There is a 100% chance the tree will flower & bear frut. BUT ther is a 0% chance the fruit will be exactly like the tree your grandfather palnted. Can grow in a container for 3-5 years. (if container large enough)can transplant any time including direct sow the seed. To germinate seed store at 40F for 90 days then lightly cover the seed soil temp 65-70f for germination..... NOW if wish to have frut exactly like the one from yard either graft onto a root stock or try cuttings 4-6 inches long of firm new growth. apply 0.3 to 0.8% IBA (Rooting hormone) stick in well drained soil & mist

Apparently not all experts agree that cloning trees from cuttings is either incredibly difficult or that own root apple trees are undesirable. In fact, quite the opposite. Link: http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/hortiscope/tree/apple.htm Which says: Q: My father-in-law insists he used to start new apple trees by cutting off a branch and sticking it in the ground. We doubted his story until we were looking at our childrenÂs question-and-answer book. It says sour apples come from trees started from seeds and sweet apples come from trees started from limbs. Now we are very curious. Do you have any information on starting new trees from limbs? Is there any truth to the sweet/sour story? (Brookings, S.D.) A: Your father-in-law has a "Smith" sense of humor, just like my dad. Apple trees can be propagated from softwood cuttings or seed. Trees rooted from stems are clones (asexual propagation). No one can root a branch from a tree that produces sour apples if they want sweet apples! Seedling stock (sexual propagation) will produce offspring that are widely variable in fruit quality and taste. Some will be sweet, some tart, some large and some small. In general, commercially available apples trees are usually bud or cleft grafted to take advantage of a hardy rootstock. Go to my Web site on home propagation techniques at www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/plantsci/landscap/h1257w.htm for more information. You may then want to explore our fruit tree publication at www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/plantsci/hortcrop/h327w.htm. Near the end of the publication is an explanation of the various budding and grafting techniques. Another link: http://www.orangepippin.com/articles/own-roots.aspx "Fruit trees on their own roots Growing Apple Trees on their Own Roots By Hugh F. Ermen" Here is a link that might be useful: Questions on Apples

We have a dwarf apple tree is our yard (it has gotten pretty tall though) and had trouble getting anything established underneath it except, of course, the dreaded Bishop's Weed. First of all, don't let Bisop's weed take over. Yes it will thrive just about anywhere, but it is an absolute nightmare to remove, especially once it has established itself. If you don't like it, get rid of it early and completely. If you do like it (for the foliage or whatever), at least contain it within a buried pot of something like that. About the area under the apple tree. It took me a long while to get rid of the bishop's weed, and then the soil needed a lot of amendment because, like you, it is very clayish. We have selectively pruned the tree to let in some more light. Not too much off the height, but we spaced out the branches a little so that light passes through. Take out branches that don't produce any or much fruit and just prune them off. Take a little off the height of the tree as well because it is healthy for the tree. Also, take off some of the smaller branches which grow out of the main ones to create more space. In doing this, you will create breathing room for the tree branches and allow some more light to pass through to the ground, which will let you grow most "shade" plants, while not harming the tree (pruning is actually really healthy). You'll prune either once a year, or once every two years depending on how quickly the tree puts on new growth. Our apple tree will recover from a drastic pruning within the year, and surpass its previous height, so we prune every year. We grow daylilies, hosta, astible and other standard shade plants underneath there now. I don't think apples falling hurt the soil. They do squish the plants if they fall right on them, but the plants tend to bounce back! They add organic material to the soil as they rot which i can only imagine is good. I've never seen anything harmful come of it. Except, of course, that the fallen apples can attract more bugs.

I hate the look of the trees after the power company comes through and trims them, but I understand why they have to do it. It's sad when an old tree has to come down. My DH is cutting down a neighbors dead tree tomorrow. Lydia (tree hugger)