How to grow nectarine from seed at home

Content

1 Is it possible to grow nectarines from seeds?
2 Will a nectarine from a seed bear fruit?
3 Suitable varieties
4 When to plant a nectarine seed
5 Soil preparation
6 Selection and preparation of seeds
7 How to germinate nectarine seeds at home
8 Caring for nectarines at home
9 Mistakes when growing nectarines from seeds at home
10 Conclusion

Anyone with even minor gardening skills can grow nectarines from seeds. To do this you will not need a lot of materials and equipment, attention and free time. If you provide the seedling with proper care, then after several years of effort you can get a strong and healthy fruit-bearing tree.

Nectarine can be grown from seed if you know a number of specific subtleties.

Is it possible to grow nectarines from seeds?

Not many people know that if you plant a nectarine seed at home and provide it with the proper conditions, it is quite possible to grow an adult tree that will subsequently bear fruit. Of course, in the southern regions of Russia it is much easier to do this, but it turns out that in the middle zone it is not a problem either.

Warning! The key to success in growing nectarine from seed is the correct choice of planting material and careful care.

Will a nectarine from a seed bear fruit?

If you want to grow an exotic fruit yourself, it is important to take into account one main nuance - a nectarine sprout from a seed can fully develop and turn into a fruit-bearing tree only if the material was taken from a fruit that grew on its own rooted plant. In addition, experienced gardeners note that at least 4-5 seeds need to be planted at the same time, since only 25% of them will germinate and develop.

Seeds from nectarines growing on grafted trees cannot produce a full-fledged plant.

Suitable varieties

It is also important to pay special attention to the nectarine variety, since not all varieties can adapt to certain climatic conditions. The plant must be characterized by productivity, resistance to external factors, and correspond to personal preferences. For example, in order to grow a fruit-bearing tree in the northern regions of Russia and the central zone, it is best to plant Skif, Crimson Gold, Fantasia, Rubinoboletus. These varieties are easy to care for, can easily tolerate a lack of light, and are also resistant to low temperatures.

Warning! When trying to grow nectarine from a fruit seed purchased in a store, it is not always possible to achieve a positive result.

When to plant a nectarine seed

You can grow nectarines from seeds in autumn or spring. In the first case, planting is usually carried out in October, the prepared seeds are placed in suitable containers or in fertilized open ground, but in the winter the place is well covered with straw or sawdust.

Attention! Bones that have spent the winter in the ground will receive a certain hardening and will be more durable.

Gardeners usually begin spring planting in March-April. At the same time, before planting, nectarine seeds must be properly stored, lying in a dry place in a cardboard box. From mid-winter they need stratification (cold treatment), after which they will burst and sprout.

Soil preparation

An important stage when planting an exotic fruit is preparatory measures. To grow a tree from a nectarine seed, you will need to select a suitable container and soil. The materials must be of high quality. The container for the plant can be a pot or a plastic container, the volume of which should initially be small. It is advisable to use loose chernozem substrate as soil, purchased in a store or prepared independently. Its proportions are as follows: garden soil, humus, peat, sand - 2:1:1:1.

Selection and preparation of seeds

To grow a healthy plant, it is very important to choose high-quality material for planting, since the final result directly depends on how the nectarine seed looks.

There are several rules to follow:

Fruit selection. The nectarine from which it is planned to extract the seed and grow a tree must be soft, fresh, sufficiently ripe, without signs of disease or rotting. It is best to select large and beautiful specimens.
Removing the bone. Before separating the planting material from the fruit pulp, you should first soak the nectarine in water for 2-3 days, and it is recommended to change the liquid a couple of times a day.
Preparation of material.After the seeds are separated from the pulp, they should be laid out on a napkin and dried well in a ventilated room protected from the sun. Next, the material is placed in a vertical position, very carefully hit with a hammer and the seed is removed from the bone shell.

A nectarine seed will be able to germinate if it is not chipped or damaged.

