This seed was collected from our most dwarf and precocious crabapples we have. We planted out about 10 plants that flowered within 2-4 years from seedling that also clean foliage and thick spurs on the branches. Mainly it was the thick spur like fruiting that we concentrated on. These became what I call the low vigor apples as all the energy goes into fruit production. The clusters of flowers followed by fruit indicate an even more dwarf form of Ranetka crabapple than the parent plants that we got from Lawyers Nursery in Montana. Fruit quality is rather funky as the fruits are highly bitter and astringent which indicates its likely Manchurian apple background. Useful possibly as a rootstock or must an bird feeding machine of sorts.
To germinate the seeds> use the apple and pear seed methods. Store in a zip lock back for 90-120 in a moist media in the refrigerator. After dormancy is met the seeds will sprout quickly. Plant outside after frost in a good garden soil and lightly cover the seed or pluck out of the bag and direct plant into pots.
| Plant Specs |
| Genus & Species |
Malus baccata x Ranetka x Nana |
| Hardiness |
-40 F or more |
| Height (ft) |
4-8 ft. tall at maturity |
| Soil |
Dry and rocky soil to loam. Best for well drained soils. |
| Climate |
Zone 2-7 |
| Ease of Cultivation |
These are more or less slower growing than other seedlings but will branch much more quickly than other apple seedlings. If you can, resist the urge to prune them as the lower branches will be the first to develop fruit. This might be a good strain for dwarfing rootstock if anchoring or compatibility is not an issue. If not, then the fruitful ness itself is a useful tool for heavy fruiting crabapples with a much healthier profile of nutrition than todays modern apple breeds. |
