Which Crabapple?

Which Crabapple would you chose? Robinson, Centurion, Adams or Prairiefire? The area I would like to put it is small so one that grows a little more up than out would be good. I'd like one that would attract birds too.

Prairiefire. It has excellent resistance to fireblight, scab, powdery mildew and cedar apple rust. It is sold as a multi-stemmed shrub and a small tree, so make sure you get the form you want. The flowers are dark pink.

Red Jade is my favorite. It's a small weeper with persistent fruit, but is not resistant to scab, powdery mildew and fireblight. It's only about half the size of Prairiefire. My neighbor has one on her parkway (the strip between the street and the sidewalk). It's so pretty covered in (white)flowers and fruit. But not, I'd imagine, a long-lived tree. She hasn't had it more than a couple of years.

edited for sp

This message was edited Feb 20, 2007 5:53 PM

Thanks PG! Do you have a Prairiefire? Any pics? I'm looking for a small tree, and the ones I saw had single trunks. Will it send up shoots like a Crepe Myrtle? (don't have room for that)

The Robinson bark is my favorite of my choices but it gets bigger than the others. Not that it really matters if it's going to take 15 years to get that big!

I've got a Bigtooth Maple that will be a real tree in about 50 years. I missed out on that info before planting it. lol

I don't have one. Prairiefire was my pick due to it's disease resistance. I don't know if it sends up shoots, that's a good question. VV will be along, he has a couple of these, according to PF. Please post a pic of what you get when you decide.

I realized, after re-reading this, that I wasn't clear. VV has a couple of the different cultivars you asked about, not Prairiefire.

This message was edited Feb 20, 2007 8:46 PM

I planted my Prairie Fire several years ago and like it a lot. This tree contrasts nicely with others that I have planted in the area. Fruit is small, very red but doesn't last long in our climate.

Here is a photo of my Prairie Fire allee. It is 10 trees, five each side. Each late winter the flock of Cedar Waxwings devours the fruits in one day. Something to see. The allee is beautiful when in bloom.

I'm pretty sure I have a better picture will see if I can find it and send it along. Donna

I have a smaller Prairie Fire and the fall color is a very nice bonus. Sorry no pics of mine. No other crabs here.

Scratch, scratch, scratch....

Willis

Very pretty Donna! They sure are bright! How long have you had them?

Willis, what is their fall color? Have either of you noticed them sending up shoots?

My parents have a row of Ligustrum trees on both sides of their backyard. Every year the "doodoo birds" eat their blue berries and then sit in the huge sycamore tree by the driveway. I've never seen the birds, just the mess they leave behind on the cars. When I became interested in gardening and birds I mentioned the Cedar Waxwings to my dad and to my surprise he told me they were the "doodoo birds"! I was so surprised. I guess I had always thought those old Grackles were doing it.

If I remember correctly it is a orangish red or burnt orange. No suckers yet, but it is smaller (maybe 7 feet and 3/4" dia).

Willis

Just a comment on the Adams crab. I have two of them and while they are great four season trees they are also one of the largest crabapples both in heighth and width. I'm afraid an Adams would quickly outgrow a small space.

frahnzone5, thank you! That is exactly the kind of personal experience info that I needed! I'll definitely take it off the list.

The Prairie Fire allee is about 12 years now. And some of them do send up suckers. Other than that I have had no problems with them. I keep them pruned to above head height on the path. I planted the alternate Picea glauca conica Dwarf Alberta Spruce between the crabs, and they worked fine until last year, now I think they are outgrowing their space. I think I can find a better photo of the Allee.

Still haven't located the one I want. Donna

If you're not locked into the four you mention in OP, 'Adirondack' is a nice upright growing Crab. The few mature trees I've seen maintained an upright habit and no noticeable problems. I don't have one so can't comment on our feathered friends fondness for fruit.

This is the time of year that Big Lots gets their trees in and they only have these 4 to chose from. They're only $13! But I don't need one even at that price if it won't fit. I'm going tomorrow to look at them again. Decisions, decisions!

