Growing your own fruit trees is definitely a marathon, not a sprint. If you’re dreaming of a backyard full of apple trees, you’ve got to be patient—it usually takes a few years before you’ll see a heavy harvest. Today, I want to walk you through the basics of asexual reproduction in trees and why it’s the secret to getting the exact fruit you want.
Why You Can’t Just Plant a Seed
You’ll often see tips online about propagating apple trees by planting seeds from your favorite snack. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that’s actually a bit of a myth! Most fruit trees—especially apples—don’t grow “true to seed.” While you can usually get away with planting peach or plum pits and getting similar fruit, apples are a different story. If you want to keep a specific variety going, you’ll need to look into grafting instead.
The “Wildling” Problem
If you plant a seed from a Honeycrisp, you aren’t going to get a Honeycrisp tree. Because apples aren’t “true to seed,” you’ll end up with what we call a “wildling.” Sure, it’ll grow into a tree and eventually produce fruit, but those apples will likely be small, sour, or bitter—definitely not what you were hoping for!
Apple Trees Need a Buddy
Apple trees aren’t self-pollinating; they’re “cross-pollinators.” To turn those beautiful blossoms into actual fruit, they need a little help from bees and other insects. The pollen has to come from a different apple variety entirely, not from its own flowers. This is why honeybees are the MVPs of the orchard! Beekeeping is actually a huge part of successful pollination in professional fruit growing.
The Magic of Grafting
To get an exact clone of a great mother plant, we use asexual reproduction called grafting. There are a few ways to do this, but the most common method is bark grafting. Other popular techniques include budding (oculation) and whip-and-tongue grafting. In this process, you’re essentially fusing two different plants together: the “rootstock” (the bottom part) and the “scion” (the cutting from the specific tree variety you want to grow).