Crabapple timeline

[sandbur]

No. They are very uniform in size. Probably around the 1 1/4" range, have never measured them though.

Same size here in my climate. I usually get heavy crops every other year and I do very little pruning. Only a bit of what I can reach off of snowshoes.

I still don’t know if that tree was a seedling from my wife’s grandma or a misfit from a flowering crab bundle. I suspect a grandma seedling. The flowering crabs seem to be consistent and I have a early , softer apple on the other end of the row. Probably another grandmas seedling.


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[sandbur]

These apple trees were from seed planted last fall. All open pollinated. The trees will be transplanted next spring.

I decided not too plant any more apple seeds at my age of 68. I will probably also plant very few more apple trees.


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[sandbur]

Kerr crab is having a slow drop. The taste is excellent and I couldn’t resist picking one more bucket for apple sauce.

One year, Kerr held apples into March. The picture is somewhere on here.

My two older Kerr are on B118. The trees are just a bit too short for deer crabs, especially in heavy snow areas.

Does anyone have Kerr crab on dolgo, on Anty , or on wild apple rootstock?


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[DJN]

Does anyone have Kerr crab on dolgo, on Anty , or on wild apple rootstock?

I topworked Kerr on some wild crabs, as well as benchgrafted on Anty, M111, &/or SproutFree. Unfortunately too recent to see the fruits of my labor though.

 

[b116757]

I topworked Kerr on some wild crabs, as well as benchgrafted on Anty, M111, &/or SproutFree. Unfortunately too recent to see the fruits of my labor though.

I’m in the same boat my Kerr are to young also

 

[b116757]

My mother in-law age 86 had a similar sentiment about not planting any more trees because she didn’t think she would see the fruits of her labor at that age. So I planted three apple trees and four bur oaks in her yard. I truly hope she gets to eat some of those apples here in a few years.

 

[H20fwler]

Spotted an old apple tree today along a woods while bird hunting. Had very light skinned pale yellow fruit little bigger than golf balls.
Tasted OK lots of deer sign under tree, saved the cores from ones the boys and I ate. Going to try and plant them and see how it goes.

 

[sandbur]

View attachment 46680

Spotted an old apple tree today along a woods while bird hunting. Had very light skinned pale yellow fruit little bigger than golf balls.
Tasted OK lots of deer sign under tree, saved the cores from ones the boys and I ate. Going to try and plant them and see how it goes.

If you have questions about planting, let me know. I allow Minnesota winters to stratify the seed instead of a refrigerator.


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[Charles Clear]

View attachment 46680

Spotted an old apple tree today along a woods while bird hunting. Had very light skinned pale yellow fruit little bigger than golf balls.
Tasted OK lots of deer sign under tree, saved the cores from ones the boys and I ate. Going to try and plant them and see how it goes.

That is one cool looking apple! I really like the pale skin!

 

[chummer]

I checked my best Kerr graft on A native tree today. I had it caged and it had grown 3’ this year. Snapped right off at the stump. So pissed. Out of all my grafts this year I am down two Kerr. Not sure what I am doing wrong. They take and start growing then they slowly die off one by one, Then the best one gets snapped off by some ahole bird.

 

[Native Hunter]

This is a good looking crab called Eliza’s Choice. I will watch it a little closer this year on drop times. They advertise as dropping lots in October but mine still holding pretty tight.

 

[sandbur]

This is a good looking crab called Eliza’s Choice. I will watch it a little closer this year on drop times. They advertise as dropping lots in October but mine still holding pretty tight.

Have you tasted that crab?

It looks great.


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[sandbur]

I checked my best Kerr graft on A native tree today. I had it caged and it had grown 3’ this year. Snapped right off at the stump. So pissed. Out of all my grafts this year I am down two Kerr. Not sure what I am doing wrong. They take and start growing then they slowly die off one by one, Then the best one gets snapped off by some ahole bird.

I stick a 4 foot e fence post in the surrounding fence and keep it higher than the grafts. Most often birds sit on the e fence post.


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[sandbur]

Kerr crab is having a slow drop. The taste is excellent and I couldn’t resist picking one more bucket for apple sauce.

One year, Kerr held apples into March. The picture is somewhere on here.

My two older Kerr are on B118. The trees are just a bit too short for deer crabs, especially in heavy snow areas.

Does anyone have Kerr crab on dolgo, on Anty , or on wild apple rootstock?


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I couldn’t resist making one more kettle of apple sauce. This is the looks of the kettle before grinding the last of it.

This spring, I used some of the apple sauce juice for staining a mini fish decoy, which is one of my other hobbies. I can’t remember if it was dolgo or Kerr sauce last spring that I used.


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[sandbur]

I couldn’t resist making one more kettle of apple sauce. This is the looks of the kettle before grinding the last of it.

This spring, I used some of the apple sauce juice for staining a mini fish decoy, which is one of my other hobbies. I can’t remember if it was dolgo or Kerr sauce last spring that I used.


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[Native Hunter]

Have you tasted that crab?

It looks great.


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I tried one and it was still a little on the tart side. I will check them again in a few days and see if they sweeten any more.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

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.

Sorry to reply so late, 4wanderingeyes. The Penn State Prof told me that trees for deer & other wildlife don't need to be pruned often once the main scaffold branches are established. He suggested just watching for diseased or damaged limbs, crossing / rubbing limbs, and any limbs that grow inwardly toward the trunk (it shades the inner part of the tree, reducing blossoms / fruit). But once trees get too big to prune without ladders or a boom lift, he said don't risk injury - the trees will still produce.

Human consumption of apples takes more work and pruning to maximize the quality and amount of apples produced. Lots of air & sunlight into the center of the tree make for better "people apples" according to the PSU prof.

 

[sandbur]

Sorry to reply so late, 4wanderingeyes. The Penn State Prof told me that trees for deer & other wildlife don't need to be pruned often once the main scaffold branches are established. He suggested just watching for diseased or damaged limbs, crossing / rubbing limbs, and any limbs that grow inwardly toward the trunk (it shades the inner part of the tree, reducing blossoms / fruit). But once trees get too big to prune without ladders or a boom lift, he said don't risk injury - the trees will still produce.

Human consumption of apples takes more work and pruning to maximize the quality and amount of apples produced. Lots of air & sunlight into the center of the tree make for better "people apples" according to the PSU prof.

Many wild crabs in the prairie type environment around here are just big,multi trucked bushes. They tend to produce crops every other year with no care.

Those bush type trees also have little problem with sunscauld or winter sunburn, which ever name you prefer. Their trunk(s) are not exposed.


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[gunfun13]

This is a tree I grafted scions from a few years back after seeing a decent amount of fruit still hanging in February. Unfortunately, it seems to be either frost susceptible or a biennial bearer. First time I've checked on the fruit while it was in its prime. Crisp, tart, juicy and just starting to drop. If it produced like this every year it'd be a real winner. One of my grafts of this tree put out a decent crop this year as well, but it's still a small tree.

 

[sandbur]

This is a tree I grafted scions from a few years back after seeing a decent amount of fruit still hanging in February. Unfortunately, it seems to be either frost susceptible or a biennial bearer. First time I've checked on the fruit while it was in its prime. Crisp, tart, juicy and just starting to drop. If it produced like this every year it'd be a real winner. One of my grafts of this tree put out a decent crop this year as well, but it's still a small tree.

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I would call production like that every other year as a winner!


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