Help I’m new to apples!

[EastTexas22]

You guys are very knowledgeable, and I don’t want to make a mistake and choose the wrong variety of apple tree in my area. I’m in zone 8b in north east Texas. We avg around 700 chill hours per year and I’m looking to find good wildlife apples for my property. I have wild crabapple,and southern crabapple that I bought from Nativ nursery(last year and this year). and one red delicious that is around 3 years old.. would you guys recommend grafting Kerr, Dolgo, chestnut crabs to my southern and wild crabapple? Also what apple varieties do you guys think will work well in my area? Looking for low chill hours and good disease resistance.. I already have pears, plums, and persimmons… I’m just really wanting to grow apples… thanks guys I really do appreciate your responses..

 

[TreeDaddy]

I have had" some" success with cauley,liberty,enterprise ,and gold rush

Apples are a "tough go" for me in east texas

Allen at the wildlife group is a good resource

A reputable ,local nursery is probably your best resource as to what grows best in your location

bill

 

[EastTexas22]

I went ahead and purchased a liberty, Enterprise, Freedom and Arkansas black apple from blue hill.. all 2 year olds.. I guess we will see how it goes. Thanks for the Help!

 

[bigboreblr]

Dolgo is good. One of the best drought tolerant rootstocks is M111. What kind of soil do you have.

I have heavy clay. Digging deep to loosen up and hardpan can be a good help. One site says to take a rod and drive some holes for roots to go deeper quicker.

The first few years are very important. Pick a spot where it can get extra water, a low spot. Mulch it very well if you cant give it water often. In NY I use about a bag of pine bark mulch. If I were in texas, I'd make the circle bigger and maybe use 3 bags. IF you visit your spot often, get something to transport water easily. There was a thread on a electronic water valve. Like can open an hour a day to slow drip water to a few trees.

Century farms might be a good option. I suspect turkey creek trees in kansas might have recommendations. Some say fruit that drops early is better in hot climates. Peistine might be an option for you. IF te apples drop in the hat of summer, it would be good for your herd's stress time.

An old timer trick for cucumber transplant is to shade the plant during transplant shock. Maybe have something to give it partial shade for the 1st year during the peak of summer would be helpful. MAybe planting near a shrub to partial shade a tree, then kill the shrub in a year or two.

Find a place that will ship you the trees in the fall would be a big help too.

This might be of interest to you possibly. https://www.forestrydistributing.com/treegator-original-slow-release-watering-bag

 

[SwampCat]

Spray a lot - the humidity allows for the dew to remain a long time each day. Humidity is your enemy. My biggest problem, not far from you, is brown spot. Apples are a tough grow in the south. The earlier they mature, the less time in our normal drought. You will still have to water a lot to keep them alive. Good luck

 

[TreeDaddy]

Dolgo is good. One of the best drought tolerant rootstocks is M111. What kind of soil do you have.

I have heavy clay. Digging deep to loosen up and hardpan can be a good help. One site says to take a rod and drive some holes for roots to go deeper quicker.

The first few years are very important. Pick a spot where it can get extra water, a low spot. Mulch it very well if you cant give it water often. In NY I use about a bag of pine bark mulch. If I were in texas, I'd make the circle bigger and maybe use 3 bags. IF you visit your spot often, get something to transport water easily. There was a thread on a electronic water valve. Like can open an hour a day to slow drip water to a few trees.

Century farms might be a good option. I suspect turkey creek trees in kansas might have recommendations. Some say fruit that drops early is better in hot climates. Peistine might be an option for you. IF te apples drop in the hat of summer, it would be good for your herd's stress time.

An old timer trick for cucumber transplant is to shade the plant during transplant shock. Maybe have something to give it partial shade for the 1st year during the peak of summer would be helpful. MAybe planting near a shrub to partial shade a tree, then kill the shrub in a year or two.

Find a place that will ship you the trees in the fall would be a big help too.

This might be of interest to you possibly. https://www.forestrydistributing.com/treegator-original-slow-release-watering-bag

Dole must be one tough some beach

Even I can grow them.......

bill

 

[EastTexas22]

I have some southern crabs and wild crabs from nativ nursery.. would it be better to graft those to better crabapple trees like Dolgo, Whitney, Kerr, Etc ??

 

[homerj]

I have some southern crabs and wild crabs from nativ nursery.. would it be better to graft those to better crabapple trees like Dolgo, Whitney, Kerr, Etc ??

Southern crabs are sold for deer and wildlife, why graft them over to something else?
"Southern Crabapple (Malus angustifolia). A shrubby tree that produces small sweet red and yellow apples that deer cannot resist. It also offers excellent brood habitat for quail and turkey. Needs full sunlight. Prefers wide variety of moist soil as well as sandy uplands. Zones: 4-9." https://www.hallmanfarms.com/Southern-Crabapple-p/tr-34.htm
Wild crabs from Nativ or anywhere else may or may not produce good fruit for deer. Kerr, Dolgo, and Whitney are all northern hardy varieties. I'd look at Callaway crabapple instead. https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/malxa.pdf

 

[bigboreblr]

transcendent crab might be an option for you. Willis orchards has transcendent rootstock.

A famous fruit grower from the early 1900's who basically made what california fruit is today more or less, His name is Etter. His varieties might be suited for you. One of his more famous ones is wickson.

 

[EastTexas22]

Southern crabs are sold for deer and wildlife, why graft them over to something else?
"Southern Crabapple (Malus angustifolia). A shrubby tree that produces small sweet red and yellow apples that deer cannot resist. It also offers excellent brood habitat for quail and turkey. Needs full sunlight. Prefers wide variety of moist soil as well as sandy uplands. Zones: 4-9." https://www.hallmanfarms.com/Southern-Crabapple-p/tr-34.htm
Wild crabs from Nativ or anywhere else may or may not produce good fruit for deer. Kerr, Dolgo, and Whitney are all northern hardy varieties. I'd look at Callaway crabapple instead. https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/malxa.pdf

They get CAR real bad I believe. I guess I could always spray

 

[Lucky_P]

"Malus angustifolia). A shrubby tree that produces small sweet red and yellow apples"
I'd like to see one of those with small sweet apples... every single native crab - M.angustifolia, M.ioensis, or M.coronaria(sweet crab - called 'sweet' because of the scent of blossoms, NOT because the fruit is sweet!) that I've ever seen makes small, hard green fly-specked apples that are so sour and astringent that most folks would regard them as totally inedible. They will lie on the ground all winter, or until the deer clean them up. Makes me wonder if the person who wrote that description had actually ever seen M.angustifolia fruits.
But my Dad loved them, and had an orchard of them, grown from root suckers he'd gathered from trees all around east Alabama. He'd keep a couple of 5-gallon buckets of t hem on the unheated back porch and eat a dozen or so of them every night, while watching Wheel of Fortune.