Would you plant this crab apple?

[Blue Hill]

I realize alot of you guys are lucky with your wild apples in Ny. Would you plant this crab apple? This tree seems to have the ability to produce a pretty good crop of apple with very limited sunlight, scattered light at best. I was thinking it may go well if planted between chestnuts or oaks that in time would canopy over the crab Apple yet giving you the advantage of utilizing your space available. The tree begins dropping fruit in archery season. What's your thoughts?

[Doc]

The pictures look like something that we have growing wild in our area, and they are  good draw for deer. They like them. I wouldn't hesitate to plant them. I know a lot of other critters like them too.

[LET EM GROW]

If the deer hammer them hell yea, Plant it. I recently found while researching, a method called "air layering" .. it uses existing branches from that tree to start new tree for planting purposes .. pretty neat. and saves money since you know that tree is a producer. if it were me id keep your trees in groups and not mixed, for hunting purposes only. That way you can hunt whichever they are preferring at the time more selectively. Like small orchards, even if they butt up to eachother... thats just me though

 

[LET EM GROW]

Also, if you can try and "release" that tree. eliminate the competition around it and give it some sunlight. It will probably do even better than it is now.. 

[G-Man]

I don't know what you mean by plant? You can graft it and get the same tree but will never get same from seed.  If it's a producing tree in a huntable area .releasing it would make it more productive. And live longer

The reason it's loaded is because it's stressed dying if you will from lack of light and competition. That is the same reason you injure a tree by pruning.. make the tree believe it is dying and it will reproduce to carry on it's genes. You can also go hit apple trees with rolled up newspapers to shake the bark ..also causing it to produce more. 

Edited February 20, 2018 by G-Man

[Blue Hill]

5 hours ago, Doc said:

The pictures look like something that we have growing wild in our area, and they are  good draw for deer. They like them. I wouldn't hesitate to plant them. I know a lot of other critters like them too.

Doc, what do you call those trees you have in Ny? They seem to always have the deers belly full. I see them growing all over the place in ny! I agree they do look very similar to those trees but I don't believe they are. The1st pictures are from mid growing season, I'll include a picture of what the apples looked like when ripe and fully grown there a little bigger than those of Ny and the tree is thornless.

[G-Man]

4 minutes ago, Blue Hill said:

Doc, what do you call those trees you have in Ny? They seem to always have the deers belly full. I see them growing all over the place in ny! I agree they do look very similar to those trees but I don't believe they are. The1st pictures are from mid growing season, I'll include a picture of what the apples looked like when ripe and fully grown there a little bigger than those of Ny and the tree is thornless.

Thise are crabappes 

[Blue Hill]

8 hours ago, G-Man said:

I don't know what you mean by plant? You can graft it and get the same tree but will never get same from seed.  If it's a producing tree in a huntable area .releasing it would make it more productive. And live longer

The reason it's loaded is because it's stressed dying if you will from lack of light and competition. That is the same reason you injure a tree by pruning.. make the tree believe it is dying and it will reproduce to carry on it's genes. You can also go hit apple trees with rolled up newspapers to shake the bark ..also causing it to produce more. 

Yeah by plant I meant a grafted tree made from this tree. A lot of people have found a 40 or 50 year or older apple tree growing in under the canopy.  Yet they produce very few apples. This crab apple is behind my house in a 20 year old cut over. There's no dead wood on this tree and looks perfectly healthy could it be that it manipulates itself just enough to produce a nice crop of crab apples or just that this tree is recieving just enough scattered sunlight to produce a crop of apples either one it doesn't matter to me. This tree is a winner in my book! I have watched this tree continue to produce crop after crop of apples over the years and I'm sure it will continue for years. They will be a nice addition to plant in some Xmas trees I am going to let grow up. I just wondered what everyone else thought about it. I really do appreciate everyone's input.

 

[Blue Hill]

9 hours ago, LET EM GROW said:

Also, if you can try and "release" that tree. eliminate the competition around it and give it some sunlight. It will probably do even better than it is now.. 

Let em grow, I would but this tree is in to close to the bedding and I have 160 chestnuts, 100's of apples, pear, persimmons growing not far from that bedding area to draw the deer out to me.

