I'm curious if it's possible to grow an apple tree from the seed of an apple that was self-pollinated. Does anyone know if the seeds will produce a tree that bears good apples, or will it be a different variety?
2 Answers
There's actually a fascinating episode of a podcast called Gastropod that dives into apple genetics. They explain that the odds of getting a great tasting apple from a seed are pretty slim. Most of the tasty apples we enjoy come from grafted trees that were unique mutations among thousands of others grown, many of which are only good for cider.
You can grow an apple from seed, but don’t expect it to be a perfect replica of the parent apple. Apple trees don't usually reproduce true to type because of genetic variance. If you want a decent chance at a productive tree, you'd likely need to plant a lot of seeds—like, maybe even 100—to get one that's worth keeping.