Honey Crisp Apples are a cross between Macoun and Honey gold apples. This cross was developed and the patent on these apples is owned by University of Minnesota. Knowing this is important because it is illegal to grow a Honey Crisp apple tree without receiving a special permit to do by the University of Minnesota. They are also incredibly difficult to grow since you may need to plant hundreds of seeds to get a single tree started. (Even apple tree grows state this is one of the most difficult trees to grow and get to bear healthy fruit.)

Germinating the Seeds

Seeds for the Honey Crisp apple have the best chance of germinating if the germination is done indoor. The seeds need to be place in a shallow bed of peat moss and kept in a warm room for about 4 weeks or until the trees are between 1 and 2 feet high.

Need for Space

Honey crisp apple trees need plenty of space to grow since the trees themselves grow 12 to 15 feet tall with canopies about the same width. In addition, since these trees are not self fruiting you also need to plant another variety of apple tree for cross pollination. Crab apple trees offer a good pollination for Honey Crisp apples and the apples are great for making jellies or apple cider.

Where to Plant

Honey crisp apple trees need to be planted in an area that gets full sun a good 8 hours a day, has good air circulation, and needs to be planted in well-drained loamy soil with a ph of between 6.0 and 7.0. They also need to be pruned annual.

Since the branches of this apple tree are quite brittle and break easily, these trees need to protected from high winds and adverse weather.

A Long Wait for Fruit

Although, in some cases honey crisp apple trees may bear fruit within 2 or 3 years, many of these apple trees takes up to 8 years before they bear fruit, which means you will spend a lot of time and effort over several years tending to your Honey Crisp trees, before they will bear you the delicious apples you are looking for.

While these trees don’t really need fertilizers, they do need to have compost placed around the tree each year to supply it with proper nutrients. However, too much of compost may result in fruits that is not quite the look or taste like what you are looking for.

Before applying for a permit to grow a Honey Crisp apple tree, you should visit an experienced apple grower who grows this type of apple and learn everything possible about growing this type of apple trees. The more you learn and know about this type of trees, the better chance of success you will have of growing these trees from the seeds. It is also advisable to get Business Insurance for your Honey Crisp apple trees.

It may be best if you have the space to try growing an easier variety of apple tree before attempting to grow the Honey Crisp apple tree from seed.