Malus spp.
Origin: Central Asia (via Michigan)
Improvement status: Breeding population
Seeds per packet: ~8
BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED
Life cycle: Perennial
We're thrilled to be offering these 'Paradise' pple seeds, thanks to our friend Ken Asmus of Oikos Tree Crops in southwestern Michigan. Ken tried to retire a few years ago, but the plants apparently kept calling him back! He's still selling seeds and plants, but now he's only selling bulk amounts of seeds, pricing out the smaller customers who just want to try a packet-sized amount. So we're happy he's willing to have us buy a few things from him in bulk so we can offer them at a smaller size to all of you!
Here's what Ken has to say about his 'Paradise' apple:
"This species is well-known as one of the species complex progenitors of modern day apples, found in Russia as well as other northern European countries where it naturally hybridizes. As humans brought it into cultivation, this particular variety was a kind of applesauce apple and could easily made into paste as it not that juicy and produces super clean fruit that are naturally lower astringency after frost. The fruits are considered to have the highest antioxidants of all apples. I was fortunate to get the seed from what was thought to be one of the original trees that was produced by grafting. I grew the plants using seeds from this selection and found one tree that was the healthiest in foliage. This tree was planted on a windswept hillside. Today that tree is over 30 feet tall and shows no signs of diseases or insects. The heavy yields weigh the branches down to the ground.
The fruit quality is very good for a crabapple and worthwhile even though they are little more than pea-sized and seedy. The flavor is like an apple cider concentrate with a tang to it. This tree could certainly be grafted. Some research suggests that this species crabapple is quite high in vitamins and minerals compared to today's modern apples. Many of the Siberian apples are very high in vitamin C, to the tune of 10 times most modern apples. So incorporating these species-types into processed apple products would make them healthier in terms of vitamins and minerals.
White flowers densely packed all along the branches come out in early-to-mid spring. Fruits ripen starting in September and will stay on into November, or at least until the birds consume them once they blet after a few frosts. The fruit does taste better latter in the ripening stage and that is the best time to harvest them for processing.
These precocious trees can fruit within just four years when grown from seed.
GERMINATION: Add a lightly moist peat moss and store for 90-120 days in refrigeration at 33-38F. The seeds will begin to sprout around 90 days. You can then put them at room temperature to speed germination. Pluck these out or direct sow outside after danger of frost. This strain may have some doubly dormant seeds in it as well and this is common, so do not throw out the seeds that don't sprout the first year. They should sprout in the next round of dormancy. Normally this is only a small amount. You can also direct sow outdoors in the fall by planting 1/4 inch deep in sandy soil in the field. Tamp well and maintain a vole free area around the planting to prevent pilfering."
