Crabs for turkeys

[sandbur]

If it's any help - I have a Profusion Crab in my yard here at home. It gets red apples of 5/8" to 3/4" dia. and they hang until March each year. They shrivel up in the cold, but a flock of cedar waxwings comes through every March and cleans the tree of whatever is left. No turkeys or grouse here, but the tree puts on loads of fruit and they supply birds with grub all winter. I also planted a Sugar Tyme crab in the yard this past year. Very DR and persistent 1/2" red fruit.

You may be able to find Profusion at nurseries for $10 to $15. I've never seen them as seedlings.

Here is a site that gives info on some good, small fruited crabs ( though not all are persistent hangers ) -

www.bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/trees/best-crabapples-for-your-yard

I have a similar crab (as well as red splendor) in my yard and wonder if it is profusion. I have seen a partridge in it years back.

Last week it was dropping a few of those tiny crabs and deer were working under it.

No idea what it was as it was part of a gift of 2-3 trees from a neighbor. Either seedlings or dug up root suckers.

I have a Nevis crab cross tacked onto a limb of it and also a northwest Greening on another tree from the same gift.


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Correction... memory failure... I have Northwest Greening and a Khazik apple tacked on it.


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[rocksnstumps]

Since we are on the topic of bird size crabs, anybody have any experience with a Makamik crab? Some pics from UW Madison arboretum a couple of years ago and looking up seems like could be a good choice. Definitely makes a full size tree, might be good from a bear perspective. I have acquired a bit of a bear problem that last few years...

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

No experience with that variety, but that's a great looking tree. I really like those giant apples and crabapples.

Bears suck and my hunting land is loaded with them. For my orchard there my plan is to go with full sized trees that grow large and plant a high number of trees to spread out the damage.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

That Makamik crab looks really good, Rocksnstumps. Tree size is good.

 

[rocksnstumps]

Well another winter with lots of snow and cold for many weeks and like years past, the turkeys seem to find the trees in late Feb or early March that were ignored before Christmas when the pickings were easier.

In late Jan this Siberian crab from a seedling still had fruit, this was an off year after having a very heavy crop of 1" dia or so last year.


Fast forward to March and this pic just a day after another blanket of fresh snow shows turkey tracks all over. Tracks made a beeline from tree to tree in this area.

 

[sandbur]

Well another winter with lots of snow and cold for many weeks and like years past, the turkeys seem to find the trees in late Feb or early March that were ignored before Christmas when the pickings were easier.

In late Jan this Siberian crab from a seedling still had fruit, this was an off year after having a very heavy crop of 1" dia or so last year.
View attachment 23118

Fast forward to March and this pic just a day after another blanket of fresh snow shows turkey tracks all over. Tracks made a beeline from tree to tree in this area.
View attachment 23120

Nice looking country and I like the conifers.

I am not a fan of the turkeys, maybe if I would hunt them it would be different.


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[cavey]

I had an ornamental crab of some sort in my yard, produced marble sized fruit that had a late but prolonged drop, every spring it would send up shoots from the outlaying roots. I would just dig or hack about a foot away from the shoot in both directions and take the shoot and root section - pot them out and grow them for later transplant.. I have about a half dozen of these trees out on the farm and the turkey love them.. they have grown into some very large trees with good annual production. Its nice to have a mix of trees... the deer as well eat them so everyone benefits.

 

[Charles Clear]

I had an ornamental crab of some sort in my yard, produced marble sized fruit that had a late but prolonged drop, every spring it would send up shoots from the outlaying roots. I would just dig or hack about a foot away from the shoot in both directions and take the shoot and root section - pot them out and grow them for later transplant.. I have about a half dozen of these trees out on the farm and the turkey love them.. they have grown into some very large trees with good annual production. Its nice to have a mix of trees... the deer as well eat them so everyone benefits.

I see some very similar on the way to work, in a housing plan, still have apples hanging on them. Tons of small apples on the ground mostly fell in February. Turkeys and Robins eating under them everyday. I took some scions, could be a great winter food source

 

[sandbur]

I had an ornamental crab of some sort in my yard, produced marble sized fruit that had a late but prolonged drop, every spring it would send up shoots from the outlaying roots. I would just dig or hack about a foot away from the shoot in both directions and take the shoot and root section - pot them out and grow them for later transplant.. I have about a half dozen of these trees out on the farm and the turkey love them.. they have grown into some very large trees with good annual production. Its nice to have a mix of trees... the deer as well eat them so everyone benefits.

My original chestnut has some of those root suckers up to 15 feet from the tree. I have several of those planted and they are reaching six to eight foot height.

I hope to see some fruit on them soon.


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[Tree Spud]

You should consider Midwest Crabapple (Malus mandshurica) for game birds like turkey & pheasants. Very cold hardy and forms a dense oval shape which provides good nesting and ground cover. Farmers used to use them as wind and shelter breaks when planted in a row.

 

[Big Snow Man]

I have Siberian crabs and the turkeys love them

 

[sandbur]

I had an ornamental crab of some sort in my yard, produced marble sized fruit that had a late but prolonged drop, every spring it would send up shoots from the outlaying roots. I would just dig or hack about a foot away from the shoot in both directions and take the shoot and root section - pot them out and grow them for later transplant.. I have about a half dozen of these trees out on the farm and the turkey love them.. they have grown into some very large trees with good annual production. Its nice to have a mix of trees... the deer as well eat them so everyone benefits.

My original chestnut has some of those root suckers up to 15 feet from the tree. I have several of those planted and they are reaching six to eight foot height.

I hope to see some fruit on them soon.


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The two crabs in the front of the picture are from those rootsuckers.

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[cavey]

Getting them with a bit of root and potting or transplanting them out - its almost a 100% thing I dont think I have ever had one die. The shoots Ive taken that way have all made strong healthy trees that really took off growing.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

When you guys chop a root sucker loose and plant it elsewhere, does it take off quicker than a regular bare root whip or seedling ??

 

[sandbur]

When you guys chop a root sucker loose and plant it elsewhere, does it take off quicker than a regular bare root whip or seedling ??

Not for me, but the price is right.


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[H20fwler]

One of my neighbors has this one that is loaded every winter, always has rabbits under it eating anything that drops and flocks of birds in late winter. I tasted the crabs and they are sweet, it seems to be a perfect candidate for a wildlife crab. I've always wanted some of them for out at the farm so I'm grafting a half dozen scions from it this spring to M111 that will be going in my shrub strips.

 

[cavey]

When you guys chop a root sucker loose and plant it elsewhere, does it take off quicker than a regular bare root whip or seedling ??

I cant really say that they are faster growing either , just that they seem to take well and have not died off as long as I had a fair amount of root. And that isnt always that much. I have had them have only about 6 inches of the parent tree root - often looks like an inverted "T".

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Thanks Bur and Cavey for the root info. We have a couple 1/2" dia. crabs that have suckers coming off the roots. I could try digging a few up and planting them along a field edge that has nothing there now.

H20 - Did you post a pic of that crab tree before ?? Seems I remember it from another thread. It's a hammer tree for production !!

 

[H20fwler]

H20 - Did you post a pic of that crab tree before ?? Seems I remember it from another thread. It's a hammer tree for production !!

Yes, in a crab thread a couple months ago. I'm really looking forward to getting some of them going in the shrub strips I think they have potential to cover a wide variety of wildlife and I like that they hang on fairly good most of the winter and don't dry right out.

 

[Charles Clear]

I agree, that looks like good wildlife food to me! Very similar to the trees I got scions from myself this year. I can picture a shed antler sitting under a tree like that!