3 Native Crabapples You Need for Pollinators and Wildlife!

I think everybody is familiar with ornamental crab apples many of which are not native to North America but did you know there are three species of crab apple that are native to the Eastern United States and even parts of Canada today I'm going to tell you about these three native crab apples what Critters and pollinators use them and some tips for choosing planting stock and growing them I'm going to save a very important growing tip for towards the end of the video so be sure to stick around for that let's get into these awesome native crab apples first up is the southern crab apple mollus and gustafolia as its name suggests this species is found mainly in the southeastern United States it can grow to 20 to 30 feet tall with up to a 20-foot spread but it is often smaller while it will sucker to form a Thicket if allowed it is easily grown as a specimen tree the white to Pink blooms appear from February to May depending on location the sour three-quarter inch to one inch gold to yellow fruits ripened in August and September Southern crab apple prefers to grow in moist but well-drained soils and in full sun to partial shade in areas with mild Winters Southern crab apple May remain semi Evergreen in winter Southern crab apple is often called narrow Leaf crab apple due to some of its leaves being slender if you love native fruit trees be sure to pollinate that like button the wildlife and pollinator value of the Native crab apples is very high The Fragrant flowers are attracted to a variety of native bees of all sizes butterflies and Skippers they are host plants for at least 60 species of moths and butterflies including the striped hair streak the promethium off the sacropia moth and several species of sphinx mods if you are wanting to provide food for caterpillars a native crab apple is an excellent choice of course all of those caterpillars draw in the songbirds even during the winter months the crab apple will provide food to songbirds as many species such as the white throwed Sparrow will feed on the buds the fruits are often eaten by woodpeckers Mockingbirds and Orioles the fruit is also hit with just about every type of mammal Critters from deer mice to black bears feed on the fruit if a crab apple is dropping fruit you can be assured any here in the area we'll be feasting on them just be aware that deer also like Crabapple leaves and twigs and rabbits like the bark so protect young trees accordingly if you have ever had a deal with deer wrecking newly planted trees let us know about it in the comments to ensure fruit production it is a good idea to plant at least two crab apples as many are self-sterile and need a cross pollinator not only do the native crab apples provide food but they also provide cover they're dense and Twiggy branching provides excellent nesting cover for songbirds if planted in a Wilder setting and allowed to form a Thicket that can also provide cover for mammals such as deer and rabbits and also for ground nesting birds like Northern Bobwhite and wild turkey as you can see the native crab apples are an excellent choice when it comes to Wildlife and pollinators on to the next species next up is the sweet crab apple mollusk coronaria a tree that can grow up to 15 to 30 feet tall with a 20 to foot spread and it is found over much of the eastern U.S and even parts of Canada it is named for the sweet smell of its blooms in the white to pink flowers appear from April to June again depending on location likewise it has later ripening fruit in the sour three-quarter inch to one and a half inch green to yellow gold sometimes with a red blush fruits are ripe in September to October it also prefers to grow in full sun to partial shade and in moist well-drained soils when I am discussing these native crab apples I'm referring to the wild types of them and not cultivars while there are several cultivars of the Native crab apples that have been developed for the Landscaping industry when it comes to Wildlife and pollinators it's always best to stick with the wild type anything that's a cultivar has usually been chosen for traits that make them more acceptable for the general Landscaping trade and not things that make them more acceptable for wildlife and pollinators also if possible select stock that has been grown from seed from your local area what is known in the native plant world as a local ecotype these plants will be best suited for the conditions where you live and should Bloom and set fruit well when it comes to native plants local is always best the Prairie crab apple mollusionensis is the smallest species on this list and grows 10 to 20 feet tall with an equal spread as its name suggests it is a species of the Prairies and areas that have similar soils it blooms in the spring and it's pink to white flowers appear from April to June depending on location the small three-quarter to one and a quarter inch sour green to yellow fruits a ripe from August to September it will grow in full sun to partial shade but prefers full Sun Prairie crab apple will grow in moist well-drained soil oils although it does better in drier soils than the other native crab apples this is also the native crab apple with the most tendency to root sucker all Native crab apples can form thickets from suckers under normal conditions these suckers are easily controlled by mowing or clipping them they generally do not send up many suckers unless they are subjected to a disturbance such as storm damage cutting or fire this can be used to your advantage on larger properties as a prescribed burn will get a heavy sucker response from native crab apples and create dense cover thickets like all species of apples the native crab apples are prone to many diseases and pests when it comes to the insect pest I don't worry about them the birds eat many of them as do many beneficial insects the best way to prevent disease on the native crab apples is to plant them where they will get a good amount of sunlight and have decent airflow around them in other words don't crowd them give them some space and they should live a long life one disease that all the native crab apples are susceptible to is Cedar Apple rust as the name implies this fungal disease requires Two Hosts to complete its life cycle the eastern red cedar and an apple to prevent your crab apples from getting Cedar Apple rust plant them at least 500 feet away from any Eastern red Cedars this can be super tough in some parts of the southeast but do the best you can if you would like to learn about another native fruit tree that is a big hit with pollinators and Wildlife check out this video and be sure to get out and explore nature in your backyard

Channel: Backyard Ecology

Views: 5,522

Keywords: Native Crabapples, Native Fruit Trees, native plants, Malus angustifolia, Southern Crabapple, Crab Apple, Malus coronaria, Sweet Crabapple, Malus ioensis, Prairie Crabapple, Crabapples for deer, Crabapples for pollinators, Crabapple tree for deer, crabapple diseases, Cedar apple rust, crabapple fruit, crabapple flowers, crabapple garden, crabapple identification, crabapples for wildlife, Crabapple thicket, Crabapples and prescribed fire, Backyard Ecology, gardening

Id: LxlP4m3QsFg

Length: 6min 16sec (376 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 24 2023