How were apple trees grown on Alcatraz?

• A. Grafted onto rootstock
• B. Cuttings from the trees on the island
• C. Inmates germinated the seeds from the apples they ate
• D. Seeds were purchased from mainland orchards

Answer: (C)

Growing from seeds is a simple and historical way to start new apple trees. When you plant seeds, the new trees are not identical copies of the parent because each seed carries a mix of genes from the apple it came from. On Alcatraz, the orchard story centers on inmates saving seeds from apples they ate and planting them, letting the seedlings grow into trees. That mirrors the reality of growing from seeds: you don’t need special grafting or access to stock, just seeds, soil, sun, and time. Grafting onto rootstock or cloning with cuttings would require more controlled techniques and resources than were likely available there, and buying seeds from the mainland would involve access that wasn’t feasible. So the seeds the inmates germinated from the apples they ate best explains how the trees came to be.