Wild about nature – planting pips
Have fun and experiment with planting pips from the fruit and veg you eat. This simple activity is a great way to put your green figures to the test and watching the fruit of your labours flourish is extremely satisfying.
It’s best to use organic fruit and veg as they are more likely to germinate if they haven’t been sprayed with chemicals. Be aware that the seeds you plant will not be the same variety as the original.
You will need:
- Organic fruit or veg pip (we used apples)
- Organic peat-free compost
- Small pots
- Some netting/ elastic band – optional
What to do:
- Make sure the fruit or vegetable is ripe before extracting the seed
- Sow the clean pip into pre-watered organic compost (you can sow around 5 per pot so you have more chance of some germinating)
- Apple and pear pips need a period of cold (less than 5’c for at least two months) to be able to germinate. Leave the pots outdoors over winter
- Move them to a sunny spot in spring and they should germinate in 3-8 weeks
- Keep the compost moist but not soaked
- If more than one germinated separate them into different pots
- Keep repotting as they grow
- When ready plant them in the garden and admire!
After a year its good to cut of the tip just above the 5 bud to encourage it to branch out. Keep repotting them as they get bigger, they may require a stake to support the young stem. They are fully hardy to be outside.
Head back here next month for the next Wild About Nature activity and don’t forget to take photos of your planting and growing activities and tag us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
