Crabapple Varieties & guys' comments / input
- Thread starter Bowsnbucks
- Start date
sandbur
5 year old buck +
He has two dogs that protect the farm yard. I am surprised a car has not hit them.
I top worked this onto some of my other crabs and also have some seedlings that are about ready to produce. I might even of had some produce this summer. I need to check the tags.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
sandbur
5 year old buck +
I looked at five or six of the seedlings from this Apple. Most turned out to be 1.25 inch crabs and are smaller apples than the mother tree. They are late hangers and I gave them a vigorous shake .
I need to see if I have any topworks from the mother tree have survived.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
cavey
5 year old buck +
The image made me think of all the trees over the years I've walked by admiring the late hanging fruit wishing I had a tree like that on my property.... Kind of makes you want to jump back in time with a zip lock bag and hand pruner. Im wishing I had learned how to graft back then - those many years ago... A simple skill I wish I had learned in my youth... Just thinking of the full grown size of those "could have been trees"!
sandbur
5 year old buck +
Since our rifle deer season has ended, I walked some areas I seldom visit and found another crab apple tree that must be five inches in diameter. It must be 15-20 years old.
Never noticed it before. It is more of a ‘bird crab’. Could be turned to a Frankenstein tree.
I need to check another one I found about two winters back.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Never noticed it before. It is more of a ‘bird crab’. Could be turned to a Frankenstein tree.
I need to check another one I found about two winters back.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Don't discount those bird crabs !! We have 6 of them at camp - avg. size fruit is 1/2" - and the deer have circles worn around each of them. They pick up drops and also reach up as high as they can to nibble them off the limbs.
I haven't thought of trying to make "Franken-trees" from any of those just because we have so many other apples and crabs. But I bet it would easily work. Those seedling crabs are TOUGH. I never need to spray or baby them at all. We got them from a Game Commission seedling sale around 22 yrs. ago. They are currently about 18 ft. tall. In winter, we see grouse sitting up in them eating the shriveled fruit. And they help pollinate the other apple trees. Kinda glad we have them.
I haven't thought of trying to make "Franken-trees" from any of those just because we have so many other apples and crabs. But I bet it would easily work. Those seedling crabs are TOUGH. I never need to spray or baby them at all. We got them from a Game Commission seedling sale around 22 yrs. ago. They are currently about 18 ft. tall. In winter, we see grouse sitting up in them eating the shriveled fruit. And they help pollinate the other apple trees. Kinda glad we have them.
sandbur
5 year old buck +
I see a lot of seedling crabs along our ditch banks and along wetland edges in central Minnesota. Some are bird crabs and some are up to 1.5 inches in size. Larger apples exist but are rarer.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
H20fwler
5 year old buck +
Down at the end of our street a neighbor has an ornamental crab that is flat out loaded every year and it holds a lot of it's fruit into February, it has a very slow drop. Just about every night and early morning in late fall/winter there are bunnies underneath this tree eating whatever has fallen and in the winter birds are all over the tree.
So the other day while airing the dog out I went over and got a good look at it, fruit kind of reminds me of Crazy Ed's Cherry Bomb almost the size of nickels and they taste pretty good. I'm thinking these would be great out at the farm for all kinds of wildlife.
So towards the end of March I'm going to get some scions and graft them onto M111 get them started good at home and hopefully next fall ad some to my shrub strips.
So the other day while airing the dog out I went over and got a good look at it, fruit kind of reminds me of Crazy Ed's Cherry Bomb almost the size of nickels and they taste pretty good. I'm thinking these would be great out at the farm for all kinds of wildlife.
So towards the end of March I'm going to get some scions and graft them onto M111 get them started good at home and hopefully next fall ad some to my shrub strips.
sandbur
5 year old buck +
Down at the end of our street a neighbor has an ornamental crab that is flat out loaded every year and it holds a lot of it's fruit into February, it has a very slow drop. Just about every night and early morning in late fall/winter there are bunnies underneath this tree eating whatever has fallen and in the winter birds are all over the tree.
So the other day while airing the dog out I went over and got a good look at it, fruit kind of reminds me of Crazy Ed's Cherry Bomb almost the size of nickels and they taste pretty good. I'm thinking these would be great out at the farm for all kinds of wildlife.
So towards the end of March I'm going to get some scions and graft them onto M111 get them started good at home and hopefully next fall ad some to my shrub strips.
Sounds good. Maybe even plant some seeds?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
H20fwler
5 year old buck +
I've never done apples from seeds but am sure willing to try it!
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
H20 - Boy that neighbor's crab looks great. With a fruit load like that every year, it would make a great habitat tree. Good luck on the grafting ...…….. & seedling starts, if you try that too.
Planting just a Chestnut crab this spring, though I have about 30 other various grafted trees going in, mostly pear and DR apples.
However, I do have 100 MM-111 coming and a big portion will be crabs.
Crabs I have coming from GRIN are:
Anaros
Chestnut
Kerr
Dolgo
Wickson
Linda Sweet
Wetonka
Ben Trio
Transcendent
From my existing orchard I'll be grafting 3 varieties from NWC that I planted spring 2017 and have grown like gangbusters, 30-06, Drop Tine and 10 point.
I will also be grafting for an acquaintance with hundreds of wild apples/crabs that wants duplicates on a handful of his most attractive and best producing trees. Of course I'll be keeping a couple of each for myself. I'll learn more about those when I go collect scions this winter.
I've also identified a couple roadside crabs that look desirable and will likely grab some scions from.
My focus is deer, but I can see a cider press and some crabapple sauce in my future.
Last edited:
H20fwler
5 year old buck +
I'm going to be grafting mostly from my own trees;
Dolgo
DropTine
TenPoint
30-06
Crossbow
Golden Hornet
My neighbors crab
All on M111, plan is to plant next fall in shrub strips to benefit all kinds of wildlife not just deer.
sandbur
5 year old buck +
You sound like my blood brother!
I always watch for late dropping wild crabs.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
chickenlittle
5 year old buck +
Got one hewes virginia crab on m111 or B118 coming out of the nursery. Probably replace a dolgo with it.
sandbur
5 year old buck +
Did the dolgo die or are you out of room to plant?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
