Now is the time to find the wild crab apples in central Minnesota

sandbur

5 year old buck +
You can pick them out at bloom time. Mark them and watch them for apple size and drop time. They might be a source of scion or seed for another year.IMG_8603 2.jpg
 
There is supposed to be on full szied apple on my neighbors fenceline. Most are crabs.

The old homestead to the west of me had a small or chard. It is now completely gone- irrigated crop land, but might have been a seed source.
 
In my experience (125 trees) of grafting this spring crab apples are much more challenging to graft. I had more crab apple grafts fail than regular apples.
 
I think part of the reason is some of the crabs have smaller diameter wood which I just don't care to work with as much. I found some great crabapples in a park near my house, similar to what you describe NH. Various crabapples all over the place. I documented size, hanging quality, fruit storage quality (hard or rot). I found some real keepers but those didn't seem to make it in my grafting trials. I need to take my pruners in there and prune the trees back a bit more to try and encourage some new growth.
 
One thing I've found with crabs is that it often tough to get a good quality scion of the "right" size.

Yeah it is definitely a downside of some crabapples, some of them grow thin, weak and fragile wood.
 
One thing I've found with crabs is that it often tough to get a good quality scion of the "right" size.
Agree- lots of thin diameter new growth at best.
 
I am getting up to the farm this coming weekend for the first time in a month. Hopefully there are still some trees blooming that I can find. I think the only established ones in our area are by old homesteads.
 
How long you suppose it's gonna be before these wild blooming trees (no matter what the species) will have some identifiable fruit on them? I want to go back to my micro plot area to identify those that we released this year.
 
I am getting up to the farm this coming weekend for the first time in a month. Hopefully there are still some trees blooming that I can find. I think the only established ones in our area are by old homesteads.
That is what I have seen through the years in Itasca, Cass, and the parts of Hubbard county that I used to work in. I don't think wild apples exist in those areas.

Morrison, Todd, and Stearns have wild crab apples. I have found a couple in southern Crow Wing. I suspect Mille Lacs county should have them, also.

I call them wild if they are growing in a location that does not seem to be an old homestead. Most of the wild trees I find are crabs that grow along the edges or in wetlands.
 
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