Best late season, LOW/NO maintenance apple.

[Rally1148]

We've got a rails to trails about 1 mile away from our place. I might just have to do some cross county skiing on it in November and December to see what apple trees are there!

 

[Charman03]

Shouldn't be a problem at all Stu, if I can get up there at the right time--that is out of both of our control. It is definitely sweeter and less tannic than any other wild crab I have had. I know it hangs until at least early November, but maybe I'll get lucky and it will trickle down for months. It's all part of the fun! Here is the Siberian I referenced earlier as well. Slightly smaller than a ping pong ball, and much more tannic, but several of these apples were still hanging in March. I have put a few of these scions onto this tree's siblings which have BB to pea sized fruit that doesn't fall at all. Also a bit less DR, but not prohibitively so.

Would love to try and graft some of these crabs you guys are talking about

 

[sandbur]

Rally,

You know how to graft. I'd be looking at your roadsides late season as you drive around and make a note. Then in March head back out and grab some scions and graft. I found some that hung late this past winter that were at a local house. Got permission and cut them. They are growing great. I don't know about the DR of them but, figured the tree was old , looked healthy with no signs of health issues and no dead wood.

In my view, crabs like that are as good as it gets.

My neighbor has 2 inch crab growing in his ditch that I have been eyeing for several years. It drops about Veterans Day. I could never reach decent scion on it, but he took a chain saw to it this spring and I was driving by. I have one graft in a bucket for him and about 5 or 6, including some clefts on my place. He says it is a great tasting apple.

I have a few bigger apples by my house, but I love those crab apples.



Seed was collected Fall 2008 and this is the first year it has apples on it. There are no major disease problems. I have nod idea when these crabs will ripen or drop, yet!

 

[Rally1148]

Rally,

You know how to graft. I'd be looking at your roadsides late season as you drive around and make a note. Then in March head back out and grab some scions and graft. I found some that hung late this past winter that were at a local house. Got permission and cut them. They are growing great. I don't know about the DR of them but, figured the tree was old , looked healthy with no signs of health issues and no dead wood.

I found some recently, but they seem to be dropping already. Actually a pretty tasty apple. The tree was in the right of way, and looked to be in great condition. I'd have thought about grafting that one, except that it is dropping so early.

Would you suggest that I bark & cleft graft? Or should I try bench grafting this year?!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

My own interest in crabs was fueled by posts that Bur and Stu made on the other forum and on here. I used to lurk and read on the other forum for several years and the crabs sounded like the ticket for deer. I'm glad I took their advice !!! We now have about 2 dozen new crab trees at camp and they are NO HEADACHE !!! They range in fruit size from peas ( which the birds - incl. grouse - love all winter ), to 1 1/2" diameter. Once the 3 Chestnut crabs start to bear fruit, we should have some 2 to 2 1/2" crabs that I can't wait to taste !!!

As far as ease of care ......... Good as it gets from my own experience. Our oldest crabapples are in the ground for 18 - 20 yrs. and get fruit the size of marbles - 5/8" to 3/4". They have no disease probs. and the deer love them. Circular paths worn into the ground all around them. Turkeys eat the drops too when they beat the deer to them !!!

 

[Rally1148]

^^^^Nothing wrong with having fruit on the ground from summer through winter ;) Sounds you like have the early season covered, keep watching for others that hang/ripen longer into the year.

Whip/tongue is what I prefer, but that's based on size of rootstock/parent material.

Will I have to keep them in a n "nursery" setting for a year before planting them? Or can I plant next spring?

 

[deepsleep]

Another alternative is to plant whatever rootstock you are wanting, in the place you want your trees, and either tube/cage+lumite and window screen. Don't forget the watersorb either. Then, either t-bud in the next 2 years, or topwork in the next 10. I am now topworking over 100 Coldstream crabs that are 4-5 years old, and this spring planted/tubed/lumited 25 or 30 B118 rootstock. The only time I could get there to t-bud was late July, and it didn't work very well, so I aborted that plan and will either cleft or W&T next spring or t-bud next August. The upside to this is no nursery needed, the downside, you will end up a year or so behind most likely.

 

[Charman03]

I've got a couple different wild crabs you'd be welcome to scions from.

Thanks. I will take you up on that. Any places taking orders for root stock yet?

 

[sandbur]

Thanks. I will take you up on that. Any places taking orders for root stock yet?

Two of us have orders placed all ready.

