Crabapple timeline
- Thread starter sandbur
- Start date
sandbur
5 year old buck +
I picked the remainder of the Liberty’s and the Nova Easy Gro. A week ago, I preferred the taste of the Liberty’s, but now seem to prefer NEG.
I picked some of the haralred and ate a few Frostbite and Kerr Crab. Kerr are quite tasty and I should make some sauce.
I just am not sure if I like Frostbite or not.
The mother tree of Big Dog is pretty much resting this year. I do have several other top works with fruit, but they and Buckman Crab are in the ‘no go area’ until the rifle/rut hunt.
Dang, I hope the bear isn’t tearing up those trees!
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I picked some of the haralred and ate a few Frostbite and Kerr Crab. Kerr are quite tasty and I should make some sauce.
I just am not sure if I like Frostbite or not.
The mother tree of Big Dog is pretty much resting this year. I do have several other top works with fruit, but they and Buckman Crab are in the ‘no go area’ until the rifle/rut hunt.
Dang, I hope the bear isn’t tearing up those trees!
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4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
I am on the fence as well with the Frostbite, they are still holding tight on the tree, so I will let them hang a couple more weeks, they seem a little tart to me. I could eat them, but I have better options.
I still have a few Dolgo still hanging, lots of Frostbite, and my Fireside apples are still holding well, but there wasnt many this year. These are just trees in my yard, not in my orchard, which I will check on this weekend, and pick a few more eaters.
rocksnstumps
5 year old buck +
3 of 4 Ranetka crab still have some fruit. The ones with yellowish or greenish apples initially seem to hold better compared to the ones that were red even back at start of Sept. These are getting some red blush now though.
Honeygold holding well and tasting good. Lots of sooty blotch as usual however.
Franklin Cider is still holding on several trees
A few of the first crop of a dozen on Wolf River have already fallen and no trace under the tree. Picked a couple of the big ones, they came off fairly easy. This one well over a pound, it pegged the scale. Maybe I should go find my fish scale!
Honeygold holding well and tasting good. Lots of sooty blotch as usual however.
Franklin Cider is still holding on several trees
A few of the first crop of a dozen on Wolf River have already fallen and no trace under the tree. Picked a couple of the big ones, they came off fairly easy. This one well over a pound, it pegged the scale. Maybe I should go find my fish scale!
rocksnstumps
5 year old buck +
So on the far right, is that a tree on B118 rootstock?
That’s a little one under the chestnut crab.
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sandbur
5 year old buck +
I have no idea. It is a multi trucked Haralred. Maybe I can get a picture later.
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rocksnstumps
5 year old buck +
Ah, multi-trunk tree. Was making reference it looked like a leaner
sandbur
5 year old buck +
I knew nothing about pruning apple trees when I planted that tree. Surprisingly, it produces lots of fruit, every other year.
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rocksnstumps
5 year old buck +
Many of my wild trees are multi-stem and produce tons of fruit. I don't get too worked up about it on some trees that just resist being pruned to a central leader.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
Do you still prune the majority of your trees? Or after they get so big, you leave them alone?
Most of my trees are 7-10 years old, and on standard rootstock, most are 20+ feet tall. Trimming them past the 8 foot mark is difficult. The trees arent strong enough to lean a ladder on them yet, or climb on them. I have pruned my trees the first 3 years or so, then have kinda trimmed what I could reach, but they are bushy towards the mid to tops.
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
About 2 years ago I asked the head of Penn State's fruit tree dept. about pruning apple trees for wildlife vs. home eating use. He said for wildlife trees, after the permanent limb scaffolds are established, they can be pruned every other year or once every 3 years. For home eating purposes, and better apple size / quality, he suggested pruning every year to keep sunlight and air flow through the trees. FWIW.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
Most of my trees are in a field for deer, but I do eat some of my favorites from these trees. My question though is if you do trim them, how do you go about trimming 20-30 foot apple trees? A ladder?, the trees arent strong enough yet to support me on a ladder leaning against them.
A boom truck? Not practical, plus this is back in the woods a ways, I doubt I could get one back there.
Climbing them? Maybe 30 years ago.
A pole saw? I think it would chew the wood up and do more damage then good.
H20fwler
5 year old buck +
I prune what I can with an 8’ step ladder, have borrowed my buddies limb trimmer a couple times too. It seems the older the trees get the less I prune, I just go after dead or crossed branches on bigger trees and try and keep centers kind of open.
On another note; Anyone ever plant any Roberts crab?
I got on the red flesh kick a few years ago and that one has been one of the hardest for me to get. I love the look of it with the dark purple skin and deep red flesh.
Seems like it was always sold out as soon as the few orchards that sell them in the states posted any up. Finally scored on a few for next spring, had to get dwarf but will plant them deep and hope for the best.
Just wondered if anyone has any producing and how they like it?
On another note; Anyone ever plant any Roberts crab?
I got on the red flesh kick a few years ago and that one has been one of the hardest for me to get. I love the look of it with the dark purple skin and deep red flesh.
Seems like it was always sold out as soon as the few orchards that sell them in the states posted any up. Finally scored on a few for next spring, had to get dwarf but will plant them deep and hope for the best.
Just wondered if anyone has any producing and how they like it?
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
Yellow Dog is still holding apples here today. Hewes (Virginia Crab) was still holding last week, but a critter or two has been slowly working over the trees, it was empty today. Noticed the last couple of Liberty apples I had left to see how long they would hold disappeared over the weekend.
sandbur
5 year old buck +
Do the Yellow Dog get over one inch or an inch and a quarter in size for you?
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Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
No. They are very uniform in size. Probably around the 1 1/4" range, have never measured them though.
