Whats the love affair with crabapple?

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Curious why the crabapple is prefered?

 

[Prof.Kent]

Crabapples ara ood food source for deer and other wildlife, are low maintenance, fairly disease resistant, and quick growers.

 

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In 2019, I picked up some toringo crabapples from the state tree sale. They are not caged. I was surprised that the rabbits barely touched them in the winter. Just a slight nibble on the bark here n there. My best growers just started to make a few cherry sized yellow apples last summer.

The deer did nibble on the buds a little bit, maybe 10% of the ones on the very top. The state nursery stopped cultivating them. I called them up and they said they were too invasive. They did advertize that deer didnt like to browse this crabapple variety.

I am on a hunting lease from a timber management company. There are no formal rules against habitat improvement. Just cant cut down trees. I am going to cage a few apples trees this year and see what happens, like a spot of 4 or 5. However, Dont want to push the envelope too much here. I have food plotted a few log landings and the snowmobile trail. One time the forestry manager was at camp while I was cleaning up the snowmobile trail. He didn't say anything. This guy manages most of this 10,000 acre tract. There are tons of these clubs with 200-800 acres a piece. My club pays their land tax and they tack on liability insurance. 660 acres or so, About $6,000 a year now.

I have a logging road on the south border of the property. I planted a few plums there and in some food plot areas. The logging road is gated off and only goes to the back of my clubs property. Only 1 other club has access to the road. We have a decent relationship with them, so Im not worried about what when or where they would shoot a deer near the road.

short story long, I am looking for some fruit trees to put alongside the more open areas. I am experimenting with Asian Plum. Looked at them in April when I was frost seeding clover. Very little buds were consumed.

For sandy, but high organic content soil and low browse palatability, is there a specific crabapple I should look at?

I mid june, I was going to experiment with painting the plum limbs. I know it's not as good as caging. I doubt the logging management company would care, but the loggers aren't so nice up there. Intentionally run over stuff. Like the neighbors corn food plot, mangle up tree stands, leave garage, etc....... Crushing the metal cage is 10 bonus points at the logging skid game............. One year they wrecked 4 treestands, we only got 8 or 9 up in the air out of 15 members. I put up 3.

 

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Crabapples ara ood food source for deer and other wildlife, are low maintenance, fairly disease resistant, and quick growers.

They hold the fruit on the trees longer too? Im in zone 3a 10% chance sept 9 90% chance oct 13. Hunting with muzzieloader starts oct 15th or so and ends 1st week december. Deer yard up 2 out of 3 winters up there. A fluke buck sometimes stubbornly stays around. But around christmas, the deer are in their wintering areas by a nearby lake.

 

[chickenlittle]

Some crabs are good. Some crabs are worthless. Some crabs are small common apples. Some crabs are hybrids of common apple and specific Malus crabapple species. Some crabs are specific Malus species. Some crabs are disease resistant. Some are not.

Defining what a crab is is complicated. It is difficult to specify which crabs are good, which aren’t, and why.

It is easier for people to oversimplify and just say that crabs are good, easy, better even though it isn’t true.

 

[sandbur]

I thought the commonly accepted definition is that a crab apple is any apple that averages less than 2 inches in size.

Some will call those from about 1 or so inch and up to two inches ‘applecrabs’.

I refer to ‘bird crabs’ and ‘deer crabs’. Bird crabs are so small that deer seldom eat them. That being said, this winter, the deer fed nightly on the drops from a flowering(bird) crab.


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[H20fwler]

All crabs are not created equal, just like apples. Better to go with known proven varieties of wildlife crabs...that said some perform differently in different areas of the country.
Gleaning websites like this one and seeing what has worked in your area is a good place to start, then buy from proven nurseries selling what you want.

Are you just wanting crabs to hunt over or are you wanting to help feed through winter?

 

[bigboreblr]

All crabs are not created equal, just like apples. Better to go with known proven varieties of wildlife crabs...that said some perform differently in different areas of the country.
Gleaning websites like this one and seeing what has worked in your area is a good place to start, then buy from proven nurseries selling what you want.

Are you just wanting crabs to hunt over or are you wanting to help feed through winter?

When I started doing foodplots, I really noticed how much deer population there is arond there, more than I thought. I started getting back to my roots walking on foot a bit again, instead of using atv often. There is alot of wildlife in my part of the woods up there. These would likely be hunting aids. However, there is a significant ruffed grouse and snowshoe hare population. Once the snow hits 18 inches, the deer are 6 miles away. So, my answer would be both. Sometimes, just hunting near something like apple trees gives the hunter confidence to stay put. I share this camp with 8-10 hunters.

Im in zone 3A, so I definitely have the cold days for amost any apple. Although not well liked, Saint Lawrence Nursery is nearby. I had my doubts about the bareroots they sent me, small and few buds, not too many roots. Every one is taking off, and I have had a few days in the 90's too. They may have something.

Do certain crabapples produce fruit earlier than regular apples? Every home I have owned has had existing fruit trees there, a few people have tried putting apple trees up there, but in very sure they were done poorly and at the wrong time of year. I will be bringing 2 or 3 asian plums and maybe 2 or 3 of the anty bareroots up there this fall.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I plant crabs because most of them bloom longer, and will pollinate other apple trees better. Some crabs I like eating the apples myself. Chestnut crabs are one of my favorite apples, and my chestnut crab trees have been decent producers. I usually plant 1 crab to every 1-2 regular apple trees.

I also like to keep a Dolgo crab near all apple trees as well. Mine bloom early, and keep their blooms on late. I have several other crabs planted, but those 2 are my favorites so far.

