Today in the orchard
Time to stratify apple seeds for planting this coming spring. Stratification is a cold treatment process that helps to trigger germination in many seeds, including apples. First we extract the seed, saving the apple themselves for a pot of apple sauce. We fold the apples’ seeds up in small wads of damp paper towel. We keep each variety separate although it isn’t necessary if the parentage isn’t of interest. As many as 50 or more seeds can go in one “wad” of damp paper towel which is then put into a small mason jar with a lid. I label the top with the name of one parent (or both if I know them) and set the jars on a shelf in the root cellar where they’ll “stratify” for three months or so. The temperature fluctuates around 32F. It’s OK if they freeze but not as cold as a freezer.
In January I’ll open the jars and check the damp paper towel for mold. If there’s any sign of mold, I’ll re-wrap them in new damp paper towel and seal them. I’ll check them again in February. Sometime in March I’ll open them up again and look for any signs of sprouting. Once a few begin to sprout, I’ll plant all the seeds in flats like you would tomatoes or broccoli.
Eventually each seedling will get it’s own small pot. In May they will be transplanted about a foot apart into a nursery row similar to how we plant young grafted trees. After a couple of years in the nursery, the healthiest, most vigorous seedlings will go out into the orchard.
We know only one parent of some of the seed extracted today, that being the fruiting parent, or the Mom. Those are said to be “open pollinated” (no specific pollen source) and are from Blue Pearmain, Charlamoff, Redfield and Scout. We know both parents of the fruit from the Frostbite (MN 447) trees that we had hand with Black Oxford, Gray Pearmain and Westfield Seek No Further. If all goes well, in about 2030 (or so) we’ll get our first fruit!