Favorite Apple, favorite crab, favorite pear, favorite persimmon????

[Mattyq2402]

what are your absolute go to trees in these categories for deer draw? Specifically breeds that you have purchased from online dealers or have stumbled across and grafted your own? I’m getting close to maxing out my space and want to finish my orchards with strong draw trees!!

 

[sandbur]

I feel strong draw trees varies by climate, by disease pressure, and by the time of the season you are targeting. Early bow is different that firearm and is different for winter survival.

In addition those trees need to be planted in a specific location.

Choices for early bow need to be in areas best fit for early bow. Leaf fall might change that location.

Trees for winter survival need to be near winter cover.

Recommendations are probably best from people in locations and climates similar to yours.

Sorry I didn’t answer your question.

For me, Chestnut Crab, big Dog, and Buckman Crab.

 

[bigboreblr]

I have a home in zone 5/6 farmland I put a few trees in on 5 and a 600 acre lease on zone 3/4. Once you hit zone 3, offering for apples go way down. Camp is in the Adirondacks and get polar vortexes every few years. February 2023 was recorded as -37, and thats a few degrees warmer where the weather station is. Maybe 400ft lower in elevation too.

At camp 30-06 has survived and grown fairly well. I fhave few apples varieties up there, but have several kerr crabaples that are very edible. Some folks on here prefer it to other commercial apple varieties they have. I have a MN 1734 up there from last year.

I have a few on farmland, but not many. A few 30-06's doing, well as well as a big dog growing ok. THe farmalnd gets sprayed, none have been harmed yet. My brother in law takes excellent care of his john deere spray rigs. I put a Galarina up there 2 years ago and thats doing good. Got 3 galarinas at home too. That is an apple tree I have alot of promise for. Disease resistant version of Gala. Apples are on the small side so they hang on the tree going into winter. Skin is supposed to be on the thick side, which can help with bugs too

At home I have over 40 trees on 6 acres. I keep scion photocopies of everything at camp incase I want make more, or loggers destroyed a few trees. About a dozen crabapple trees and maybe 5 or 6 other crabapple varieties growing on a branch or two on apple trees. I also spray for bugs and a bit for diseases too. Crossbow has been growing like a weed with excellent branch angles are bugs seem to have been dodging it like whitetail crabs touts. Japanese beetles somehow really dislike this tree. MY wife loves macoun and empire and have those. Sundance on M7 is doing great. Might more be the m7 part. The roots are touching my foodplot, so it might be getting better soil too.

I have no permissons. I believe the edge of USDA zone is 4 and thats pushing them too. Heard way too many bad stories about chestnuts getting beat up to play with those too. I do plant a few oaks at camp, for someones kid to hunt under someday. I hide them well in mounds in the swamp area. Be real tough to get a logging truck there. I do have a few northrup mulberries. Deer love those and birds and squirrels go nuts for them. Tons of grouse at camp, but only sightings of grouse at my home has been on my mulberries. They're a july / august fruit. Some good rain years september. Great for summer trail camera pics, every animal in the woods is at those trees.

 

[gunfun13]

I'll preface this with I do not have enough soft mast dropping and my deer density is too high (even post EHD this year), for my deer to show a preference. If it drops or is within reach, it's readily consumed.

#1 Crabapple is Droptine. It is extremely vigorous, requires no maintenance, throws large crops annually and drops the time of year that I want to attract deer most. Of the 10 or so crab varieties I have producing well, it outshines the rest by a wide margin.

#1 Apple currently is Florina. My most productive variety and drops mostly during October and into November. It had shared this title with Liberty for the last few years, but a cold, wet pollination period this year really hurt my Liberty production while Florina didn't skip a beat. I suspect this will change over next few years as I have dozens of other varieties coming into production.

#1 Pear is a roadside ditch pear I grafted. I had 8 varieties of pear produce well this year, this is the only one still hanging after mid November, and hanging most it's crop. They are gritty and taste like crap to me, but deer lap them up. The parent tree is usually done dropping around New Years.



I do not have any persimmon producing. I struggle growing them in Southern Michigan.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

For crabs - I'd say Winter Wildlife and Chestnut crabs (to this point in time). We have several others from Blue Hill that are too young to produce - but maybe will next year.

For regular apples - Liberty and Enterprise have done well for us in the NC Pa. mountains.

Pears - Kieffer and Morse hybrid pear.

Dry years or late frosts that kill blossoms can alter what works in a given year.

