My Top 5 Crabapples

[Chestnut Valley Farms]

cool thread Fish thanks for sharing I enjoyed it....
Fire blight must be some nasty stuff. I don't look forward to the day I have to deal with it in my young orchards.

 

[Fish]

cool thread Fish thanks for sharing I enjoyed it....
Fire blight must be some nasty stuff. I don't look forward to the day I have to deal with it in my young orchards.

Thank you CVF. Just remain diligent and keep an eye on your trees. Fireblight built up in my orchard and i paid dearly. I take no prisoners now. If i suspect something, i cut it off and burn.

 

[Chestnut Valley Farms]

Thank you CVF. Just remain diligent and keep an eye on your trees. Fireblight built up in my orchard and i paid dearly. I take no prisoners now. If i suspect something, i cut it off and burn.

10-4! I will follow suit

 

[Weasel]

Thoroughly enjoyed this thread. I've been an apple planting and releasing fool the last two years. Guess I better study up on their diseases and what to look for. I found and released a few wild crabs this spring. Looking forward to seeing what they will do with some sun all season. Never thought about problems when I would come across a crab somewhere that held onto its fruit all winter. I just assumed it would eventually fall. Now I know things can rot and never fall and be useless to wildlife. Thanks for the education.

 

[Fish]

Thoroughly enjoyed this thread. I've been an apple planting and releasing fool the last two years. Guess I better study up on their diseases and what to look for. I found and released a few wild crabs this spring. Looking forward to seeing what they will do with some sun all season. Never thought about problems when I would come across a crab somewhere that held onto its fruit all winter. I just assumed it would eventually fall. Now I know things can rot and never fall and be useless to wildlife. Thanks for the education.

Thanks, Weasel. Just things ive observed over the years. Happy this forum allows me to share and learn from others. Your released crabs should explode with growth! Feel free to share pics here.

 

[DrDirtNap]

I've got a few "baby" Pugernuts and Lemon Drops. Thanks again Fish!

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[Fish]

Fantastic DirtNap! Brings a smile to my face seeing Lemondrop and Puckernugget spreading their wings.

So I thought I would update with some early spring pics of these crabapple trees. These pics are a couple weeks old, but there are a few things worth pointing out on the trees.


Here is Puckernugget. PNugget might have been the first apple tree to open flowers on the Home 10-- well maybe excepting September Sun. I recall in 2012 when we had the early spring warmth, then the freeze, that Pnugget still carried a load of apples. Are crabs hardier than dessert varieties? PNugget was not loaded with bloom this year, but never is. I noted today (Easter), that this tree was still opening a few blooms. So that's a 3 week bloom!




Here is September Sun. Light bloom this year, but I have to wonder if the Japanese Beetle damage from last year didn't have an effect. I will try to keep them at bay this year. No pruning this year either. The tree is getting thick. Probably the first tree to really push leaves as far as the apples go.




September Sun bloom was about over as others were ramping up.





Here is Fireball. Last year this tree for the first time since it started fruiting produced not a single fruit, with many small fruits mummied on the branches. The only bloom on Fireball this year was in the portion of the tree without mummied fruit. Strange.





And then here is my friend, Lemondrop. Again, strong bloom and looks to be headed toward another heavy crop.






August Apricot is behind everybody. Just about ready to pop open flowers while others are already flowering.






We will watch them as the season progresses. Some of you who received scionwood from these trees this spring can get a better idea of the tree you grafted.

 

[Fish]

Just a few updates from my favorite crabapples....
Puckernugget had another strong year. My original tree threw out a marginal crop, but a grafted puckernugget down the row was laden with apples.




Had some early fall rots, which is pretty typical of Puckernugget.

 

[Fish]

September sun did fair this year. A red cedar growing nearby had some rust growing this spring and I learned that September Sun does NOT do well with CAR!




Fireball suffered a fungal issue for a second year. Pity. I had such high hopes for that crabapple.
August Apricot did it's usual August drop of apples. Nothing spectacular, but enough to feed deer.


Lemondrop has done it again!




Just loads and loads of yellow apples.








Lemondrop is dropping right now just when I need it. Late October/early November. It's 1 in 100 for sure.

 

[DrDirtNap]

Fish, great update! My Puggernuts and Lemon Drops are doing well. I plan to plant them in the field in a few weeks as soon as they go dormant. Some of them are 5 ft tall.


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[CAS_HNTR]

I have a handful of the lemondrop scions going strong......several have put one 3 ft of growth year one! Impress!

May have to try those puckernuggets if you are collecting scions this year (hint hint)

 

[Fish]

Let me be completely clear. Lemondrop is to date, my number one crabapple tree. Lemondrop began falling late October and fell into late November with liittle rot. Typical for Lemondrop.
Puckernugget produces those long ropes of apples. Impressive size, but a little harder to get to the ground. Ive got some of them still hanging, just starting to rot in mid Nov.

August apricot is a great very early season crab. September Sun honorable mention. Control CAR with that one. Fireball? Man i had high bopes for it, but fungus the last two years!

 

[Bottomland]

Hey Fish, when you start collecting grafting wood from your crabs will you let me know? I may have to talk you out of a few scions.... lol

 

[KSQ2]

Another very cool thread!