Mayhaw

Tree facts

Scientific name

Crataegus aestivalis

Origin

Southeastern United States, from North Carolina to Florida and west to Arkansas and Texas

Tree size

A small, round-topped tree, usually 25–30 ft; space trees 15–20 ft apart

Growth rate

Medium

Sun

Full sun to part shade; full sun for the best crop

Soil

Clay, loam or sand; tolerates standing water and occasional flooding better than most fruit trees. Root rot is worse on dry upland sites than in low, wet ground

Soil pH

6.0–6.5 in UGA's test orchards; it grows in acid to alkaline soils

Pollination

Not stated in the sources used; at least one selection (Turnage 57) has sterile pollen yet still bears heavily

Cold hardiness

The tree is cold hardy; the risk is blossoms and young fruit killed by late freezes in the low 20s°F, so late-blooming cultivars crop more reliably

USDA zones

6–11 (NC State)

Years to first fruit

Slow to come into good bearing; UGA's better cultivars gave 10–20 lb per tree at six years and 25–40 lb at nine

Season

Apr–May

Water

About every 7 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young

Feeding

About every 120 days, Mar–Jul

Pruning

Jun–Jul

Taste

Mildly sweet to tart; rarely eaten raw

Nutrition

No reliable figures in the sources used

Is mayhaw safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

• Ripe fruit, cooked into jelly, syrup, sauce or juice

Toxic parts and cautions

• Take care: Branches carry long, straight thorns. Wear gloves and eye protection when pruning or picking.
• Good to know: Strain out the seeds when making juice or jelly; like apple and other rose-family seeds, they shouldn't be crushed and eaten.
• Good to know: Quince rust spreads from nearby cedars and can ruin leaves and fruit; plant away from cedars where you can. Brown rot blossom blight and fire blight can also strike at bloom.

Pets: Listed as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses (NC State); the thorns are the main hazard.

How to eat and enjoy mayhaw

• Mayhaw jelly, the classic use
• Mayhaw-pepper jelly
• Syrup, sauce and juice
• Wine

Mayhaw varieties (11)

• Big Red

  Large, red fruit with pink flesh, good firmness and good hold, on an upright, spreading tree.

  Season: Late Apr–early May · Size: Large

  Blooms in early March. Recommended for home growers in Georgia for its later bloom.

• Big V

  Large, light red fruit with pinkish flesh; soft and drops easily, but it held about half a crop through several late freezes.

  Season: Late Apr–early May · Size: Large

  Most of the crop ripens in early May.

• Crimson

  A late bloomer with large, mostly red fruit and light pink flesh; firmness and hold are only fair.

  Season: Late Apr–early May · Size: Large

  Blooms mid-March; cropped well after one late freeze and lightly after another.

• Mason's Superberry · also Texas Superberry

  Large, firm, very dark red fruit with pink flesh on an upright, spreading tree.

  Season: Late Apr · Size: Large

  Blooms early, so it's freeze-prone; fruit clings so tightly it can sunburn before it drops.

• Royal Star · also G-5

  A newer mayhaw with very large, soft, red fruit, reported to do well in Louisiana and Texas.

  Origin: Southeast Texas · Season: Late Apr–early May · Size: Very large

• Saline

  One of UGA's top picks: late blooming and productive, with large, mostly red fruit, pale pink-orange flesh, and excellent firmness and hold.

  Season: Late Apr–early May · Size: Large

  Blooms early to mid-March and still set a 60% crop after a hard March freeze. Recommended for home growers in Georgia.

• Superspur

  A heavy bearer of large, light red to yellowish fruit with yellow flesh, but the fruit is soft and drops easily.

  Season: Late Apr–early May · Size: Large

  Very productive in years without a late freeze; blooms late February to early March.

• T.O. Superberry

  Early-blooming mayhaw with large, firm, dark red fruit and pink flesh that holds on the tree just about right.

  Season: Late Apr · Size: Large

  Blooms mid- to late February, so late freezes often cut its crop.

• Texas Star

  Large to very large fruit with red-orange skin and yellow flesh, reported to bear well after spring freezes in Texas and Louisiana.

  Season: Early–mid May · Size: Large to very large

  Blooms mid-March; fruit may hold on the tree a bit too tightly.

• Turnage 57

  A UGA selection with medium, light red fruit and yellow flesh; soft, but very quick to bear and a heavy cropper.

  Season: Early–mid May · Size: Medium

  Late blooming; kept about 80% of its crop through three late freezes. Its pollen appears sterile.

• Turnage 88

  A vigorous UGA selection with medium, light red fruit and yellow flesh, slow to start but an outstanding cropper once bearing.

  Season: Mid May · Size: Medium

  Late blooming and late ripening; the top yielder in UGA's Attapulgus orchard after the 1996 freeze.

Pests and diseases to watch for

• Scale insects

  Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

  What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

• Mealybugs

  White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

  What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.

• Aphids

  Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.

  What to do: Spray off with water.

• Sooty mold

  Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.

  What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.

• Spider mites

  Fine pale speckling on leaves, dusty undersides and fine webbing; leaves bronze and drop.

  What to do: Hose the undersides of leaves.