The sibling to Clarks crabapple is just starting to fall and today is Nov 1st. That is very handy to have another late ripening apple. The flavor is just now getting good.
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I figured I’d post this here.
We have a rental property in an older part of town. Very urban. I saw this tree last year, it’s a street tree. In a street lawn in front of the neighbors rental property. So probably not planted by a resident. It looked like a Christmas decoration with yellow apples. It was absolutely loaded. Hard to miss. I made a note to check it out this summer/fall.
I forgot about it but had to do some repairs to handrailings yesterday and remembered it, and I walked down to look at it. It was past prime and I could reach some still hanging fruits. Most of low hangers were gone, but I could reach a few left over up high around 8’ . I’m 6’2" and clearly people have been enjoying them, just shorter people.
They were a little smaller this year than I remember, maybe due to drought. They get zero care. They were really tasty and unique.
They had a street arboritum project a few years ago, so there are all sorts of different trees planted in the neighborhood so I thought I could find what tree was supposed to be planted there, but the key map was very poor. Even had the streets wrong.
I thought of this tread, but the chances someone planted Clarks crab is so slim. I grew thousands of of crabapples. All ornamental varieties and it was none of them. The arboretum aspect is the only reason I thought of it. They planted natives and species trees.
The tree has lots of spurs and brushy type branches. Kinda of bushy and multi stem. Its not a large vigorous tree. The apples did have some pink blush to them.
I think it may be an antonovka escaped rootstock. I haven’t seen a lot of trees offered on it lately. I have a friend who grafts a lot for commercial producers and he use to use it. 30 years ago. Lawyer nursery used to sell it, but they went out of business about 10-15 years ago. My research also said antonovka has white flesh, these are definitely not what I’d call white.
I have Clarks scionwood ordered for next year. I’m thinking of cutting some scions from this tree for next year. They were so tasty and unique.
Any thoughts? I figure this was the best place to ask.
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No guess, but just wanted to state that St. Lawrence Nursery grafted the vast majority of their trees to Antonovka for decades.
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A tiny Clark’s crab grafted onto pacific crab. Deer ate off a lot of the scion leaves when someone left the gate open, but it grew some new leaves. I thought the contrast of Clark’s fall color against the pacific crab was nice.
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Strange. Today I notice both of my Clarks put on some growth during the last few weeks cooler temps. I thought the Bud10 was done for the year.
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Is Clark’s Crab a good pollinator, or better stated, does it have the extended bloom time that a lot of crabs have?
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Yeap. My B10 CC defoliated on our first freeze. P.2 still has quite a few green leaves.
I am not messing around this year. Come December 1st I am going full African Low chill and pulling all leaves.
They are all getting dormancy nap time.
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Great news from @Richard and this year he got to grow and try a properly ripened Clark’s Crabapple. Sounds like it is a hit with him and his wife!
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I picked five this year and a few made it in the house before I ate them. Going to have baby apple trees springing up all over the yard. 
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Yates , Vixen , Hall and Coble’s Wilder could make interesting breeding partners with CC.
Or flip the script and cross it with Annie Elizabeth, Coffee Seedling or Atha. All very large apples.
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The single sample this year was so large, I wonder if this is the real deal. My Better half & I tried it today (5 Dec.) I am hugely impressed: hard and crisp, juicy, 14 blunt, caramel colored seeds; 13 Brix; 2 3/4" tall by 3" wide, flavor suggesting Jonathan but skin easy to handle. This one ripened inside a “yoga pant” pocket/bag tied over the stem with a wire twist. No codling moth damage; 3 San José scale spots. No blush to skin due to the covering until harvest.
Anyone else nearly strip CC to a few fruits and find them getting that size?
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What rootstock? Maybe CC really likes that one
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It is an old Bud118 stock, making me wonder about shifting a plum I planted by it, intending to dig out all the root. Seems like a winner.
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They can get larger sometimes like that if the crop is reduced. The flavor is very addictive.
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im going to thin mine to like 10 apples next spring to see if they will size up more. my tree is still under 6ft. might help them ripen a little earlier also. they were definitely grand daughter approved.
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Grandkid approved is the best!
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ever since she could walk i had her foraging in my yard. clarks crab is the perfect size for her and once i showed her where i stored them after harvest, she would ask for them when she visited. shes loves her fruit like her pepere does. 
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