Honeycrisp tree from seed - Ask Extension
Hello, I have been growing a honeycrisp apple tree from a seed for the last year or so. It's been growing in a large pot and pretty healthy at this p...
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Honeycrisp tree from seed #844454
Asked August 06, 2023, 9:29 PM EDT
Hello, I have been growing a honeycrisp apple tree from a seed for the last year or so. It's been growing in a large pot and pretty healthy at this point. It's about 36" tall and the main support stem is probably about 1/2" thick. How do I know if it's ready to be planted in the ground and hearty enough to survive the winter? Thanks!
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that you have an apple tree. The bad news is that it is not a Honeycrisp apple tree. The only way to get a Honeycrisp apple tree from a Honeycrisp apple tree is to clone it. You can't grow them from seed.
The seed from the apple you used is an amalgamation of the chromosomes of the Honeycrisp and whatever apple tree pollinated the Honeycrisp tree.
The Honeycrisp apple tree is registered so you cannot clone it without a license to do so.
I suggest you plant the tree and see what kind of apples you get.
If the tree has been outside, plant it now so it can get use to its new environment before it goes into dormancy. Follow this article:
Planting and transplanting trees and shrubs | UMN Extension.
If you have voles or rabbits, be sure to put a tube around the trunk to prevent girdling.
As to growing apple trees there is great stuff on the U of M website.
Growing apples in the home garden | UMN Extension
The seed from the apple you used is an amalgamation of the chromosomes of the Honeycrisp and whatever apple tree pollinated the Honeycrisp tree.
The Honeycrisp apple tree is registered so you cannot clone it without a license to do so.
I suggest you plant the tree and see what kind of apples you get.
If the tree has been outside, plant it now so it can get use to its new environment before it goes into dormancy. Follow this article:
Planting and transplanting trees and shrubs | UMN Extension.
If you have voles or rabbits, be sure to put a tube around the trunk to prevent girdling.
As to growing apple trees there is great stuff on the U of M website.
Growing apples in the home garden | UMN Extension
Fascinating! Thank you so much. Would the leaves help identify the species?
This leads me to another question. The other tree I’ll be planting is from a Pink Lady seed. Can I assume the pink lady tree and the mystery tree will be able to cross-pollinate? I’d hate to plant two apple trees only to find out they aren’t compatible pollinators. Thank you!
Best,
Jon
The Pink Lady Apple tree is a cross between the Lady Williams apple and the Golden Delicious apple. You can grow and sprout the seed and plant the tree, but, like with the Honeycrisp, you will probably not get a Pink Lady apple tree. You will have two mystery trees.
BTW, the Pink Lady apple is actually a Cripps Pink developed in Australia. It is sold under the Pink Lady name.
If you want a Pink Lady apple tree, I suggest you buy one. Both the Pink Lady and Honeycrisp trees bloom about the same time (mid-April) so they will cross pollinate. Whether or not your mystery tree blooms at the same time as a Honeycrisp is anyone's guess.
You can plant any other apple tree that blooms at the same time and it will pollinate the Mystery Tree. Take note next spring when the mystery tree blooms and then find an apple tree that blooms about the same time.
The Pink Lady is hardy here, but can take up to 200 days for the fruit to mature and that might be pushing it for our climate.
You might find it interesting to research apple breeding:
Apple breeding at the University of Minnesota | Minnesota Hardy (umn.edu)
Here is a video from the University of Minnesota on ID'ing apple trees:
How can I identify the apples in my backyard? | UMN Extension
BTW, the Pink Lady apple is actually a Cripps Pink developed in Australia. It is sold under the Pink Lady name.
If you want a Pink Lady apple tree, I suggest you buy one. Both the Pink Lady and Honeycrisp trees bloom about the same time (mid-April) so they will cross pollinate. Whether or not your mystery tree blooms at the same time as a Honeycrisp is anyone's guess.
You can plant any other apple tree that blooms at the same time and it will pollinate the Mystery Tree. Take note next spring when the mystery tree blooms and then find an apple tree that blooms about the same time.
The Pink Lady is hardy here, but can take up to 200 days for the fruit to mature and that might be pushing it for our climate.
You might find it interesting to research apple breeding:
Apple breeding at the University of Minnesota | Minnesota Hardy (umn.edu)
Here is a video from the University of Minnesota on ID'ing apple trees:
How can I identify the apples in my backyard? | UMN Extension
