You’re well ahead of me on the grafting. Even with an incredible mild winter, I’m only just starting to think about apple grafting.
First batch potted. If the count on the bags that i stratified them in ends up being accurate ill be 3 over the count that I have in my notes. Off to a great start.
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And they’re off!
Hella kitty x pink parfait are having the strongest showing at 9/10 above soil now but with a few muscat de venus x cherub and sugarwood x jellybean cider getting there.
The test tub of claygate pearmain OP which had a long time (Nov - March) in the fridge was very quick to germinate once out of the cold.
Genuinely exciting stuff. I am going to be less giddy for my second, later stratified batch and hold fast until April for a total of 8 weeks in the fridge as I think 5 weeks can lead to slower sprouting.
Very happy also to have had a call yesterday offering a small overgrown plot near my existing (only 72 SQM) allotment space to remidiate which will mean there’s a bit more room for all these cats to breathe. Hooray!
Current plot below, I have planted out several m27 and g213 rootstocks recently to stretch their roots out while the seedlings get tall enough to graft onto them.
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This weather is some BS. I have all of my seedlings in totes on wheels so I can roll them into actual sunlight and air currents during the day. But when the temp is still below freezing before I set off in the morning I cant do that. So the lighting that I have on them is under powered for the job. Bring sun and temps > 32F back!
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I have mine inside too. We had a blizzard this weekend and are supposed to hit 80 tomorrow. Here’s my grow tent with my crosses. My Skillcult seeds from this year are just starting to emerge.
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Update on the seedlings. Five germinated and are growing well. I put the other 6 back in the fridge as they weren’t showing any radicle yet so I’m hoping they just didn’t get enough chill hours. I probably should have left them until they started to have radicle growth before I tried to germinate further.
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Quick comment on apple seeds.
I have found that any seeded pots that didn’t sprout for me tend to sprout the next year. Like 99% of them. What I mean is the pots that failed to germ are placed in the successful seedlings pots at uppot as extra soil filler. Fast forward one year and they popped. Go figure. This has happed 4 years in a row now. These apple seeds are stratified in both the fridge and naturally outside. Both methods have had the same results.
The last seeds I did last year I just threw the “dormant” no sprout solo cups aside and sure enough they sprouted after the next winter. Some even popped up in the fall. I think late to the party apple seeds sprout more sporadically than most of us think. That had sure been my experience.
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Was home in time to get some real sun on these things. Certainly not the most professional set-up but its serviceable enough to get a head start.
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They’re not very common, but they’re not extremely rare either. It’s a really cool find, and some breeders—especially in Eastern Europe—intentionally select for them. I’ve noticed that grocery store apples seem to produce them more often than homegrown ones, which I suspect may be due to the use of plant growth regulators (PGRs) in commercial orchards.
Certain varieties also show higher rates. For example, with ‘Pink Lady’ apples from the grocery store, I’ve seen rates as high as about 1 in 10. In some cases, having three cotyledons affects meristem development, leading to two shoots emerging from the cotyledons. Both shoots can exhibit apical dominance and grow straight upward, which is really interesting to observe.
They also tend to show higher rates of mutation overall compared to typical apple seedlings. Keep us updated—I’m really curious to see how it turns out.
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I’ll be keeping an eye on it. Certainly makes it stand out this early in the process. I had to go back and see if it was a Pink Lady cross. This one happens to be G. Rush x Appleoosa.
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I got one with 4 cotyledons (3 but one is split). It is a Claygate pearmain x Sam Young seedling and I thought maybe it has something to do with claygate being triploid.
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According to Hugo de Vries, mutation rates go up significantly when plants with three or more cotyledons are crossed with each other. The more generations, the more mutations. These types of seedlings, when crossed with each other—especially over multiple generations—could potentially create some really interesting combinations.
I’ve started collecting apple seedlings with multiple cotyledons. I don’t have any elite Skillcult seedlings, but I’d love to trade scions or seeds with anyone down the line.
De Vries was a genius and way ahead of his time, even if he turned out to be a bit off on a few things.
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Interesting… I also seem to have a seedling with 3 cotyledons. One leaf is twisted and seemed to come from the 3rd seed leaf. I think it is one of my mcintosh x cherry crush seedlings, but I will have to double check.
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Things are starting to wake up. Not everything though so I’m hoping it was an over abundance of shade slowing things down since they still scratch green.
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That is really similar. I’m wondering how long I can keep it potted before it starts to decline. At the moment it seems happy though.
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Funny, I was contemplating the same thing the other day
Looks like your summer OP has some good reddish coloring, which is positive if you’re hoping for a red-fleshed apple.
It is pretty. But without knowing at least one parent who knows where the fruit will land. At least one more year before I know. Well hopefully, it could always be longer.
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