Product Description
$19.95 – $35.95
This Grafted apple crab tree is a very heavy spur-producing tree with good disease resistance that shows strong signs of resistance to cedar apple rust, apple scab, powdery mildew, and fireblight in a no-spray situation. The Big Dog Crab will begin dropping in mid-October and will continue into mid-January. The tree is partially self-fertile and produces a large array of blooms in the spring. It is not unusual to see Big Dog put off flowers the 1st year when planting them. Big Dog is very precocious when grafted onto dolgo roots. This tree is very productive, producing abundant crops of 2” crabapples. This applecrab is late dropping and one very impressive tree, but you can easily see that from the pictures. The vigor in the tree is average, but everything else in this tree is exceptional. Big Dog will reach a mature height of 20’+. Plant Hardiness Zones 3-7. For a video of Big Dog Crab, click here.
Only available in 2-yr trees.
Description
This grafted crabapple tree is among the best crabapples for deer in Plant hardiness zone 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. Big Dog produces a 2’’ crabapple very similar in size to the Chestnut crabapple. The Big Dog Crab comes to us from another whitetail enthusiast like myself, Mr. Art Reuck from Central Minnesota. This late dropping crabapple tree is a very heavy spur producing tree with good disease resistance that shows strong signs of resistance to cedar apple rust, apple scab, powdery mildew and fireblight in a no spray situation. The Big Dog crabapple will begin dropping in mid-October and will continue into mid-January. This tree is cold hardy into Zone 3 and has seen -41 degrees in zone 4. Hardiness zones 3 – 8
The Big Dog Crab is made by using plant tissue from the original tree and attaching it to the new roots. This essentially is giving you an identical tree, of the one you see in the picture and description.
TREE SIZE
2-3′ ( 3/8” dia.) These trees will have a good root system. They will be whips around 3′ high with a trunk diameter of 3/8”.
3-5′ ( 1/2” dia.) These trees will have a good root system with some possible branching but will mainly be whips. They will range in height between 3′ to 5′ with a trunk diameter of around a 1/2”.
4-6′ (+ 1/2” dia.) These trees will have an extensive root system and typically having multiple branches but many will be solid whips. They will range in height between 4′ and 6′ with a trunk diameter of 1/2” to 3/4”.
2-yr 4-6′ (5/8”-3/4” dia.) These two-year-old trees will have an extensive root system and can have multiple branches with a diameter of 5/8” and greater. We will be pruning the trees back to a shipping height of 66” with the roots. Our largest box is 66″x 14″x 15″ and will hold 15 of the 2-yr trees. Free local pick-up is open to the surrounding states of Pennsylvania.
MALUS DOLGO
The Rootstock that Big Dog Crab is grafted to is extremely cold hardy and vigorous. This Rootstock is an excellent choice for wildlife trees, because it produces a full size 20’ to 30’ tree. Producing a full size tree for wildlife mean much more fruit on a given tree. Malus Dolgo rootstock will develop deep ”Real roots” making it extremely well anchored, penetrating well into the sub soil pulling up lost nutrients and therefore making Malus Doglo rootstock very drought tolerant. Making Malus Dolgo an all around great rootstock for wildlife plantings.
This standard size rootstock is adaptable to many soil types and conditions. Especially when planting in less desirable locations. Therefore, with its full vigor can be used in areas that were at one time wooded areas and are now food plots, reclaimed land, shale mountain soil, dryer uplands and ridges. Malus Dolgo rootstock will also perform very well in improved soil in an orchard style setting. We are only grafting onto the most vigorous Malus Dolgo roots grown in a given year. When grafting onto the top 30% of seedlings grown you get a rootstock that is about 40% more vigorous tree than many clonal stocks that are used for wildlife trees today. Malus dolgo is a crabapple rootstock and is very precosious with many trees producing very quickly. Making Malus Dolgo an all around great rootstock for wildlife plantings.
PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR BIG DOG CRABAPPLE
Plant at least 2 different apple or crabapple varieties within close proximity to each other for pollination. Grams Gift crabapple makes an excellent pollinator for both standard size apples and crabapples. Plant all apples and crabapples in moist, well drained soil with a soil pH between 5.8 – 7 with adequate nutrient levels for optimal growth.
If you have not completed a soil test click here and improved your soil I would highly recommend doing so. However, if you are not going to I would recommend mixing 1 ounce for every 3 sq ft of 0-20-20 granular fertilizer in your soil at the time of planting. The first number tells you percentage of nitrogen contained in the fertilizer. Nitrogen applied directly to the roots of the tree will cause death to your tree, make sure the first number is zero.
