don’t stratify when dried. they have to be soaked up. I had good germ last year, but the pots that did not come up last year I just let dry out for the summer and left them out this winter. over 1/3 of those straglers have come up now.
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That is a bogus #. Maybe someone came to that conclusion based on unstratified seed. Who knows. Preliminarily, I seem to have better germination now that I’m drying the seed then resoaking.
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I agree about it being bogus. Perhaps it is just misinformation being spread by AI
Or maybe whoever wrote the individual post didn’t stratify moist seeds. Who knows. I wonder if it contributes to people thinking that they can’t grow apple trees from seeds (you know, if only 30% of seeds sprout, and then only 1 in 20k of those are any good, why bother)?
This is only my first year trying, but my apple seeds haven’t sprouted worse for me than the beans or peas I’ve planted this spring (which also seem to have germination rates in the 90’s).
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I usually get close to 100% germination on apples. I wonder if some locations they dont get proper pollination. I add ash in seeds when sprouting them.
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Make sure they do not get too warm before they sprout or they may go dormant again. one thing I read that was likely legit, was that they sprout more reliably at cold temps, but faster at warm temps. stay in the mid 70’s or below if possible.
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