Rootstock you were told was antonovka (if it is indeed the rootstock bearing) is definitely not antonovka. Columbia crab?
A few fruit tree spikes or a spade of chicken manure bedding and a bit of pel lime.You're making me jealous, Bur. And antsy. The only crabs we have bearing ( as yet ) are un-named varieties that only get about 5/8" in dia. and some smaller ones that are 3/8" that grouse & birds love. Seeing those chestnut crabs, the Dolgo-type, and bunches red makes me anxious to see our other grafted crabs start producing( maybe some firsts next year? ). Next spring will be 3 yrs. for six of them. Our Dolgo & All-Winter-Hangover crabs & Enterprise apples are the growth leaders for my camp. Do you throw any fertilizer around yours?
My neighbor is a dairyman and he planted the foodplot to begin with. We put beans in two rows of the corn planter.How did you plant the corn and beans together sandbur? With a planter or spread then disced in?
Bur - I did the same thing at our camp for the last few weeks to get ready for spring apple & crab planting. I sprayed twice w/gly, but no lime yet. How much lime do you put down in a 4 to 5 ft. browned-out spot? One time enough or do you add more lime later?[/QUOTE
The correct answer should be to soil test and request information for fruit trees or apple trees. Apply lime, wait a few years and retest.
Through the years I have tested pH on many different soils on my property.
I add two or three handfuls of pel lime to the area of about 18 inches across that I dig up and then scatter a few handfuls around the perimeter. Not scientific at all.
I do add some lime every year or every other year as our soils is light to medium and pH naturally runs a bit low. when I use fruit tree spikes, I sometimes put a handful of pel lime on top of the spike in the hole.
Most of my apples are crab apples and perhaps pH is not that critical. Just guessing????