How to germinate nectarine seeds at home

There are several ways to grow nectarines at home from an ordinary seed:

cold;
hot;
accelerated.

Each of these options has its own characteristics, when taken into account, the result is a full-fledged tree.

Cold way

The classic version of growing nectarine from seed (pictured below) involves a technology that is as close as possible to natural conditions. This method is called cold, as it requires long-term stratification. To implement it, you need to keep the planting material in damp and cold conditions, preferably on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, in the vegetable compartment. To do this, take a flower pot with large drainage holes, fill it with peat, coarse sand or perlite, place the seeds in it to a depth of about 6 cm, moisten it and cover it with a plastic bag with several holes.

Comment! Throughout the entire germination period, you need to keep the soil in the pot moist.

When the nectarine seeds germinate, they are transplanted into separate containers and gradually adapted to indoor conditions. It is very important to avoid drafts, since the crop is heat-loving and does not react well to sudden temperature changes.

Seed germination under stratification will take three to four months.

Hot method

A warm or hot way to germinate a nectarine seed involves the following algorithm of actions:

Carry out bone stratification for one and a half weeks.
Remove the seed from the shell.
Soak the material in Epin or Kornevin (four hours).
Plant the seeds in a previously prepared container with soil.
Create a greenhouse effect.

A few months later, when the nectarine seed has sprouted, remove the cover and continue caring for the seedling.

Quick method

This method of growing nectarines takes much less time and effort from the gardener, but requires maximum care. Here you need to immediately remove the hard shell from the seed, then fill it with warm water and keep it in it for 3-4 days. Next, plant the material, cover it with cellophane and wait for germination.

Caring for nectarines at home

When the nectarine seeds sprout, so that the seedlings gain strength, they should be properly cared for and all conditions for normal growth should be created. It will be possible to grow a tree from them only with timely watering, application of fertilizers, and ensuring optimal temperature and light conditions.

Nectarines will bear fruit only in favorable conditions.

Temperature

For a young tree, a suitable microclimate is of great importance. The plant should be in a room where the temperature will be in the range from +22 to +24 °C. The room must be unventilated, without drafts and temperature fluctuations.

Lighting

To grow nectarines that will develop properly, you need normal lighting for at least six hours a day.Therefore, from autumn to spring, the plant will have to be additionally illuminated with phytolamps or fluorescent light.

Important! If there is insufficient light, the sprout will quickly wither.

Watering

Nectarine loves water, which is why it requires regular but moderate watering. There is no need to overwater the plant and provoke the appearance of fungus or mold. It is recommended to use infused and warm water. In winter, the crop needs less moisture, in summer – more.

Comment! After watering, you can lightly loosen the soil, thereby providing the roots with oxygen.

Top dressing

As a top dressing for nectarines, it is appropriate to use complex preparations and phosphorus-containing fertilizers. They need to be applied in the spring, starting from the second year of crop development. It is also useful to spray the sprout with a mixture consisting of 5 g of soda ash, 2 g of copper sulfate, a drop of iodine, 1 g of boric acid and manganese, diluted in 1 liter of water. The procedure is repeated twice a day throughout the summer.

Mistakes when growing nectarines from seeds at home

It is possible to grow nectarines from seeds only if you carefully follow the rules of planting and care. The most common mistakes gardeners make are:

wrong choice of variety;
lack of light;
waterlogging;
excessive amounts of fertilizing;
untimely planting or transplanting of seedlings.

Attention! To grow nectarines at home, every 1-2 years you will have to transplant them into a larger container.

Nectarine needs careful care, especially in the first year of life.

Conclusion

It is quite possible to grow nectarines from seeds.If you put in a little effort, plant the plant taking into account the rules of agricultural technology, and also organize high-quality care, you can soon get a tasty harvest from your own tree. Unlike its “brother” the peach, the nectarine tree is hardier and much easier to cultivate.