Question
In February I became quite by surprise the parent of four apple saplings.  I had left an apple on my desk at work for a week or so, and when I finally got around to eating it, I was delighted to find that four of the seeds inside had germinated.  I did not expect them to survive long, but put them in a plastic bag with a tiny bit of water for a while, and placed them on my window sill at the office.  When tiny leaves appeared, I new these volunteers deserved a fighting chance, and so potted them properly.  Three have survived, my wife has named them, and two (Paige and Gert) are about 18" tall.  The third, Ralph, is short but healthy.  Gert, though, has a few leaves that are turning brown and dropping off.  So I have two questions: why is Ralph shorter than the others, and what could be causing the foliage loss on Gert?

Answer
Hi Alexander,
Thanx for your question.  I have no idea why Ralph is shorter than the other saplings.  Obviously, he is healthy though and getting whatever it is he needs in order to be healthier than Gert.  Don't know what's going on with her.  Are you watering all four the same amounts?  Are the pots free draining and not holding excess moisture?  Have you fertilized at all?  These plants really need to be outdoors.  Apple seedlings will not make good houseplants.  The seedlings will require a cold, wet, winter dormancy period or they will expend themselves and die.  I would feed these plants with a side dressing of well composted manure and I would get them into the ground first in an area that has at least 8 hours of full sun.  You can grow them in tubs but move the tubs in the winter so they don't get the direct effects of the cold north wind.  You will need to water the tubs in the winter to keep the soil moist so the roots don't die.  I hope this helps.
Tom