Crabapple trees on reclaimed surface mine

[Thunder]

I have a section of 5 acres on a reclaimed surface mine. The area was reclaimed 17 years ago. I'm on a slight SW slope in Cambria County PA.
Spruce and warm season grasses are growing but it's a little rough. I think they started running out of topsoil.
I'd like to plant 50 crabapple trees. What species are seeing decent results and are people using any special techniques?
I'm using a shovel to plant bare root. Mixing new screened topsoil with pea moss. Putting a 2x2 weed fabric done with crushed limestone holding the fabric. These will be tubed.
I'd like to cage them but I'm not sure of the survival rate.
I'd like to hear everyone's experience and theory if this is a good plan or needs adjusted.
I'd like to plant 200 across 15 acres. Along with other mast producing trees. I have 25 acres total on the Mine. 5 acres will be foodplots and 6 acres i want old field habitat.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I have no experience on re-claimed mine soil. I have planted about 85 - 88 apple & crab apple trees. Our camp went with 5 ft. tall concrete re-mesh for cages, and aluminum window screen for mouse & vole protection to keep them from chewing the bark (girdling) which kills the trees. We used tubes and black, corrugated drain pipe for protection on a number of earlier fruit trees. The mice and voles LOVED those tubes and pipes. They moved right in and made hotels inside them, which made winter chewing an easy task. We lost all those trees, with the bark getting chewed off right to the tops of the tube "protection". On the next (current) apple & crab trees, we switched to 5 ft. cages and aluminum window screen with no problems. I should say I made the window screen about 24" to 30" tall to plan for deeper snow, so mice & voles couldn't walk on top of a 12" or 18" deep snow and get an easy meal.

We did the same weed mat / crushed limestone thing you're planning. Great idea - we had good results with ours. Your slight SW slope is ideal for lots of sunlight. Our camp is in NC Pa. mountains, so - same area of the country. Good luck with your plantings!

 

[bigboreblr]

No personal experience here. A coworker has a home with reclaimed mine like your on a portion of the property. Very tough growing anything there.

I'd dig down 2 feet and get soil sample. Do that maybe 10 times. Soil can be quite variable one spot to another. Find out what you got. Certain roostocks do better in certain soils. MAybe plant a dozen on the first year. M111, dolgo, antonvoka, and maybe g890 or B118 or P18.

IF you dont protect it with a cage, the critters will eat them.

I get my rootstock from mehrabyan nrsery in ithaca NY. They have every roostock listed except dolgo. Siberian crab and ranetka would be pretty good choices too.

Every rootstock will produce apples of some kind. Some might even be the type and time of year you like too.

I have been eyeing yellow river nurseries, they have red splendor seedlings for $5 each or so. That variety is spoken well of on here. Since they're seedlings, each one will be different to some extent.

IF that soil is bad, you may need to ammend a large section to make a tree viable there. IF I recall poor sand might have some insight on here. He's posted about growing things in poor soil.

Get some pictures of what is growing there. Predominate plants tell a story of the soil. If the soil is bad, you might have to do a few years of green manure. Rye n medium red clover might help things out for a few years. Sandy soil planting crimson clover in the late spring after risk of frost can be good too.