Question
QUESTION: I have some fruit trees I have purchased from the local garden centers such as Home Depot. They are doing good and bearing fruit. I was interested in trying to start some trees from seeds. Is there anyway to know if they are hybrid trees? The tag that came with them does not specify one way or the other. Would they be fruit bearing trees or am I just wasting my time if the seeds are possibly from hybrid trees. Thank you in advance.

ANSWER: Hi Diane,
Thanx for your question.  There is a 99.999% chance that the trees you are buying at Home Depot are hybrid fruit trees.  Until recently, almost all the apples, pears, peaches, etc. at the grocery store were from hybrids with few exceptions.  There are heirloom/open pollinated fruits available in the grocery stores now and most of them sell at a premium.  You can find open pollinated trees on line and at specialty nurseries and fruit growers.  Trees started from seeds from hybrids can produce tasty fruit but the quality of the plant and the fruit will not be the same as the parents and most likely inferior.  I wouldn't waste my time growing fruit trees from seed except open pollinated.  Many fruit trees are going to take 3-5 years from seed to produce any fruit and probably 5-7 years to produce a lot of fruit.  It's fun to experiment with it, especially as a school project for children.  

The bottom line is that unless the tree is identified as open pollinated or heirloom/heritage variety, is is a hybrid and I wouldn't waste my time trying to grow and orchard from hybrid seeds.  I hope this helps.
Tom

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I thought seeds from hybrids are sterile because they are genetically altered? At least that is what I read about vegetable seeds in a book I have "Seed to Seed." So you are saying that they will bear fruit but not as good quality?

Answer
Hi Diane,
Thanx for your question.  NO, not all hybrid seeds are sterile.  In fact, the majority will germinate into some prior form of the plant's genetic past or may mutate into a new variety that is superior (which is very rare...).  There are genetically modified organisms that will not germinate because the breeder has bred a self-destruction gene into them.  Several of the big seed companies (that cater to big agriculture...) have developed this kind of seed.  That means you can't save the seed because there is nothing viable to save.  So, the farmer has to buy seed from the seedsman year after year.  In the Old World and even here in America, farmers and families saved certain varieties of seeds over the decades and even centuries and there is a large number of "heirloom" or open pollinated seeds that a person can save.  Someone told me once there are over 500 varieties of just tomatoes.  I know I have about 25 varieties of open pollinated lettuce and there are 100s of varieties of chiles, peppers, eggplants, cabbages, carrots (which come in white, red, purple, orange, yellow, round, baby, etc.).

Yes, fruit tree seeds, even from hybrids are generally viable.  The thing is, if you use a seed from a hybrid tree, you won't get the same quality of fruit or tree.  That doesn't mean the fruit won't be edible but it won't be of the quality you saw in the parent plants.  The tree could also be weaker too.  Remember that hybrid trees are grafted onto sturdy, wild root stock.  Most apples I think are grafted onto extremely hardy varieties of wild crab apple.  I'm not an expert on fruit and I may have the variety of crab apple wrong but I think that's right.  I'm not someone who says you should absolutely not start a fruit tree from seed.  I think it's fun to start things from seed just to see what the result will be.  I have a friend who has a peach tree he started from seed and the peach does not resemble the big Georgia peach tree it came from but those peaches are delicious and all from a pit that fell onto the ground 7 years ago and the next spring, my friend dug up the seedling and moved it to its own spot.  Now, he's getting peaches from it.  Start some seeds if you want and you have the patience to wait, I just always point out the downside so people arent' disappointed.  I hope this helps.
Tom