even though these two trees have grown from seeds from the same "pink lady" apple ( which had a surprising number of seeds...of the many possibilities these two are the only ones that successfully germinated ) that i germinated in a damp brown paper towel in a baggie down in the basement at the same time...and transplanted to peat pots at the same time...it is clear to me that they are taking different genetic paths to maturity...it's true that seeds from a specific type of apple don't "come true" if you plant them...in other words seeds from a "pink lady" apple probably won't produce that type of apple...more likely they'll be "spitters" destined for the cider press..."pink lady" apples are produced by grafting buds from tree that produces them onto rootstock already growing which means that every "pink lady" is pretty much a clone of another one...which cuts down the genetic diversity of the apples but not that which is present in apple seeds...devil genetics...so my two siblings are really two different types of tree from the same family and no one will know what they are until the produce fruit and someone takes a chance on a big bite...whatever type of fruit the produce they will be a good addition to some plot of land ( i have three in my back yard so these are candidates for gifts ) perennials with deep root systems that hold the soil together against erosion, help the soil retain moisture, provide habitat for organisms above and below ground, and act as carbon sinks..a lot of positives from something that starts out so small and takes such varied paths to the same end.
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