Crabapple timeline

[sandbur]

Lots of tracks, there, Bur. They like what you've planted for sure. Any activity in your spruce areas??

There is some sign and I did release two spruce that were getting crowded by tag alders.

I have not walked some spruce areas for a bit but will do so soon. Bow season closed last night. I don’t like to move deer around much when neighbors might be hunting.


No snow on the ground at present.

 

[Oaknut]

Signal Fire was still holding some fruit on May 6th last spring, after it’s blossoms had opened.

Probably 4 or 5 months longer than ideal.

 

[Oaknut]

Signal Fire was still holding some fruit on May 6th last spring, after it’s blossoms had opened.

Probably 4 or 5 months longer than ideal.

Posted those last 3 shots by mistake. Not sure how to remove them.

 

[hunts_with_stick]

Do deer like regular apples or crabapples better? I have a few crabs, but mostly regular for human consumption

 

[Rubee]

Morning Oaknut,
Thanks for the posting on your Signal Fire. Sure does hold tight and late.
The three other photos you posted by mistake caught my attention also. How high is that step ladder? Did you remove all those limbs to get it out of deers’ reach? Looks like a really aggressive pruning job.
Thanks
Rubee

 

[Oaknut]

Morning Oaknut,
Thanks for the posting on your Signal Fire. Sure does hold tight and late.
The three other photos you posted by mistake caught my attention also. How high is that step ladder? Did you remove all those limbs to get it out of deers’ reach? Looks like a really aggressive pruning job.
Thanks
Rubee

It was aggressive.

That ladder is a 6 footer.

The trees in those last 3 shots are really struggling, and they all produce 1/4-3/8” bird-sized fruits that drop in September. I took the fences down to work on them, and decided to chop the old gnarled limbs off, and see if I couldn’t get them growing more vigorously again. I believe I top worked them to MWDT’s Holy Crab.

 

[Rubee]

It was aggressive.

That ladder is a 6 footer.

The trees in those last 3 shots are really struggling, and they all produce 1/4-3/8” bird-sized fruits that drop in September. I took the fences down to work on them, and decided to chop the old gnarled limbs off, and see if I couldn’t get them growing more vigorously again. I believe I top worked them to MWDT’s Holy Crab.

How did those aggressively pruned crabs do last growing season? I’ve a few 5-6 year old crabs with too many limbs in the deers’ reach. I’m considering how much I can limb them up without really setting them back. I noticed in the last photo you took all the laterals off and grafted the central leader.
Rubee

 

[Oaknut]

Great questions. Not sure I’m really qualified to answer them.

These didn’t grow as vigorously as I had hoped. But it was so darned dry the last half of the summer, that probably didn’t help.

Seems like I read somewhere not to remove more than 1/3 of the tree in any given year. But I’ve been frame working trees and cut almost everything off, and my top grafts usually grow like crazy, and may produce fruit in 2 or 3 years. In my experience you can cut a lot of wood off a healthy, established, dormant tree, and get away with it.

 

[Oaknut]

And I like to prune the the lower branches off pretty aggressively, trying to push them up and out of reach of the deer & elk.

 

[bigboreblr]

How did those aggressively pruned crabs do last growing season? I’ve a few 5-6 year old crabs with too many limbs in the deers’ reach. I’m considering how much I can limb them up without really setting them back. I noticed in the last photo you took all the laterals off and grafted the central leader.
Rubee

Been sked many times on here. Deer will eat any apple or crabapple. They have preferences, probably very similar to humans. But, they will gladly eat a far from ripe or completely rotten apple as well. Crabapples are smaller and tend to hold on the tree longer, many are disease resistant and cold heardy too. However, crabapples in general blossom earlier than typical apples. Well like human and hunting season dropping apples folks like on here sundance, goldrush, arkansas black, enterprise, granny smith, honeycrisp, pink lady, galarina, macoun, wolf river, hewes, adn kerr. I got about 1/2 of those. turkey creek had a great sale a few days ago. I got my hands full with what I have this year. I'm a bit lost where to plant a few at camp as well. Open and sunny sometimes equates to being close to beaver territory.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

As for deer preference of crab apples over "people apples" - I don't think it makes a lot of difference, at least in our experience. We have a couple smaller, "bird-food-sized" crab apples of 3/8" to 1/2" dia. and the deer eat those too. No harm if you have some of those. Turkeys and grouse eat them too. But our better crabs for deer run between 1" and 2" dia. Crab apples in general seem to be less fussy, less problem to grow and maintain over time than "regular apples." But there are great DR regular apples for wildlife - or for eating.

Bigboreblr above mentioned some good ones. Off his list, we also have Enterprise, Sundance, Galarina, Kerr, Arkansas Black, Wolf River, and Goldrush at camp with great results. Liberty is probably the most popular DR apple choice for deer and people.

If you look back through this thread, you'll find many good crab apple varieties for wildlife - and people.

 

[bigboreblr]

Sandbur been on here lately?

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Haven't seen him on here lately. He's probably been doing a fair bit of ice fishing if the lakes have ice on them. I know he does that quite a bit in most winters.

 

[TWalter91]

Sandbur been on here lately?

No he hasn't been on since January. He does post daily on a different habitat forum. Not sure why he hasn't been posting on here though.

 

[Kooch]

No he hasn't been on since January. He does post daily on a different habitat forum. Not sure why he hasn't been posting on here though.

I think he feels more at home with the outcasts over there.

It’s not a bad place once you get the lay of the land.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TWalter91]

I think he feels more at home with the outcasts over there.

It’s not a bad place once you get the lay of the land.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It is pretty hard to navigate. Atleast for me it is. Not sure if I like it or not. Maybe on tapatalk it is better? Good group of guys over there though!