crabapple crosses?

[PaulF]

In my hibernation state I started thinking (dangerous).

As a kid growing up in southern Oregon a neighbor had a huge fruiting crabapple. We used to gather the fruit and slingshot it at each other. During the rest breaks we would eat the apples. I really don't remember that I hated the fruit, but I do remember it was pretty sour.

I tend to like sweet tomatoes and some Tvillians say they like the complex tasting (tart) tomatoes. As for apples, I like the sweet ones better than tart, but the tart ones make better apple pies for some reason. I have noticed several recipes for crabapple butter, crabapple jam, etc.

Since crabapples are so small with not much fruit, have crabapples and other larger apples been crossed to get a bigger apple with the crabapple flavor? I really don't know much about getting a new variety of apple. Is it even possible?

I would just love to try a crabapple pie or crabapple crisp. Is all this just a wintertime pipe dream or is there such a thing?

[Medbury Gardens]

Hi Paul,I feel for you, having to stare out at all that snow reminiscing days tying up laterals.
When i was a kid the street that we lived in was lined with about 150 red crabapples trees,my mother would make crabapple jam from these, it was important to pick from the best tree which was 10 houses down from us, a small tree but always had the largest fruit.Our street had a least 30 kids so it was amazing how much crabapples ended up on the roofs of houses, squashed on the winscreens of passing cars,etc.
In my thread below i mentioned about a wilding apple trees in our area,theres one crabapple that would have to be 30-40 years old growing beside a stream just off the road.How it got there?who knows, cant imagine someone out on a sunday drive eating crabapples chucking the cores out the window, i think its some sort hybrid cross that has reverted back.
So yes all apples cross pollinate freely,some of todays major varieties where accidental crosses ,Braeburn for one.

Richard

[Tom C zone 4/5]

Crab apples endlessly cross breed, bees help. There are bigger aplle-crab hybreed trees.

I tend to collect smaller fruited seed first for the trees I grow out in trays. If you nag me enough for me to remember I'll collect some apple-crab fruit next fall and set it aside for you.

[PaulF]

Thanks for the info and yes, I will remind you, Tom about some seeds later. We have four ornamental crabs in the yard right now. My wife likes them for the blossoms and landscape look. We planted them as our honor trees. In honor of our parents as they passed on.

I have several apple trees in my fledgling orchard (apples, pears, peaches, apricots). A fruiting crabapple would do nicely. As I clear more of the several acres of trees and brush on our property, my orchard may turn into a grove someday. Last year I harvested three peaches from the three year old "orchard".

[Tom C zone 4/5]

Grown out in beds crabs fruit faster (for me anyway) quicker'n standard apples from divisions or grafts.

I have some crab apple seed and its not hard to grow, but it is overwhelmingly of small fruited parents. Which is why I'm promoting waiting till I can collect the size your wishing for.

[Medbury Gardens]

I dont know a lot about growing crabapple seed, but i do know with apples you cannt let the seed dry out before you sow it, is that case with crabapple seed??

[Tom C zone 4/5]

Originally Posted by Medbury Gardens

I dont know a lot about growing crabapple seed, but i do know with apples you cannt let the seed dry out before you sow it, is that case with crabapple seed??

Yes and no.
Crab apple seed kept moist and warm enough (and not frozen) sprout. Dried and planted in a germinating pan, they sprout.

The gap in all of this is dried moist frozen or just chilled seed collected in october-november needs to be alowed to germinate come march or april. Much past that date and their ability to germinate falls off quickly to nill.

Your are right though many woody plant seeds need to collected moist shipped moist and alowed some time both cool and moist before germinating.

Japan bloodgood maple seed is a willing grower if collected and promptly cold stratified. Dried for a week or two and they be dead-dead-dead.

Lessee this fall I put Paw paw, hazelnut, an' an' one other into the cold frame to chill till spring. There be two feet of snow on the cold frame so the trick answer for this years third germinating pan is going to have to wait.