# crabapple



## bluegoose (Oct 10, 2004)

whats the best crabapple to plant?


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## NATTY BUMPO (May 12, 2001)

bluegoose said:


> whats the best crabapple to plant?


bg,

That do you mean by "best"??


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## bluegoose (Oct 10, 2004)

out of these kinds magenta,midwest,roselow,sargent,siberianand zumi sorry for the mix up looking for something different to plant for the wlidlife for fruit and hardiness just tring to put an order together


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## NATTY BUMPO (May 12, 2001)

bg,

Well, Sargent is a smaller, shrublike tree, maybe 8'-10' in height; for grouse and turkey habitat that might be the way to go. Recommended by both the RGS and NWTF. Sargent has smaller fruit. Deer luv crabapples.
Mike at Coldstream recommended Siberians to me as being a good grower with lots of fruit and very cold hardy. We've planted both in tree shelters and both kinds have done well. Good Luck.

Natty B.


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## WDGibby (Dec 14, 2003)

I panted some sargent crabapple about 8 yrs ago and have yet to get to 15 inches high. They sure are slow growing, at least for me anyways.

Gibby


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Thanks for this crabapple thread. I'm also searching out info and will be planting some siberian this spring. They are on my NRCS list so they qualify for me to play with. The local conservaton district tree sale list will be out soon for price comparison to Coldstream.

MABA Malus baccata (L.) Borkh. Siberian crabapple 
http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/topi...file.cgi&symbol=MABA&photoID=maba_002_ahp.tif


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## bishs (Aug 30, 2000)

For turkeys they recomend the short variety of crabapple, sargeant. 
I have planted 650 siberian and zumi crabbapple. They grow fast, are heavy fruit producers and hold their fruit through the winter. Probably one of the best fruit trees for wildlife. For hunting deer, some of the older variety of crab apples that drop their fruit in the fall, would be better for hunting.

Crab apples require some special attention. This has been my most successfull planting method. Work up a small area for a garden, plant 1-2 foot tall, seedlings 6 inches apart. Cage the area with 2 foot wide chicken wire, to keep rabbits away. Spread a few inches of sawdust or mulch over the seedlings to discourage weed growth. You can also lay a soaker hose in the garden. You can get a few hundred trees in a very small area. These trees will grow tall very fast. Planting them close together, is the trick, They will all race for the sky competing for light. The same as aspen after a clearcut. These trees should be 4 foot in two summers. Now they are ready to plant on your land. 

The trees are now large enough to get sunlight above the vegetation and large enough to place a 18" to 24" long piece of 4" drain tile, "slit lengthwise" around them. I like to hit these tiles with a dash of white spray paint, so the tree does not heat up to much. Place sawdust or black plactic around the tree or spray the area with roundup.

If you do not protect the tree trunks the rabbits will eat them to the ground. When they get a few inches in diameter, they will girdle all the bark off. By letting them get 4 feet tall, they are stiff enough to handle a section of tile without a stake.

I have also had good success planting crabapple seedlings inside 4 foot tree shelters. Just spray the weeds to maintain a 3 foot diameter circle. This not only keeps the tree from competing, but it also slows down the mice. Too often, mice will nest inside tree shelters when there is vegetation close. The mice will chew through the seedling.


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## bluegoose (Oct 10, 2004)

hamilton does muskegon co. conservaton district have a seedling sale?


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Yes, the Muskegon Conservation District will have its annual tree sale. In fact, I'll be using my wife's cargo trailer to pick up some of the trees for MCD on April 12. The sale list should be coming out soon. You can contact them to be on the mailing list. 231-773-0008 or 231-773-0129


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