We have some (what I believe are) crabapples planted around my work. I will try to get some pictures tomorrow. They have suckers coming up around them and I was wondering if I could dig some up and next year (if they are big enough/compatible) practice grafting onto them? I will have some honeycrisp and some unknown apple scion that I could use.
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Crabs can make very decent rootstock for apples. Go for it.
(I’m always tempted to sneak some gonzo grafts into the crabs planted around banks and such, but I suspect it wouldn’t be appreciated …)
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I figured it can’t hurt!!
On a side note, here is the base of an apple tree at my in laws house. I assume these are suckers. I may try to harvest some of them to try as well. This is a golden delicious.
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After further investigation (google pictures), I think the one with the green fruit is. Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis) and the other a Crabapple (Malus fusca). Can anyone confirm or set me straight on this?
I think you’re right.
I have pink-magenta flowering crab with similarly colored fruit and (young) leaves. It also likes to put out a lot of upright watersprouts and root suckers.
The serviceberry kind of resemble blueberries and leaves have those light colored veins.
I have a 20+ year old crab in my back yard… beautiful red/pink blossoms… very small inedible fruit.
I have added grafts (all successful) of…
Black limbertwig
Red royal limbertwig
Myers royal limbertwig
Chestnut crab.
No fruit yet but perhaps in another year or two.
This was my only blooming apple tree (6 blooming) that did not get a BIG load of fireblight this year.
TNHunter
That Crabapple picture looks exactly like my Centurion. Same fruit and leaf coloration. I have Pionier and Wallace Howard doing fantastic on it. However; Hudson Golden Gem, Golden Harvey and Blairmont all failed on the same tree.