Nathan Bragg wrote:

I planted a apple seed about 6 months ago, and I have a little tree
now. It's about a foot and a half tall. I have it in a pot on a
window sill right now. However the only growth on the tree is up. It
is not branching out at all, just some leaves on the trunk of the
tree. Is this normal? Someone said I migth have to cut the tree in
half or somethign to get it to branch out. Should I just let it grow
or is there something I could do to help it out? Thanks for any help
in advance.

Nathan Bragg




What you have is a whip. This is the first stage of a young tree. If it
branched now, the branches would be down at ground level. Most trees
start branching later so the branches are somewhat higher up. I would
expect it to get 2-3 feet tall before starting to branch. I'd let it
grow for a while longer. Apple trees can take 3-10 years before bearing
fruit, depending on the variety and the care given them.

If your tree makes it to maturity, it might be a fairly tall tree. Most
apples these days are grafted onto a different rootstock to force the
tree to be smaller than it would naturally get. This makes it easier to
pick the apples (no ladders needed, limiting liability insurance
problems) and prune the tree. The old varieties of apple trees could be
20-30 feet tall.