 

[Charman03]

Two of us have orders placed all ready.

What nursery

 

[deepsleep]

Forgot, one other advantage to planting your rootstock in the final location---no pressure to graft it right away. Let it grow while you spend the next few years hunting down the world's best deer apple on the rails to trails.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Try Cummins, or Fedco. I got mine from Cummins and they were real nice rootstocks.

 

[Rally1148]

Forgot, one other advantage to planting your rootstock in the final location---no pressure to graft it right away. Let it grow while you spend the next few years hunting down the world's best deer apple on the rails to trails.

I might just do that! I might try bench grafting a handful onto some Sargent Crab root suckers.

With as easy as bark/cleft grafting is, I think I'll stick with that!

 

[deepsleep]

I might just do that! I might try bench grafting a handful onto some Sargent Crab root suckers.

With as easy as bark/cleft grafting is, I think I'll stick with that!

I'm not sure, but I think Sargent will dwarf the final product significantly. If you don't want to fool with bench grafts, plant some B118s and Ants this spring. Both are pretty hard to kill, and should take off. You can either t-bud this fall, or cleft the next spring or whenever you feel like. I did this last spring on my new property. I haven't even had time to get all the trees cleared, but wanted to start getting roots established. Since I live 1000 miles from my property (literally), I can't mess around with bench grafts. I planted 25 B118s, root gel, window screen, 5' Combitube, and 6x6 Lumite. I wished them good luck and left. This winter I will start getting the area cleared (the trees are 10-20 yo junk trees) and topwork or t-bud when I have time.

 

[Rally1148]

I'm not sure, but I think Sargent will dwarf the final product significantly. If you don't want to fool with bench grafts, plant some B118s and Ants this spring. Both are pretty hard to kill, and should take off. You can either t-bud this fall, or cleft the next spring or whenever you feel like. I did this last spring on my new property. I haven't even had time to get all the trees cleared, but wanted to start getting roots established. Since I live 1000 miles from my property (literally), I can't mess around with bench grafts. I planted 25 B118s, root gel, window screen, 5' Combitube, and 6x6 Lumite. I wished them good luck and left. This winter I will start getting the area cleared (the trees are 10-20 yo junk trees) and topwork or t-bud when I have time.

I'll probably do that. The trees that I grafted this year were 2-3 years old (estimate) from a big box store. I'd assume that when the trees are in a tube they'd put on a lot more growth after a cleft/bark graft. Is there any advantage to budding vs. cleft/bark? I've got a crab, I think it's Dolgo but not sure, that is one of 2 trees without fireblight in my entire "orchard". They were planted by my great grandfather, and are at least 50 years old. I've got a seedling off of that other tree, so I might just plant that in the next few weeks and hope for the best! Do you, or anyone, know of places that ship rootstock in the fall?

 

[aerospacefarmer]

Goldrush and Enterprise if not doing pears. Late hanging and never a problem for me

 

[Rally1148]

Does anyone know if there are places selling rootstock this fall? Or is it all in the spring?

I'm not sure, but I think Sargent will dwarf the final product significantly. If you don't want to fool with bench grafts, plant some B118s and Ants this spring. Both are pretty hard to kill, and should take off. You can either t-bud this fall, or cleft the next spring or whenever you feel like. I did this last spring on my new property. I haven't even had time to get all the trees cleared, but wanted to start getting roots established. Since I live 1000 miles from my property (literally), I can't mess around with bench grafts. I planted 25 B118s, root gel, window screen, 5' Combitube, and 6x6 Lumite. I wished them good luck and left. This winter I will start getting the area cleared (the trees are 10-20 yo junk trees) and topwork or t-bud when I have time.

I might graft onto Sargent for some backyard apples that I talked my Mom into. Either that or I'll just plant them out and see what happens.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I don't know if any nursery DELIVERS rootstocks in the fall, but you can order now for spring.

 

[Rally1148]

Rootstocks should be dormant when grafted...as should scions. Since most of both won't be dormant until November in most of the midwest...its not the time to be grafting. The grafts would have no time to develop callouses and even if they did, by that time the ground would be frozen solid (in much of the midwest anyway).

Order rootstocks and scions for spring ;)

I was going to plant them in their final location right now, and then bark or cleft graft in the spring.

Where is everyone getting their roostocks this year?

 

[chickenlittle]

You could try rooting some crab apple cuttings. But I do not think you'd be any father ahead than ordering rootstock for March.