Crabapple timeline

[Chainsaw]

Unfortunately not at least not right now. I have one on my spring order that is on G202 because that is biggest I could get. I should be able to graft off of it to M111 pretty quick though. (can never have to many red flesh crabs!)
Cummins isn't the best nursery for getting the bigger rootstocks at times but they have a lot of great varieties and healthy trees.

To date there is no complete nursery where we can get every single thing we want and likely it will stay that way. However we do have lots of options compared to just a few short years ago. Cummins is a great nursery, I've not been disappointed by trees I have purchased from them.

 

[sandbur]

Geneva crab from GRIN looks promising. This is no spray during a drought year. It has clusters of fruit like the Buckman Crab.

It is on a wild crab franken tree and has also shown fast growth on dolgo rootstock.

References say high acid and some bitters. Probable sister to Almata.

I will monitor it for ripening, taste, and drop time.


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GRIN site says it drops as it ripens.


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[Bowsnbucks]

Cummins isn't the best nursery for getting the bigger rootstocks at times but they have a lot of great varieties and healthy trees.

I think it's because the bulk of their business is from commercial orchards and not hunters. Commercial orchards don't want BIG trees that take some years to produce - they want quick return on their investment, I'm guessing.

That's why - I believe - outfits like Turkey Creek and Blue Hill fill a niche for hunters & habitat folks so well. They graft to "hunter-friendly" larger rootstocks for longer- lived trees.

 

[H20fwler]

I think it's because the bulk of their business is from commercial orchards and not hunters. Commercial orchards don't want BIG trees that take some years to produce - they want quick return on their investment, I'm guessing.

That's why - I believe - outfits like Turkey Creek and Blue Hill fill a niche for hunters & habitat folks so well. They graft to "hunter-friendly" larger rootstocks for longer- lived trees.

Agree 100%

I’ve bought a lot of trees from Cummins and have never had any negative issues. I also like that they are a northern nursery so that I know the trees I will be getting are winter hardy.
They have excellent selections, and are definitely focused more on the commercial orchards for the bulk of their business.

 

[sandbur]

GRIN site says it drops as it ripens.


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One other reference said Geneva crab ripens early and holds well. I wonder if there are two different varieties of Geneva or if climate/weather changes fruit drop.

Are the G series rootstocks all sone sort of Geneva?


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[sandbur]

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The fruit clusters look better all of the time. I jumped a doe while walking down here for a picture of the Geneva.


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[sandbur]

The fruit clusters look better all of the time. I jumped a doe while walking down here for a picture of the Geneva.


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The doe was down here, where I squeezed a row of crabs between the swamp and the cornfield. I saw one of her fawns here , a few days ago.


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[sandbur]

The doe was down here, where I squeezed a row of crabs between the swamp and the cornfield. I saw one of her fawns here , a few days ago.


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Looking the other way, towards my home.


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[Bowsnbucks]

Are the G series rootstocks all sone sort of Geneva?

Yes. G Series rootstocks are from the Geneva (N.Y.) Research Station. They were developed by Dr. Jim Cummins - of Cummins Nursery family. He used to be the head of Cornell University's breeding program - but he's been retired for a number of years now. His family owns / runs the nursery.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I should have mentioned Northern Whitetail Crabs (NWC) in my post #443 above. They're also geared toward hunters' needs for fruit trees.

 

[sandbur]

This old wild, swamp crab blew over about twenty plus years ago. There is a drainage ditch on the left side of the picture and it just keeps on plugging along.

I have started a few rootstocks on the shots from the rootball. The Geneva crab is on a franken tree from a swamp crab.

I have posted pictures of this somewhere in the past.

I wish I had about twenty of these rootstocks, but they take lots of babying to get started.


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[sandbur]

This might explain my behavior.


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[greyphase]

This old wild, swamp crab blew over about twenty plus years ago. There is a drainage ditch on the left side of the picture and it just keeps on plugging along.

I have started a few rootstocks on the shots from the rootball. The Geneva crab is on a franken tree from a swamp crab.

I have posted pictures of this somewhere in the past.

I wish I had about twenty of these rootstocks, but they take lots of babying to get started.


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Love this picture. Shows the tenacity, the determination, the perseverance of the apple tree to keep living.

 

[sandbur]

Love this picture. Shows the tenacity, the determination, the perseverance of the apple tree to keep living.

You can’t see it, but this is a red cedar growing directly behind this tree and at most ten yards from the tree. CAR is not a factor with this tree.

There is another wild crab about 1/2 mile away that I went and looked at last summer. It was covered with CAR and still had a full load of bird sized crabs. This tree is not on my property and I needed to get permission to check it out.


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[sandbur]

Norlands have started to drop. They are my earliest, hardy apple.


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[sandbur]

This is Rescue crab.

I have several crabs/apples I want to monitor for taste and drop time. If they taste good, I sometimes pick them and don’t leave any for Checking drop time.

Varieties are Rescue, Martha, Geneva, B118, one we call Long Prairie, Wotanda, another of the Nevis ioensis crosses(I need a ladder to read the label), South Dakota Winter, Jonsib,an old crab that is one of Grandma’s seedlings, and a couple of other seedlings that have fruited for the first time.

Some of these are tacked on various flowering crabs and I forget to monitor them.


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[Bowsnbucks]

Rescue seems pretty clean. Any problems with it?? Good size for deer chomping ............... or maybe cider press??

 

[sandbur]

Rescue seems pretty clean. Any problems with it?? Good size for deer chomping ............... or maybe cider press??

It looks pretty clean and I did spray it twice.


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[sandbur]

This is Rescue crab.

I have several crabs/apples I want to monitor for taste and drop time. If they taste good, I sometimes pick them and don’t leave any for Checking drop time.

Varieties are Rescue, Martha, Geneva, B118, one we call Long Prairie, Wotanda, another of the Nevis ioensis crosses(I need a ladder to read the label), South Dakota Winter, Jonsib,an old crab that is one of Grandma’s seedlings, and a couple of other seedlings that have fruited for the first time.

Some of these are tacked on various flowering crabs and I forget to monitor them.


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Also Linda Sweet.


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[sandbur]

I tried a couple of windfalls. The seeds were white in both cases, so the apples are not ripe.

The clusters of fruit with Geneva crab impress me. The fruit should add color to cider.

Geneva crab on my wild swamp crab and on dolgo rootstock has been one of my fastest growing grafts.

You can see the drought stress in the leaves! All I have been doing is hauling water. 900 gallons hauled yesterday.


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