 

[chickenlittle]

I thought the commonly accepted definition is that a crab apple is any apple that averages less than 2 inches in size

Yes. That is a common definition of what is a crab. It just isn’t a useful definition. It has no connection any of the characteristics we want.

The biggest issue I have is that many people tell newbies to plant crabs because they are easy to grow, hardy, disease resistant and great for wildlife. That is, of course, wrong and bad advice. What they should say is “choose crabapple varieties that are known to be easy to grow, hardy, disease resistant, and great for wildlife” and “if you plant crab seedlings, you won’t be sure what you get unless it survives long enough to fruit”

 

[Derek Reese 29]

I chose to plant crabs because of their drop times (the ones I have are mid September through the winter) and because they were quicker and easier to get to grow, have blossoms/fruit and are easier to maintain/keep disease free. I'm a patient guy, but if I have to wait 6-8 or more years for fruit I think I would maybe go nuts! Also, no one else around me has crabs and I am surrounded by big ag fields, so I wanted that different aspect to my property. As my dad says, "it only takes on hot doe" and if she is munching on crabs in early November within bowshot of my stand in the middle of my plot then that makes it all the more likely to see and harvest a good buck. That said, I have planted several "long-term" apple trees and hope that they will do well into perpetuity, but the crabs are here for the right now and future attraction.

 

[Apple Junkie]

Generally speaking…. Many of us like crabs because they can be hardy and bear lots of bite size fruit.

As guys above have pointed out, the trick is pick out the right rootstock and variety that fit your circumstances. For your area, I’d stick with P-19, Dolgo, Antv, or B.118 rootstocks (they develop big trees). The varieties of crabs I’d look at would be Kerr, Chestnut, Centennial, Dolgo, Northland, and Wickson (all good to zone 3). All need sun, and lack of skidders – that could be your biggest challenge. Good luck.

 

[bigboreblr]

Generally speaking…. Many of us like crabs because they can be hardy and bear lots of bite size fruit.

As guys above have pointed out, the trick is pick out the right rootstock and variety that fit your circumstances. For your area, I’d stick with P-19, Dolgo, Antv, or B.118 rootstocks (they develop big trees). The varieties of crabs I’d look at would be Kerr, Chestnut, Centennial, Dolgo, Northland, and Wickson (all good to zone 3). All need sun, and lack of skidders – that could be your biggest challenge. Good luck.

I am taking my time finding places to put them. Like next to large rocks. Rocks next to hillsides. The snowmobile trail and alongside the 18 wheeler path seem to be relatively off limits. I may try making a dirt island in the swamp near the road. If beaver show up at that swamp, the logging company hires trappers.

Likely give SLN another try because they're rootstock is my soil and frost zne. Ill atleasr buy anty bareroots again. I am enjoying giving out a few trees as gifts. they're only about $3 each.

Any other places you folks recommend. I know one or two tree farms post on here.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I am taking my time finding places to put them. Like next to large rocks. Rocks next to hillsides. The snowmobile trail and alongside the 18 wheeler path seem to be relatively off limits. I may try making a dirt island in the swamp near the road. If beaver show up at that swamp, the logging company hires trappers.

Likely give SLN another try because they're rootstock is my soil and frost zne. Ill atleasr buy anty bareroots again. I am enjoying giving out a few trees as gifts. they're only about $3 each.

Any other places you folks recommend. I know one or two tree farms post on here.

What area of the country are you from? State?

 

[bwoods11]

I am no expert, but so far Chestnut Crab seems to be the best overall crab or apple tree for me in Minnesota.

 

[Teeder]

I am no expert, but so far Chestnut Crab seems to be the best overall crab or apple tree for me in Minnesota.

My chestnut crab that has been in the ground about a month.

 

[sandbur]

I am taking my time finding places to put them. Like next to large rocks. Rocks next to hillsides. The snowmobile trail and alongside the 18 wheeler path seem to be relatively off limits. I may try making a dirt island in the swamp near the road. If beaver show up at that swamp, the logging company hires trappers.

Likely give SLN another try because they're rootstock is my soil and frost zne. Ill atleasr buy anty bareroots again. I am enjoying giving out a few trees as gifts. they're only about $3 each.

Any other places you folks recommend. I know one or two tree farms post on here.

It seems to me that there is a preference for larger apples and Antanovka rootstock in the northeast. Your choices make sense.

Where I live, I find 95% wild crab apples to every wild apple. I tend to feel crabs are a better choice. In my mind, there are differences in climate between those of us at the edge of the prairie and those in the northeast. This is not measured via the usda hardiness zones with their winter low temperatures.


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[yoderjac]

Curious why the crabapple is prefered?

I like crabapples because many are more disease resistant than domestic apples and require less maintenance to produce. Deer don't much care if apples are big or shiny or have worms or whatever.

Thakns,

Jack

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I have 15 out of 17 crabs that bloomed this year. And 7 out of 15 regular that didn’t bloom. These are 4+ yo trees.

 

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What area of the country are you from? State?

I am 1 hour south of Albany NY zone 5a. My 600 acre hunting club is 200 mile NW of me near the canadian border. Besides being 3A, there is lake effect snows which can mess with trees n food plots up there. Got heavy clay at home, and sandy soil with lots of organic material up at camp. To keep stuff growing, you need to keep adding lime. The pH is mid 5's, but perks reight into mid 6's with a 1/2 ton / acre initial, and a maintenance dose of 500lb / year. Black cherry, spruces, beech, and yellow birch are common trees up there.

I contacted SLN nurseries, Ill see what they advise for up by camp. Their site says they only sale standard variety trees, no semi or dwarf. Not sure if this applies to crabapples or not, small fruit doesnt necesarily mean small tree.