Nitrogen is very mobile in the soil and you can apply a small of nitrogen the following year. The 2nd and 3rd numbers are Phosphorus and Potassium. Apply these two nutrients at or well before the time of planting, because they are basically immobile in the soil, they will need mixed in through the soil. We recommend completing a soil test and making amendments for best results. We recommend applying 1 lb of 10-10-10 for every inch in diameter your tree is. This should be applied in the spring the following year and each year after planting.
Big Dog crabapple requires a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight for growth and fruit production. Space trees 20′ apart and use cages of at least 5’ to protect your trees. This will ensure your deer eat your fruit in a few years and not your trees this year.
SHIPPING/PICK UP
Shipping to Plant Hardiness zones 2 – 8 will begin again in mid-March on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays (you select your ship date) and continue until the last Monday in April. Dormant bare-root trees must be planted in the spring, while trees in your area remain dormant. You can select your ship date as you checkout on the website. If you are picking up your trees, typically, the last week in March or the first week in April is perfect for planting in Pennsylvania. We have opened up the free local pick-up to the surrounding states as it could be more cost-effective if you order more than 30 trees. You can select your pick-up date on the website as you checkout. Please call or message us to make an appointment to pick up your trees if you can not make the date you selected.
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Additional information
| Weight | 18 oz |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 58 × 2.30 × 2.30 in |
| Tree Size | 2-3' (3/8'' dia.), 3-5' (1/2'' dia.), 4-6' (+1/2'' dia.), 2-yr old 4-6' (+5/8''dia.) |
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Returns: We have been shipping plants around the country for quite some time now. We provide
healthy live plants. We take every effort to ensure that your plants are packed in a way that
maintains that health as they arrive to you. We can not be responsible for how plants are handled
when they leave our care or are handled by customers.
Tree care: If you plant your tree up on high dry ground they may need watered through the first
summer, if you plant too low and wet your trees may drown. Be careful of the herbicide you may
use around the tree (read the label). I want you and your trees to succeed but if you don't tube or
cage them the deer will eat your tree that night.
Hours: We do not keep regular hours. If you would like to visit the nursery, just call, send a
message or email. Anyone is more than welcome.
Selected pickup dates: Trees can be picked up in the spring as soon as you can dig in your soil.
Trees need to be picked by the end of April. Before picking up, please contact us letting us know
when you are planning to come so we can have your order ready for you when you arrive.
Shipping: When buying grafted trees, depending on the amount of trees you order will determine
the size box the trees will be shipped in. If you order 4 two year old trees, they will fit into a 66in
x 8in x 8in box. Ordering 5-15 two year old trees will fill into a 66in x 15in x 14in box. Ordering
16 or more two year old trees will fill into 2 or more boxes, depending on the total amount of
trees bought. Trees may need to be professionally pruned to fit in these boxes. Ship dates will be
selected by you before completing you order. We ship trees from early March to late April. You
should select a ship date that is suitable for the location you are planting your trees. Trees will
ship through UPS on Monday’s, Tuesday’s, and Wednesday’s. You will receive an email
notification when your trees ship. When trees arrive, plant as soon as possible. If you cannot, it
would be best to heal them into soil or store in a cool place not allowing roots to freeze but not
allowing the trees to become warm.
If Tree Tube products are the only items you purchase then they will ship as soon as the order is
received. You may have to select a ship date but I can assure you if you are just ordering tree
tubes they will ship immediately. If Tree Tube products are purchased with trees, then they will
ship with the trees.
Due to the cost of shipping there will be a minimum of 4 trees that have to be purchased in order
for checkout to occur. Due to phytosanitary regulations, we do not ship to Alaska, California,
Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
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This grafted crabapple is a tree that grows very upright, nicely spread, and exhibits good resistance to common apple tree diseases. Trailman showed excellent resistance to apple scab and cedar apple rust in a no-spray situation. Trailman crabapple produces heavy annual crops of 2’’ apple crabs. It is an excellent-tasting apple that drops free from the tree in mid-August. I would explain the taste as tropical with a good texture. Simply a great apple to start that feeding pattern. Trailman crabapple will reach a mature height of 20'+. Plant Hardiness Zones 3-8.
Only available in 2-yr trees.
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This grafted crabapple is very cold hardy and productive. It produces a very large 2” AppleCrab that tastes very close to a Dolgo crabapple. This crabapple will be dropping free from the tree from October through winter, and will even keep a few apples on into March. The Buckman Crab produced heavily following a winter that had a low of - 41 degrees. This late dropping crabapple as shown good resistance to apple scab, powdery mildew, fireblight and especially cedar apple rust in a no spray situation. Mature height will be 20'+. Plant Hardiness Zones 3-6. For a video of the Buckman Crabapple click here.
