For the Crab Growers

[Bowsnbucks]

For all of you guys that have crabs growing - what is / are your best tree(s) as far as shape and structure ?? They'll all produce fruit at some point, but I was wondering about the structures. Good branch angles, good dispersal of limbs up & down the trunk and around all sides of the trunk, etc.

I was wondering - for all of us - which trees seem to be best suited for long-term strength against wind, fruit load, & maybe wet snow weight ( bending and breakage ).

For me, so far, the #1 pick would be All-Winter-Hangover. Straight trunks, good branch angles - some 90 degrees, and the rest upward from 90 to about 45 degrees. Good stout wood. Central leaders form easily.

 

[buckvelvet]

All mine are pretty young yet BNB.

I will say Winter Wildlife Crab & Winter Lane (I think this is wild from from Ricks place) both have like 10 limbs per scaffold that you have to pick and choose from. Chestnut has good set up limbs also but they tend to point towards the sky if not trained down. The rest are to young yet to say.

 

[Turkey Creek]

I have a couple varieties out of the "Dog Series" from Sandbur that look to be winners. Precocious and about as good of branch angles as you can hope for. Frost wiped out all the fruit on them this year though.

 

[Jhoss]

Zumi crab. Super tart - a "spitter" I would say. But a great grower, zero maintenance, heavy bearer. Coldstream farms you can get them cheap.

 

[rocksnstumps]

First off all my older trees came from NWTF chapter tree giveaways so none are much over an 1" crab. Best looking and easy care are the Siberian crabs. Similar to the Zumi but better cold tolerance down to zone 2. Grows to a good sized tree on own roots but the fruit like Zumi is more bird sized at less than 1/2". Sets fruit every year

Didn't start planting grafted crabs until just a few years ago so ask me in another 10 years what I think of them...

 

[Jhoss]

Here is what I received back in 2009, labelled as Siberian Crab. This pic relatively recent of the fruit of Siberian crab....pea sized.

And Zumi crab..larger..

 

[rocksnstumps]

Unfortunately your pics do not show but the siberians I have are close to 1/2". Many cultivars are based on this variety due to its hardiness so likely a bit of variation out there. I have a bunch of pea sized fruit too but believe those are sargent crabs which also got planted about the same time. A much smaller tree at a dozen yrs old however

 

[CrazyEd]

Winter wildlife
Kerr

 

[sandbur]

I am having a terrible time at keeping a central leader upright. Any crab or apple above "bird crab" size seems to tip once fruit develops on the central leader, AND when I can no longer safely reach it to thin it.

 

[greyphase]

All Winter Hangover and my Winter Lane crab have shown the best growth habit so far.

 

[CrazyEd]

All Winter Hangover and my Winter Lane crab have shown the best growth habit so far.

How are Winter Wildlife Crabs for human consumption, ever try one?

 

[greyphase]

How are Winter Wildlife Crabs for human consumption, ever try one?

Right now I image they are "spitters" LOL, I'll try to remember to take a bite of one this fall and report back.