I finally remembered to take some pics while I was working in the orchard. Here are my 3 Clark’s Crab on M.7. I removed fruit from 2 of the trees this spring but looks like I missed one. The leaf damage is from Japanese Beetles, they seem to really like the crabs. The trees are doing well, they set nice laterals around the tree. They’re a bit behind because I had to move them from the nursery bed to the orchard, but they’ve re-established and are putting on new growth again.
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they look about the size of mine .
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Nice looking trees
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I love seeing photos of your orchard. JB are discerning little pests. Clark’s Crab and Honeycrisp are two of their favorites
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The Clark’s Crab one year whips I send out often produce a couple apples the first year.
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One of the grafts done this year bloomed when I wasn’t looking, but so near the ground they weren’t pollinated. Works for me. I might not let the one I keep produce fruit for several years until the tree gets some size.
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Those are looking very nice as dwarfs! Japanese beetles always know what tastes best. People would do well to pay attention to the beetles!
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Glad to see many people growing these!
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i got about 15 that the birds/ chipmunk didn’t manage to knock off. they’re about the size of a golf ball now.
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This morning I noticed 2 of the Clark’s crabapples turning yellow. Is this a signal that they are about to ripen. I know that these crabs typically ripen later at other locations but where I’m at it is typical for some fruit to ripen earlier. Probably have to pick a sample occasionally to get some idea when they ripen in central AL.
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In Kansas, you could start harvesting mid-October, but the flavor builds the longer they hang. We usually let them hang unit a hard freeze early to mid-November. They might hang on the tree unit January there.
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Thanks
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@39thparallel does love these little apples! Think we all know why! This is one of his trees!
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@clarkinks I’m working on descriptions for a database. I want to make sure i get the story straight: Clark’s Crab was selected form an experimental group of apples grown from the seeds the best wild apples from (Location? Michigan?) Can you also describe Clark’s Red Yellow Summer and Clark’s Green Summer including harvest and bloom times?
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Do you think that clarks crabapple would get some more height on a more aggressive root stock. That tree in the pic would never survive the animals here.
Side note: Did you ever get any leads on the Yellow Cinnamon?
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The variety itself has good vigor but could runt out a bit with the heavy fruit load like a goldrush. It would be a good candidate to grow on standard rootstock. It will probably make a fair size tree on m111 with some good pruning choices. That tree was top worked to Clark’s Crab and I didn’t prune it last season. It’s amazing the fruit load it can hold. The wood is noticeably different when you cut in for a graft. Limbertwigs have the same quality.
I have a couple possible sources and hope to acquire Yellow Cinnamon scion this winter.
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Here it is growing in my deer pruned, high ground orchard. Here it started as a benchgraft and still has mostly vegetative growth as I would expect for an apple tree on n111 that’s about 10 ft around 7 years old.
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I’m working on some new even hardier apple crosses right now. That will take 10 years at least if history is an indicator of the future. I have several super hardy crab apples i plan to breed for rootstock and the next generation of apples. It will be very hard to beat the clarks crabapple seeding i already put out there. Im not sure it can be done! If you noticed it is
Disease resistant
Climate adaptive
Has very strong branches for fruit
Resistant to damage or breaking due to wind
Tastes very good
Produces very heavy
Produces Very quickly
Keeps a very long time in or out of cold storage
In an apple tree that is a very hard combination to beat. It handled both wet and dry cycles. I have my work cut out for me to make something unique without just reusing those genetics. The seedlings from that tree will be amazing. Im going to make something totally different this time. @39thparallel and i have discussed crabapples and we see some amazing potential there. Wickson is a good crabapple though it is strictly 3rd rate in my area. It does not even come close to the crosses im making here. I dont want to talk up the clarks crabapple to much because very soon everyone else will do that which are growing them. @Auburn im waiting more anxiously that you for you to take that first bite! I realize it is its first year. Apples like pears are usually not at their peak that year.
Im still expecting you will be impressed with the little seedling apple that grew up in Kansas! The people growing it in Kansas were shocked how good it tastes and how fast it produces and how heavy the crop is! Don’t give me the credit give it to God for the genetics and @39thparallel for grafting them by the 100’s once he realized what i had grown here. Mike is great at spotting winners! The only thing i did was planted and took care of it like its siblings and having faith in it when everyone told me an apple like that was one in a million.
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Hah…lol…Clark’s Crab itself will be great breeding material!
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