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Peak Attraction™ is a grafted apple crab with many exceptional characteristics that make this tree an exception cultivar for wildlife. These characteristics include a high resistance or immunity to apple scab, cedar apple rust, powdery mildew, and fireblight in a no-spray situation. Peak attraction™ is an annually productive tree, producing 2'' apple crabs that I would describe as a sweet nutty-flavored apple. This tree begins dropping in mid-October, continuing through November. It retains a few 100 fruits into December and January. Still, during November, the main drop occurs for a large portion of the U.S. When the peak of deer movement during the rut matches fruit falling, it creates something extraordinary. The apple crabs falling during this time is why this tree has earned the name peak attraction™. This tree exhibits a high level of vigor when grafted onto Dolgo roots, and productivity almost to be unmatched. As we look at these pictures of Peak Attraction™, the original tree is a giant and well over 50' tall from the excessive vigor that this tree has. The original tree resides in plant hardiness zone 4b, making it very hardy from zones 4b-8. You will have a mature height of 20'+
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Cobbler Crab™ is a new cultivar. This grafted tree produces an applecrab over 2'' in diameter, annually and heavily. The fruit is crisp, sweet with a touch of tartness which will mellow after time in storage or on the ground. Cobbler Crab™ keeps very well and may belong in your personal orchard as much as it does in your wildlife orchard. The vigor of Cobbler Crab™ is exceptional! The tree grows very fast when grafted onto Dolgo roots.
The fruit begins dropping in early October continuing into December and in some years has been found to still be holding and dropping 20% into January. While being surrounded by 1,000's of other wild apple trees, Cobbler Crab™ has shown resistance to Apple Scab, C.A.R, Fireblight and Powdery Mildew while other apple trees in the area are showing or have shown signs of these diseases here in the northeast. The tree originates from North Western Pennsylvania in hardiness zone 5a but has experienced winter lows of -24 in its life equivalent to those experienced in plant hardiness zone 4. Making this tree suitable for plant hardiness zones 4b - 7.
Maturity height 20'+.
Only available in 2-yr trees.
$19.95 – $35.95
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This grafted tree is extremely cold hardy, originating from plant hardiness zone 4a.
Sweet Dog is a 2" applecrab with a complex yet sweet flavor. This tree has fruited heavily after receiving -41 degree temperatures and has proven itself to be a consistently heavy and annual producer. Sweet Dog ripens and drops around the same time period as the Chestnut Crab, dropping fruit mainly during the month of September with a few lasting into October. This grafted tree is a great tree to add to your management plan or combine it with Chestnut Crab adding two cold hardy trees that would give you diversity in your plantings program. This applecrab is also a great addition into a cider mix.
Sweet Dog is showing some great resistance with no Apple Scab, Cedar Apple Rust, Fireblight or Powdery Mildew on this tree in a no spray situation. Mature height is 20'+ and suitable for plant hardiness zones 3-7.
Only available in 2-yr trees.
This Grafted Kerr crabapple was introduced in 1952, a cross between the Dolgo and Harlson crab apples. This tree produces heavy crops of apples, making it one of the best crabapple trees for deer. Kerr crabapple is 1 ½’’ to 2’’ in size with a slightly tart but sweet taste that’s good for fresh eating. It is very cold hardy down to Zone 3 with excellent disease resistance to common apple tree diseases. In a no spray situation I'm seeing excellent resistance to cedar apple rust, good resistance to apple scab, powdery mildew and fireblight. This tree will begin dropping in October and continue to drop all fall with a few persisting on the tree through into winter. Kerr is one of the best crabapple tree options for deer that is sold commercially today. This tree will reach a mature height of 20'+. Plant Hardiness Zones 3-8.
Only available in 2-yr trees.
$19.95 – $35.95
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This grafted Chestnut crabapple tree produces a 2’’ apple that is very good for fresh eating, ripens in early September, with a few apples persisting on the tree into October. This tree is a favorite for eating out of hand to many that have planted it. Chestnut crabapple trees have excellent disease resistance to common apple tree diseases. In a no spray situation I have seen great resistance to apple scab, cedar apple rust, powdery mildew and fireblight. This tree is annually productive with heavy crops and is very cold hardy down to Zone 3. Chestnut Crab will reach a mature height of 20'+. Plant Hardiness zones 3 - 8.
Only available in 2-yr trees.
$19.95 – $35.95
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