Pipsqueak crab
- Thread starter sandbur
- Start date
Diesel5610
5 year old buck +
No, but I like the name and it sounds interesting. What do you know about it?
sandbur
5 year old buck +
Just heard about it and I see Fedco sells scion. Open pollinated Frostbite from Maine.
I read that and think of the potential of all the discarded crab apple seeds that are open pollinated.
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Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Bur - I wonder how many gold-medal winners have been chucked / left to rot. I wonder if someone took maybe 1/4 acre and sowed crab seeds into a prepared seed bed what the return would be in good / great crab apples ?? Just watching for 3 or 4 years to see which ones grew well, appeared vigorous, no disease problems, etc. Fencing needed for sure.
cavey
5 year old buck +
There is a wild growing fruit tree out there around every other dirt road fence line just waiting to be found and named.........
I've got to go out and test my begging skills soon. I have a bunch of late hanging apple and crab sized - wild trees mapped around the west side of town/county. Hopefully the scion I cut wont be cold damaged from our -30 to -40 temps this week (Im a bit concerned as these have been record setting low temps up here).
Im going to dedicate most of my RS this spring to those trees... maybe that is not the same as gathering up seed from my open pollinated trees, but this way I have a slight idea that they are proven trees - they have a known size, relative idea of production volume and late hang/drop time. That alone takes some of the guess and wait and see out of starting from collected seed. The more I have driven around looking the more I have found. These wild pasture type trees are everywhere if you take the time to look for them.
I have thought about gathering up fruit/seed and doing that also but this fall I direct seeded a 4x20 foot area in my garden/nursery area with burr oak nuts with the same intent of culling slow growers and keeping the best - should any germinate and take hold. So Im not saying its a bad idea.
I think starting from seed is a fun/cool experiment - Im just hoping I can eliminate a few years of that "wait" and "see" by selectively getting scion from established healthy trees although essentially unknown trees.
It would be cool to have a fenced in area large enough to do what you guys are talking about, Im just afraid I would want to take it to the next level and try and do my own cross breeding. For now Im going to let mother nature do the first part of getting them growing.
I've got to go out and test my begging skills soon. I have a bunch of late hanging apple and crab sized - wild trees mapped around the west side of town/county. Hopefully the scion I cut wont be cold damaged from our -30 to -40 temps this week (Im a bit concerned as these have been record setting low temps up here).
Im going to dedicate most of my RS this spring to those trees... maybe that is not the same as gathering up seed from my open pollinated trees, but this way I have a slight idea that they are proven trees - they have a known size, relative idea of production volume and late hang/drop time. That alone takes some of the guess and wait and see out of starting from collected seed. The more I have driven around looking the more I have found. These wild pasture type trees are everywhere if you take the time to look for them.
I have thought about gathering up fruit/seed and doing that also but this fall I direct seeded a 4x20 foot area in my garden/nursery area with burr oak nuts with the same intent of culling slow growers and keeping the best - should any germinate and take hold. So Im not saying its a bad idea.
I think starting from seed is a fun/cool experiment - Im just hoping I can eliminate a few years of that "wait" and "see" by selectively getting scion from established healthy trees although essentially unknown trees.
It would be cool to have a fenced in area large enough to do what you guys are talking about, Im just afraid I would want to take it to the next level and try and do my own cross breeding. For now Im going to let mother nature do the first part of getting them growing.
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sandbur
5 year old buck +
I tried cross breeding and the blossoms froze about two years ago.
Just learned a buddy has Pipsqueak scion on order! It will get a try up here.
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sandbur
5 year old buck +
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Bur - If you sent seed from Buckman or ABC or one of those other freaks of nature you have there ………… I'll set up a spot & fence it !!
I was reading about pipsqueak on Fedco's site. It sounds pretty good ………. tasty eater too from what the site said. I think somebody's gonna be makin' cider with pipsqueak crabs in Minn. and Wisc. …….
I was reading about pipsqueak on Fedco's site. It sounds pretty good ………. tasty eater too from what the site said. I think somebody's gonna be makin' cider with pipsqueak crabs in Minn. and Wisc. …….
sandbur
5 year old buck +
There are a lots of those freaks of nature over here, in-laws, outlaws, ....heck some are even crab apple trees! ;)
If you are serious, remind me in the fall and I can send you a mixture of open pollinated crab apple seeds.
I belong to one Canadian Facebook group where one guy grows dolgo and other seedlings by the hundreds. Then he either plants or gives them away. He starts them in flats.
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Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Bur - I might just take you up on that seed offer. That guy who grows dolgo seedlings has a good idea going. Dolgo is a tough tree and chances are good those seedlings will turn into long-lasting wildlife trees. Johnny Appleseed - only with a head start on the trees.
sandbur
5 year old buck +
My girls call me Arty Appleseed.
Would you want only dolgo seed?
I have two dolgos. One is more isolated and near three chestnut crabs and just a wild seedling or two that are just starting to bear.
The dolgo by my house is close to probably 25-30 varieties of apples with 2/3 being crab apples.
And then there is the Buckman crab, which is exposed to quite a few wild seedling crabs.
Do you want seed from a specific one of the above or any/ all?
Or seed from any one of the edible sized crabs?
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Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
I'd try anything you send Art. Buckman would be of interest for sure - I've seen your pictures of that one. But I'd plant and nurture anything you send. I'd give them 4 or 5 years to see what develops, and then follow your lead on pulling the ones that aren't growing & keep the vigorous ones.
I don't doubt we may lose a few of the apples we have planted now to bears, so I'd use your crab seedlings to replace any we might lose. I'll also dedicate a corner of a field that's too stony to use for food plots and make that a permanent home to the crabs.
I don't doubt we may lose a few of the apples we have planted now to bears, so I'd use your crab seedlings to replace any we might lose. I'll also dedicate a corner of a field that's too stony to use for food plots and make that a permanent home to the crabs.
sandbur
5 year old buck +
I was just reading about pipsqueak again and also considering Redfield.
Did the grafts take? Any signs of disease?
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cavey
5 year old buck +
I have 1 pipsqueak that took (looks good no disease); one trailman (excellent) one failed trailman graft; I have one Redfield ( doing excellent); and 1 poundsweet (doing good) with 2 failed poundsweet grafts; and 2 pumpkinsweets that took also doing good; 2 Fireside grafts with one has some rabbit damage and some CAR. For the most part all are healthy and doing ok, they may not all have as much growth on them this year as what I would like to see but they seem to be doing well.
Other than some chestnut crabs and dolgo crabs most of my grafts this year are from wild apples and wild crabs. Everything above was grafted to B118 RS. I made some other grafts on stooled root stock but I would have to go out to the farm to check them.
This year was not as good as far as success as I have had in the past.... currently I think Im at about 78-80% success counting some rabbit damage
Other than some chestnut crabs and dolgo crabs most of my grafts this year are from wild apples and wild crabs. Everything above was grafted to B118 RS. I made some other grafts on stooled root stock but I would have to go out to the farm to check them.
This year was not as good as far as success as I have had in the past.... currently I think Im at about 78-80% success counting some rabbit damage
Prof.Kent
5 year old buck +
Alan Yelvington of Happy Dog Farms has Redfield apples. See link below for his review of Redfields.