Another choice tho is to move a small Desert Willow tree instead. Oh, but it doesn't have berries.

All of the four clones that you've mentioned are crabapples that will reach 20' x 20', though 'Robinson' and 'Centurion' start out as narrower trees. Beyond the size aspect, you might want to decide if redder or pinker flowers are your favorite. Or white, which none of these are.

I have planted and observed the growth habits of these trees in nurseries and in landscapes in the Ohio River valley and the midwest US. They are each fine trees in their own right, but they have performance (as far as disease resistance, growth rate, etc.) that varies across the wide-ranging climates found in the US. I have no experience in TX.

I'd suggest a look-see at TX cooperative extensive service publications or recommendations for your area, to see if there are better or worse selections of crabapple out of the 1000+ named varieties.

VV: Have you grown Red Jade?

KKB,

I suppose having a name like malusman obligates me to respond, so I'll give it my best shot. In IL, we quit growing 'Robinson' because it defoliated by late June due to apple scab. The thing about scab is that it's different all around the country, different genetics. So what defoliates in IL may be fine in TX, or at least until your scab changes genetically (or ours moves in) to attack the trees planted. It has great flowers if you don't mind a semi-leafless tree for part of the summer. We also quit growing 'Centurion' but it was before I was old enough to care about such things. We generally scrap crabs when the scab shows up so I assume that led to it's demise. It has the best shape of the four to fit your spot. 'Adams' has had good disease resistance in the midwest but if my memory serves me correctly, fell out of favor because of: new varieties, 'Prairiefire' and perhaps 'Liset'; and the fact that it holds it's fruit through the winter into the spring and then summer into fall and.......up to 3 years long. It would get fungus growing on it and "mummify" leaving little black mummies to compliment the nice flowers and then summer foliage. It gets high aesthetic ratings except for the mummies. Here's a link about crab evaluations: http://ohioline.osu.edu/sc157/sc157_18.html Finally, 'Prairiefire.' The ever-popular Rosybloom that gets too wide. If you have a narrow area, it will out grow it unless you torture it with your pruners regularly. So, I suppose that I didn't do too much to help you make a choice unless it was to not buy one. Oh, and 'Red Jade' is a pretty weeper with nice flowers and pretty good scab resistance. Just don't trim it right after it flowers because it could get fireblight like you wouldn't believe. I found it out at home, thankfully not the ones at work. Wiped out about 1/2 of a 3" tree. I like the form, flower display and fragrance of 'White Cascade' the most out of the weepers but it does get some scab. It's probably responds more gracefully to pruning than the others, too. I'd better quit before y'all start getting glazed over eyes and sitting stuporishly in your chairs. It's not good sleep hygiene. ;-)

Regards,
Ernie

Is there any treatment for scab. Better air circulation? I love Red Jade, but I have only seen it drooping with the crabapples. It was a sight to behold. I haven't seen it lately, maybe because of so many newer varieties. Maybe it is something that it is still around?

konkreteblond, you should also consider Mexican plum (Prunus mexicana). It is well adapted to Texas.

Gloria,

You can spray fungicides for scab in the spring as the leaves start to appear and then every 10-14 days or some interval until late spring. There have been newer weepers out. I'm not sure if anything has really strongly taken the market. We've had a strong drop off in interest in crabs. Nobody seems to really care that much which they get. 'Red Jade' is still around, though less so. It could be a regional issue too. You are getting pretty far south for crabs to flower well.

Regards,
Ernie

Thank you all so much for all the info! I think that I'm glad I refrained from just impulse buying. It sounds like I should check with my extension office about the "crab" or just consider something else, like the Mexican Plum.

I've wanted one since my parents got one a few years ago. Theirs has grown very slow, so it's stayed small, and they've not had any problems with it. We don't have any idea what kind it is tho. I'll take a pic and see if anyone can ID it.

Thanks again!

Thanks Ernie for the info on Red Jade. I didn't see the tree blooming, but the fruits were just stunning.