Cultivating apple trees originating from their seeds presents a unique horticultural undertaking. The process involves extracting seeds from a mature apple, stratifying them to break dormancy, and subsequently germinating them under controlled conditions. The resultant seedlings, once robust enough, are then transplanted to a suitable growing location.
The merit of starting apples from seed lies primarily in the potential for generating novel apple varieties. Offspring from seed will not be identical to the parent tree, offering the possibility of developing unique characteristics such as disease resistance, flavor profiles, or growth habits. Historically, this method played a crucial role in the diversification of apple cultivars before the advent of widespread grafting techniques.