[G-Man]

49 minutes ago, Blue Hill said:

Yeah by plant I meant a grafted tree made from this tree. A lot of people have found a 40 or 50 year or older apple tree growing in under the canopy.  Yet they produce very few apples. This crab apple is behind my house in a 20 year old cut over. There's no dead wood on this tree and looks perfectly healthy could it be that it manipulates itself just enough to produce a nice crop of crab apples or just that this tree is recieving just enough scattered sunlight to produce a crop of apples either one it doesn't matter to me. This tree is a winner in my book! I have watched this tree continue to produce crop after crop of apples over the years and I'm sure it will continue for years. They will be a nice addition to plant in some Xmas trees I am going to let grow up. I just wondered what everyone else thought about it. I really do appreciate everyone's input.

 

Be careful if planting with pines..they carry apple rust  disease..

[Blue Hill]

On 2/20/2018 at 8:55 PM, G-Man said:

Be careful if planting with pines..they carry apple rust  disease..

Agree G-man there's a grove of cedars in the bedding area not 60 yards in the other direction in which picture was taken. I went to this tree today to cut some scion and not much luck I got some but was hoping for a lot. I should have been a little smarter and trimmed a branch back on it last year:(

[nyslowhand]

Dumb question - If you're going through all the effort, why not just plant a normal apple tree? Wildlife won't care if you don't spray, prune, fertilize, thin or the fruit is visually less appealing. Granted, with a domestic apple tree you'll need to open the canopy more than is needed for wild growing trees. Wild crab-apple trees where I've hunted are super unpredictable as to producing apples every year. May be different in your locale!?!

Edited February 22, 2018 by nyslowhand

[Blue Hill]

I guess you could say I'm a little tree nuts to say the least. If this tree that I know well is going to produce like I have seen it do. With less light it caught my interest and I was wondering what others opinion on it would be on planting it.

[DarrenB]

A lot of times on my property trees with less light produce even better than ones in full sunlight. Maybe because they are somewhat protected by the canopy of other trees when hit by a late frost ?

 

[G-Man]

1 hour ago, DarrenB said:

A lot of times on my property trees with less light produce even better than ones in full sunlight. Maybe because they are somewhat protected by the canopy of other trees when hit by a late frost ?

 

Late frost or they are stressed enough to think they are dying a slow death from lack of sunliggt..

[bugsNbows]

On 2/20/2018 at 10:15 AM, LET EM GROW said:

If the deer hammer them hell yea, Plant it. I recently found while researching, a method called "air layering" .. it uses existing branches from that tree to start new tree for planting purposes .. pretty neat. and saves money since you know that tree is a producer. if it were me id keep your trees in groups and not mixed, for hunting purposes only. That way you can hunt whichever they are preferring at the time more selectively. Like small orchards, even if they butt up to eachother... thats just me though

 

We utilize air layering quite a bit down here on tropicals. It doesn't work on all species, but I'd still give it a try. Nothing to lose. 

[stubborn1VT]

I tried some air layering on a number of apple trees last year.  I had one root successfully out of 24 attempts.  Not very good results.  I plan to try again this spring with a few tweaks, but I'm definitely ordering some trees from a nursery as well.  I wasn't thrilled with my experience Stark Brothers, so I guess I will be researching others in the Northeast.

[Blue Hill]

14 hours ago, stubborn1VT said:

I tried some air layering on a number of apple trees last year.  I had one root successfully out of 24 attempts.  Not very good results.  I plan to try again this spring with a few tweaks, but I'm definitely ordering some trees from a nursery as well.  I wasn't thrilled with my experience Stark Brothers, so I guess I will be researching others in the Northeast.

What hardiness zone are You in? What are you looking to plant?

[stubborn1VT]

I live in a 5A, but mostly hunt in a 4B.  Not looking to plant anything exotic, just some disease resistant varieties.  Leaning toward Jona Free, Grimes Golden and Whitney crab this year.  Planted Enterprise, Liberty and Freedom last year.  Planted Empire and Honeycrisp the year before.  

Stark Brothers didn't send my entire order.  I had to call them and get a refund.  Then one of the trees died, which happens.  It just seems like I got more tree for my money from Tractor Supply.  Stark Brothers does have a good end of season sale though, so I may give them one more shot.

[Fantail]

Greetings, I'd like to say yeah I'd plant that tree, but the truth is it all depends on if it can take 4b. I planted a few from north 40 and they took but are slow going in the woods.