Before the technique of grafting and budding was learned, the primary method of reproducing fruit trees was collecting seeds and sowing them. In the case of fruit plants, the main problem with this method of reproduction is the relatively low reproducibility of the mother traits.
As an amateur, you can try to multiply apricots, peaches, plums or walnuts from pits. The first step is to extract the ripe seeds from the fruit. The flesh can be used for preserves, and the pips are washed in water to remove the remains of the fruit. Then we dry them in a ventilated place, but not in the sun. The only difficulty that may arise is very slow sprouting. The seeds of fruit plants sown immediately into the ground emerge very unevenly, sometimes even after a year. To accelerate germination, a procedure called stratification or preposition is used. This treatment prevents the seeds remaining in the substrate for too long.
Stratification consists in keeping the seeds at a low temperature of 0-10 ° C, preferably at 3-4 ° C, for several months. The easiest way is to mix seeds with moist sand and peat in a container and leave the mixture in a cool place. During stratification, we mix the substrate several times, replenish the water and check whether the seeds are starting to germinate.In early spring, the seeds are placed in the soil to a depth equal to 2-3 times the diameter of the seed. If we have seed dressing, we use it to protect the seeds, which will prevent them from being infected by fungal diseases. Care for emerging seedlings consists in watering them and possible shading in too strong sun. It is also good to protect them with a net against birds. Usually, after a few years, when we get the first fruits, we can check which of the grown trees are valuable and keep them.