 

[H20fwler]

Apples- Galarina, Granny Smith, Arkansas Black
Crabs- Droptine, Virginia/Hewes, Big Dog
Pears- Gilmer Christmas, Keiffer, Seckle
Persimmons- mine aren’t old enough to fruit yet

 

[BrushyPines]

Apples- Galarina, Granny Smith, Arkansas Black
Crabs- Droptine, Virginia/Hewes, Big Dog
Pears- Gilmer Christmas, Keiffer, Seckle
Persimmons- mine aren’t old enough to fruit yet

What's your drop time up north for the GC and Seckle?

 

[H20fwler]

What's your drop time up north for the GC and Seckle?

First two weeks of September for Seckle.

Nov-early Feb for GC. Gilmer Christmas is the Droptine of pears, slow long drop best late season pear I’ve ever seen, heavy fruit load too and strong branches. Round pear like Asians tennis ball size.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

First two weeks of September for Seckle.

Nov-early Feb for GC. Gilmer Christmas is the Droptine of pears, slow long drop best late season pear I’ve ever seen, heavy fruit load too and strong branches. Round pear like Asians tennis ball size.

Any problems with Gilmer Christmas as to DR?? Sounds like a great pear for critters over winter. First I've heard of it.

 

[H20fwler]

Zero issues, very good DR.
The best one I have is around ten years old maybe a little over 15’, it’s kind of biannual but always has fruit. On up years it is loaded, off years maybe 1/3 fruit load.
I’ve got four of them now, it turned out being the best pear WG had in their lineup.
It is not that good of an eating pear for us, kind of bland and gritty, but wildlife eat them up.
Its claim to fame is how good it slow drops deep into winter, I’ve never seen another pear tree variety like it. As a wildlife tree it more than checks off the late season soft mast box…it owns it.

 

[BrushyPines]

Zero issues, very good DR.
The best one I have is around ten years old maybe a little over 15’, it’s kind of biannual but always has fruit. On up years it is loaded, off years maybe 1/3 fruit load.
I’ve got four of them now, it turned out being the best pear WG had in their lineup.
It is not that good of an eating pear for us, kind of bland and gritty, but wildlife eat them up.
Its claim to fame is how good it slow drops deep into winter, I’ve never seen another pear tree variety like it. As a wildlife tree it more than checks off the late season soft mast box…it owns it.

Good to know! I've got 4 myself that were planted 2 years ago. Going to say my drop time will be a month or so earlier than yours. How long did it take for yours to produce a good crop?

 

[H20fwler]

Good to know! I've got 4 myself that were planted 2 years ago. Going to say my drop time will be a month or so earlier than yours. How long did it take for yours to produce a good crop?

At least five years?
With your longer growing season they might get fruit sooner, I use triple 10 in spring on mine.

 

[BrushyPines]

At least five years?
With your longer growing season they might get fruit sooner, I use triple 10 in spring on mine.

Definitely a possibility. I'd say my tallest is close to 15 feet now. My Dixie Delight pear from WG still has green leaves hanging as of this past weekend!

 

[Dantana]

I have fruit trees planted on two properties separate by 140 miles. Deer camp is in northern MI, home is in the Thumb. Zone 5A, formerly 4b, for camp and 6A at home.

Crabapple - nothing beats Droptine. Quickest to fruit at both places. Always produces. 30-06 is probably second. Similar to Droptine but not as consistent of a producer. Third would be a few of my wild crabs that I’ve found on my home property. I suspect Crossbow crab will be on this list someday. I also have lots of Blue Hill varieties that I am waiting for to produce.

Apple - Liberty and Enterprise. Wish I had more of each. Clean trees and good tasting.

Pear - Keiffer is the only one I’ve had produce so far. Rut Rage is my best grower but hasn’t produced yet. Waiting on Sweet Advent, Korean Giant, Harvest, and Marble Hill to fruit.

 

[swampbuck]

I have fruit trees planted on two properties separate by 140 miles. Deer camp is in northern MI, home is in the Thumb. Zone 5A, formerly 4b, for camp and 6A at home.

Crabapple - nothing beats Droptine. Quickest to fruit at both places. Always produces. 30-06 is probably second. Similar to Droptine but not as consistent of a producer. Third would be a few of my wild crabs that I’ve found on my home property. I suspect Crossbow crab will be on this list someday. I also have lots of Blue Hill varieties that I am waiting for to produce.

Apple - Liberty and Enterprise. Wish I had more of each. Clean trees and good tasting.

Pear - Keiffer is the only one I’ve had produce so far. Rut Rage is my best grower but hasn’t produced yet. Waiting on Sweet Advent, Korean Giant, Harvest, and Marble Hill to fruit.

When did you plant the sweet advent?

 

[Dantana]

When did you plant the sweet advent?

2023. Growing decent for my soils. I think it flowered this year but got hit by frost.

 

[swampbuck]

Good to know. I planted a couple this spring is some crumbs soil and they were slow to wake up but looked great by the fall. We'll see how they winter but very happy so far.