I grow apples but I have pet rabbits! Had rabbits for over 30 years!.
since many of my pet rabbits like to chew, I collect apple branches for them from my trees after pruning or from trees at the nursery I work at.
I have found my rabbits like white flowering crabs but do not care for red or pink flowering crabapple wood as much. When given the choice, they eat the wood of Donald Wyman (white) but hardly nibble on Profusion (pink). Over the years, this has been the same results with all red/pink fleshed crabapple wood I try to give them.
I donāt grow any red fleshed eating apples but I have to assume something in the wood of red/pink crabapples or red fleshed eating apples must taste bad to them if they much prefer wood from white flowering crabapples or most eating apple selections.
Red rootstocks or other proven unpalatable rootstocks (the M.26 Iām using isnāt red, but it does seem unattractive to rabbits). How high to graft would probably depend on location as snow depth would determine what rabbits can easily reach. In any case it seems that those with rabbit pressure and grafting skills could benefit from just planting out rootstocks and letting them grow a couple years before grafting so that they can graft high on sturdy trunks (which will then push fast growth and make up for lost time).
Anyone still using M. prunifolia for a rootstock? I know it is a standard cold hardy rootstock. But it has a red leaf. Just wondering if anyone still uses it and if they are finding it to be less prone to rabbit girdling.
This rootstock was commonly used many years ago in Minnesota for its cold hardiness.
I read Bud 118 is red leaved! I know some of you have apples on Bud 118. Any results on that rootstock being less prone to rabbit girdling in your orchard?