Crabapple Varieties & guys' comments / input

[Bowsnbucks]

Update from camp on Dec. 8th - Winter Wildlife crabs from SLN are still holding 1" red crab apples. A WW crab planted in 2015 as a small whip is now 12 ft. tall and holding those red apples. Base of trunk is 2" dia.

Spring 2019 crabs to plant - 1 Chestnut crab and 1 Winter Wildlife crab. That'll bring our Chestnut crab total to 5, and our WW crab total to 4.

I blame my crab apple fever on 2 guys …………. Sandbur and Stu Smith. Boy - they do make good wildlife trees !!!

 

[Mortenson]

I'm also going to hit the crabs hard this year. Planning on AWH and WW from SLN and some 30-06 and Droptine from Northern. I have Chestnut, Wickson, and Kerr already planted and a few in the nursery. Also a few 30-06 in the nursery and they grew really well since being grafted. Other crabs in the nursery are Columbia, Hewes Virginia, and Centennial. Would've had a bunch more but for one reason or another I had rootstocks die off, plus some failed grafts on my part.

 

[sandbur]

Update from camp on Dec. 8th - Winter Wildlife crabs from SLN are still holding 1" red crab apples. A WW crab planted in 2015 as a small whip is now 12 ft. tall and holding those red apples. Base of trunk is 2" dia.

Spring 2019 crabs to plant - 1 Chestnut crab and 1 Winter Wildlife crab. That'll bring our Chestnut crab total to 5, and our WW crab total to 4.

I blame my crab apple fever on 2 guys …………. Sandbur and Stu Smith. Boy - they do make good wildlife trees !!!

You been hangin’ with a bad crowd!

Stu pointed out that this tree is still holding some crabs.

It’s a rootstock on public land.


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[Bowsnbucks]

^^^^^ You guys have so many good crabs growing wild there.

 

[CedarSwamp]

The crabapples that I’m planting this spring include Kerr, Chestnut, Violi’s Hanging Crab, Dolgo, and Norland. I may be forgetting one.

I don’t have many crabs growing now, but my Connel Red, Liberty, and a few other varieties are still holding onto a lot of apples and have the attention of our deer!

Planting a new orchard this spring, finishing up a couple other orchards, and will have another orchard to plant Spring 2020.

 

[sandbur]

^^^^^ You guys have so many good crabs growing wild there.

It seems like those in the northeast have lots of wild, larger apples.

I am not sure if it is just the genetic base or climate, but suspect climate has determined the genetic base.

There are not many wild crabs thirty miles north of me as you get more into zone 3.




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[Skelly]

It seems like those in the northeast have lots of wild, larger apples.

I am not sure if it is just the genetic base or climate, but suspect climate has determined the genetic base.

There are not many wild crabs thirty miles north of me as you get more into zone 3.




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I was back home this summer in NW PA. Seemed like every other tree was a wild crab. My head was on a swivel

 

[chummer]

It seems like those in the northeast have lots of wild, larger apples.

I am not sure if it is just the genetic base or climate, but suspect climate has determined the genetic base.

There are not many wild crabs thirty miles north of me as you get more into zone 3.




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I would say we are 75/25 small apples over big apples. The problem with all the big apples I am aware of drop August/September. Most of the small ones are later September/October and only a couple hold into November. I am trying to go with all November drops going forward. I am trying to get the most food on the ground before the snow pack pushes the deer out.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Chummer - ^^^^ Snow pack …...….. My son was just up to the Salmon River fishing with a group of buddies. He said there was 3 ft. on the ground where they were and Tug Hill was supposed to have more. Your deer better have put on some fat !!! Good luck with the apples and crabs there. I hope you get some good ones growing.

 

[chummer]

Chummer - ^^^^ Snow pack …...….. My son was just up to the Salmon River fishing with a group of buddies. He said there was 3 ft. on the ground where they were and Tug Hill was supposed to have more. Your deer better have put on some fat !!! Good luck with the apples and crabs there. I hope you get some good ones growing.

Winter came very early this year. The deer are screwed. I was up three weeks ago and the snow was already past my knees and very hard walking. All the tracks were going towards the river where they yard up. We will have a solid 6 months of snow cover this year.

 

[chummer]

Did they catch anything?

 

[Tree Spud]

This past spring I planted 10 - Chestnut and 10 - Kerr crab apples. Then this fall I planted another 6 - Kerr crab apples. Have 13 pears planted over last 2-3 years.

Looking to add some wild plum and more crabs.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Chummer - No. They said the river was up due to snow - then rain & water temp. fell so fish weren't biting. The guys he goes with have a camp right there.

 

[chummer]

Chummer - No. They said the river was up due to snow - then rain & water temp. fell so fish weren't biting. The guys he goes with have a camp right there.

I should have figured it has rained or snowed 61 out of last 64 days. I hear we might see the sun for a few minutes today.

 

[sandbur]

Grandma’s seedling is getting used and still a few apples left.

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[Bowsnbucks]

^^^^^ From the looks of the tracks & droppings in the pic, deer are regular visitors to this tree.

 

[sandbur]

^^^^^ From the looks of the tracks & droppings in the pic, deer are regular visitors to this tree.

That tree was crowded out by tag alders until I released it a few years ago. Last year I pruned what I could reach and added some fruit tree spikes. Lots of fruit Spurs this year!


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[sandbur]

This past spring I planted 10 - Chestnut and 10 - Kerr crab apples. Then this fall I planted another 6 - Kerr crab apples. Have 13 pears planted over last 2-3 years.

Looking to add some wild plum and more crabs.

You will soon need a cider press!


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[Tree Spud]

You will soon need a cider press!


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So crab apples are a gateway drug?

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Yes. To many other conditions, too.