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Hi Folks,

Started these apple trees from seed in August of last year (they're exactly a year old) and they have been raised and kept inside. They were doing phenomenal, but as of recently I've been noticing some brown/yellow spots on the leafs and I had one leaf fall off (see picture below) that looks just like any other fallen leaf would look during fall. My question is, are my trees going dormant or is this a fungal issue? I was under the impression that if fruit trees are kept inside, you can delay their dormancy for at least 2 years. Any help would be appreciated.

They are going dormant Mahogany.
Deciduous trees need that dormancy. Apple trees have the highest requirement of cold chill of all the fruit trees. It's necessary to build the fruit bud up and ensure fruit initiation.
Put them outside to allow them to go into full winter dormancy.
Then you can carry out any pruning you want to do to get the shape you want for your trees.

JONA wrote:They are going dormant Mahogany.
Deciduous trees need that dormancy. Apple trees have the highest requirement of cold chill of all the fruit trees. It's necessary to build the fruit bud up and ensure fruit initiation.
Put them outside to allow them to go into full winter dormancy.
Then you can carry out any pruning you want to do to get the shape you want for your trees.

Hi Jona,

Firstly, thank you very much for your reply and for taking the time to write to me.
What I worry about is:

1. These trees have been indoor their entire life, would that make them prone to disease and pest if I leave them outside?
2. How long should I leave them outside for? the entire winter? what happens when it gets below freezing and their soil in their pot freezes? won't that kill them?

Unless you expect the winter to be exceedingly cold they will be fine outdoors.
However you will have to protect the roots by either wrapping the pot well or actually planting the whole thing in the ground and putting a good mulch around it for protection. If you want them to stay in their pots...then plant them , pot and all.
Disease and pests should not hurt your tree during the winter period.