Ecos Crabapple Seeds

Selected seedling apples from a group of seedling crabapples with very clean foliage and dense clusters of fruiting. This crabapple is a good cross for developing small clean mini apples that have very clean skins with no disease issues. All are collected from apples that are from 3/4 inch to 1 inch in size which are red in color.  The trees are often super vigorous selected from growing hundreds of trees and winnowing out the slower growing or weak trees. Many are often timber like in growth as well. The seedlings could be used as a rootstock or as a means of growing healthy disease free apples used for processing and eating fresh. Often apple trees are considered useless to grow from seeds, but like all horticultural crops selections can be used to develop rapid growing hybrid apples useful for a variety of uses with flavors much different than todays modern apple. Without doubt these apples have much more nutrition and health giving properties than the modern cultivar apple. 

The parents of crosses used are Malus x purpurea, domestica, russet seedling, Minnesota crab-dolgo cross and virginiana. The  goal of all these seedlings was to develop a hybrid seed strain of vigorous apples that could be used for fruit production for jelly, wildlife use, rootstock for apple trees but primarily to create a strong population for further cultivar development of delicious to eat small apples. Each tree has been in my orchard over 20 years grown from seed selected for tree health first. Flower color can vary from red, pink and white.

 "Waterfalls" Crabapple:  Selected seedling of a russet type crabapple with super heavy yields. The one inch sized yellow brown apples are very tart, completely clean of insects and diseases and the foliage is spotless all summer. The yields are so high, the apples drape over to the ground making it look like an apple waterfall.  Seeds are for further selection and a healthy crabapple population with large fruit.  Found in a park it is a "Heterophylla" apple and appears  a hybrid cross of the native crab Malus coronaria. I found several of these growing where the fruit was a blanket of fruit on the ground. Request can be made with the purchase of the seeds.

"Ecos"  Crabapple contains selections of red crabapples with solid fruit set and heavy yields with clean foliage and clean fruit. Scionwood is sent upon request of one selection with outstanding quality fruit that look like miniature McIntosh Apples.

Seeds used are Waterfalls and pure red crabapples from the 2023 crop year. The red crabapples are from some of the timber selections in this group as well as heavy yielding one inch size red fruit. The Waterfalls is a super vigorous and heavy fruiting light yellow apple about an inch in diameter.   If you request a certain type, use the comment section. I have kept the seeds separate this year. 

How these trees were selected and why: Every now and then I would get an apple flowering at a young age and showing incredible vigor compared to other apples in its class. Selections are from a batch of apple seedlings that had very clean foliage. I planted them out on a slope at my farm in a  small Tubex tree shelters. I continue this today and have new ones coming on regularly now.  The apples are very tart but is fine to use for other uses other than fresh eating.  Most crabapples are selected for their floral characteristics. I think as an ornamental, that is fine, but the amount of benefits to birds and mammals from these wonderful apples are amazing.  In 2023 the crop is primarily from the Minnesota crab types that started from a planting done over 30 years ago at my farm. This group has very good vigor compared to any crabapple I have ever grown. 

To germinate the seed: Treat like other apple or pear seeds.  Store seed in moist media under refrigeration with a zip lock bag for 90-120 days. Plant in the spring in a good garden soil lightly covering the seed. Normally most of the seeds will come up in the first spring season. Seeds can also be plucked out as they sprout in the bag and put into pots. Apple seeds can be fall planted too with very good results in the field. Lightly cover the seeds and protect from pilferage by covering with a light coating of gypsum and dried pelletized chicken manure. This will break down over the winter providing additional fertilizer. I will use a liquid  feed while planting the apple seeds and spraying directly on the seeds within the row of seeds covering them fully. I do this in the fall. 

Seeds are sent immediately. Scions are sent in the dormant season of Jan. or Feb. Seeds have been floated to remove blanks.