Wild Apple Seeds

Growing the Apple from Seed-For the Johnny Appleseed Within

This Ecos selection is a seedling strain direct from our farm where I planted 'wild' apples found within the state of Michigan that appeared to defy the natural laws surrounding insects and disease. If possible, I made the selections based on the leaf health of the seedlings as well as the 'look' of them including large leaves and fast growth. In the end, I found a number of interesting apples that mostly fall into the large crabapple category. These seedlings produce one to two inch fruit with little or no insect damage. Some of the hybrids are with the native crab called Heterophylla apple.  Fruit flavor is similar to the apple crabs and can vary from tart to sweet.  The 'Waterfall' apple I currently use is a seedling selected from a native crapple cross of Malus coronaria and the domestic apple. As a result this highly fruitful plant produces a yellow perfectly clean and almost impossible to eat fresh crab apple quite high in astrigency until frosts winnow it down to usable for jam and jelly. Scion wood is available upon request with a seed purchase. This is by the far the most productive apple I tree I have if you just measure in terms of yields alone. Further selections could easily be grown from this wild form as a wild strain of indigenous North American wild apple tree. 

To germinate the seed:  Plant 1/4 inch deep in sandy soil in the fall. Seedlings will emerge in early spring.  For the refrigerator method, store in lightly damp Canadian peat moss at 33-39 F for 60-120 days. Seeds will sprout after 60 days and you can remove them as they sprout and plant them in pots. It is very easy to grow apples from seed and it is a good beginner woody plant seed experiment.  Do not plant the seedling too deep when you put the sprouted seeds in a pot. The seedling will damp off easily in heavy soil mixes.

From 2024 crop year. Refrigerated.