Native Apple Trees with Paul Kron

Most apple trees that we grow in our gardens and orchards are not native to North America. DNA tells us that these trees originate in the mountains of Kazakhstan in Central Asia. But there are some crabapple trees that are native to North America. In this episode we talk to Paul Kron, Research Associate at the Plant Population and Evolution Research Lab at the University of Guelph about native apple trees.

Click here to watch a 9-minute video segment from the hour-long podcast to learn the history of apple trees, how feral apple trees differ from native ones, and to learn the mystery around Malus coronaria's reproduction.

MORE INFORMATION:

• Most of the Husband lab research on Malus coronaria has taken place at rare Charitable Research Reserve in Cambridge, Ontario (https://raresites.org/). Rare is an excellent spot to see Malus coronaria trees in a publicly accessible area.
• Paul's lab offers apple identification services to homeowners who want to identify the variety of an old apple tree near them. 

Additional resources:

• Consider checking out the Green Legacy Program for Wellington County residents or your local department of natural resources as a potential source of native apple trees
• This month's recommended resource: Preserving Wild Foods: A Modern Forager's Recipes for Curing, Canning, Smoking, and Pickling by Raquel Pelzel

ABOUT
Orchard People, formerly known as the Urban Forestry Radio Show from germination in January 2016 until December 2023, has grown over the years, thanks to the collective knowledge and collaboration of the monthly guest experts, organizations, and community from around the world.

The host of the Orchard People radio show and podcast is Susan Poizner of the fruit tree care education website www.orchardpeople.com.  

HOW TO TUNE IN TO OUR PODCAST

The show airs on the last Tuesday of every month on RealityRadio101 at 1:00 PM ET! 
While it’s no longer live, you can still watch or listen anytime—and catch the recorded podcast anytime afterward.

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NEWSLETTER

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BOOKS

Susan is the author of four books on fruit tree care.
Learn more here: https://learn.orchardpeople.com/books

COURSES

Susan is also the creator of five-star rated premium online fruit tree care education at: https://learn.orchardpeople.com

ARTICLES
For more information on this topic, click on the links below: 

How to Prune Fruit Trees:

https://orchardpeople.com/how-to-prune-and-train-fruit-trees/

Fruit Tree Pests and Diseases:

https://orchardpeople.com/protecting-fruit-trees-from-pests-and-diseases/

How to Feed Fruit Trees:

https://orchardpeople.com/how-to-feed-fruit-trees/

The Best Fruit Trees to Grow:

https://orchardpeople.com/best-fruit-trees-to-grow/

How to Graft Fruit Trees:

https://orchardpeople.com/how-to-graft-fruit-trees/

These show notes may contain affiliate links to products. We may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

• (00:00) - #?? Native Apple Trees Full
• (00:41) - The Journey of Apples to Europe
• (01:25) - Introduction to Native North American Apple Trees
• (01:42) - Meet Paul Kron: Apple Tree Expert
• (01:55) - Understanding Native vs. Feral Apple Trees
• (03:12) - Hybridization and Genetic Studies
• (04:08) - Distribution and Misconceptions of Native Apple Trees
• (05:28) - Growing and Using Native Apple Trees
• (06:35) - Pollination and Genetic Testing
• (19:21) - The Mystery of Native Crabapple Reproduction
• (33:07) - Final Thoughts and Listener Reviews