Biggest Crabapples

[buckvelvet]

Hey Guys, I'm in Zone 5B in W MI. Curious what you guys have all used for crabapples, I'm looking to get 1' inch plus in diameter fruits.

I have sweet crabs (cold stream), wild Ecos from Okos, and Wild Crab from mossy oak nurseries, all planted spring 2014 at from package to final resting place.

I am gonna have to replace a few that couldn't hack it and am looking to incorporate some other varieties in the 3-5 trees i'll have to replace.

Thanks!

 

[West Branch]

Try some chestnut. Should be close to 2 inch and good eating.

 

[buckvelvet]

Hey Guys, I'm in Zone 5B in W MI. Curious what you guys have all used for crabapples, I'm looking to get 1' inch plus in diameter fruits.

I have sweet crabs (cold stream), wild Ecos from Okos, and Wild Crab from mossy oak nurseries, all planted spring 2014 at from package to final resting place.

I am gonna have to replace a few that couldn't hack it and am looking to incorporate some other varieties in the 3-5 trees i'll have to replace.

Thanks!

Whoops I forgot to say I had 1 chesnut there too, my bad, after seeing you guys talk about it so much I found one late spring available at Woodstock Nursery in WI. That tree is growing great!

 

[sandbur]

I have trailman, kerr, and wickson on triial.

Whitney might provide apples before chestnut ripens by a few weeks.

One chestnut crab is not enough.

Have you considered just planting some rootstock and see what they grow into? Rumors are that B118's produces a nice crab. Same stories for ranetka and dolgo.

 

[LessRice]

Definitely check out Whitney's. I have a couple that are growing great, kind of upright growth habit, but the crabapples taste great. My wife and kids eat them as fast as I bring them in. They are comparable size to the Chestnut, which I also have. The only knock is that they ripen fairly early, just a little before the Dolgo.

 

[buckvelvet]

I have trailman, kerr, and wickson on triial.

Whitney might provide apples before chestnut ripens by a few weeks.

One chestnut crab is not enough.

Have you considered just planting some rootstock and see what they grow into? Rumors are that B118's produces a nice crab. Same stories for ranetka and dolgo.

I got the Chesnut Crab idea from i think you last year because you talked about how amazingly tasty they are, so I planted one in my orchard at my house and then 1 at the hunting property.

Why do you say that 1 chesnut is not enough amongst 15 trees of diff varieties? Wasn't Kerr the topic of conversation here last year that they had some sort of disease problem?

Definitely check out Whitney's. I have a couple that are growing great, kind of upright growth habit, but the crabapples taste great. My wife and kids eat them as fast as I bring them in. They are comparable size to the Chestnut, which I also have. The only knock is that they ripen fairly early, just a little before the Dolgo.

Whiteny's, I've heard that name quite a bit also over the last 2 years but my hesitancy was the ripening date but then again, some of the trees I planted tend to have unpredictable dropping dates so mine that I have could be early also but won't know until 5 years down the road. I will consider these kind for sure.

 

[sandbur]

If your bow season falls when our season does, you should have a chestnut crab in each cluster of crab apple trees.

Whitney, dolgo, chestnut, etc. will get deer in the habit of visiting that location for longer periods of time with the different drop times.

 

[ELH]

Have you considered just planting some rootstock and see what they grow into? Rumors are that B118's produces a nice crab. Same stories for ranetka and dolgo.

That sounds like a great idea to me. What would a guy have to loose if he were to plant 100 of each for several years? Is that a dumb idea? I think I will try it unless someone can tell me why not to.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I learned what I know from the apple and crab guys on these forums and from Penn State, Cornell, Purdue, U. of Vermont, U. Minn. sites and correspondence with all mentioned.<
Chestnut, Whitney, Dolgo, Kerr, Trailman, Winter wildlife crab, All-Winter-Hangover crab, ( the last 2 from SLN ) are all good crabs 1" or bigger. The first 5 I mentioned are 1 1/2 to 2" size and are good eating. Sandbur KNOWS crabapples, as do a few of the other guys on here - Maya, Stu, Greyphase for 3 more.

That's what makes this forum so handy and useful. You get first-hand info from veteran habitat nuts !!:)

 

[buckvelvet]

I learned what I know from the apple and crab guys on these forums and from Penn State, Cornell, Purdue, U. of Vermont, U. Minn. sites and correspondence with all mentioned.<
Chestnut, Whitney, Dolgo, Kerr, Trailman, Winter wildlife crab, All-Winter-Hangover crab, ( the last 2 from SLN ) are all good crabs 1" or bigger. The first 5 I mentioned are 1 1/2 to 2" size and are good eating. Sandbur KNOWS crabapples, as do a few of the other guys on here - Maya, Stu, Greyphase for 3 more.

That's what makes this forum so handy and useful. You get first-hand info from veteran habitat nuts !!:)

I just want to clarify though I don't see how I possibly could have with my replies, did not mean to discredit anyones opinions at all. I was one of the first people who joined this forum when it started. I came here because like you mentioned some of the folks on here were big contributors the 'OTHER" Forum especially for fruit tree information.

I appreciate everyones input as it makes it easier on a noob like me.

 

[buckvelvet]

What about Siberian crabs don't you MN use them quite a bit too or are they a small fruit?

 

[buckvelvet]

Also this is from the mossy oak nurseries website, this is a description of what their 'wild crabs' derive from......."Dolgo, Transendent, Chestnut, Centennial, Whitney, and Prairie crab."

So I guess I have some of them already.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Buckvelvet - I didn't take it that way at all. Discrediting didn't even enter my mind and I didn't think you were aiming that way. ALL GOOD !!! :)

 

[sandbur]

I learned what I know from the apple and crab guys on these forums and from Penn State, Cornell, Purdue, U. of Vermont, U. Minn. sites and correspondence with all mentioned.<
Chestnut, Whitney, Dolgo, Kerr, Trailman, Winter wildlife crab, All-Winter-Hangover crab, ( the last 2 from SLN ) are all good crabs 1" or bigger. The first 5 I mentioned are 1 1/2 to 2" size and are good eating. Sandbur KNOWS crabapples, as do a few of the other guys on here - Maya, Stu, Greyphase for 3 more.

That's what makes this forum so handy and useful. You get first-hand info from veteran habitat nuts !!:)

I am not an expert on crab apples. I just go by what I see and what I read. But I do like crab apples better than most other apples for myself and for the deer.

What defines a crab is really any apple under about 2 inches.

 

[foggy]

I wish I knew a little bit about root-stock. As soon as you guys start throwing those root-stock numbers around.....I am lost. Any easy review of these root-stocks?

 

[greyphase]

This might help you understand most of the rootstocks we talk about here.
http://www.nc140.org/2004/domotorootstock.pdf

 

[Bowsnbucks]

You can also check out orangepippintrees.com and click on the " rootstocks " button.

Edit: wrong address, wrong directions. Sorry!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

You can also check out orangepippintrees.com/articles/rootstocks-for-apple-trees.