Mayhaw

Crataegus aestivalis (eastern mayhaw), C. opaca (western mayhaw) and C. rufula · Rose family (Rosaceae)

At a glance
Hardiness zones	6 to 11
Sun	full sun
Water	moderate
Life cycle	perennial
Frost	Hardy: takes frost
Soil pH	6.0–6.5
Spacing	180 to 240 inches

About Mayhaw

Mayhaws are native Southern hawthorns: small, thorny trees that bloom white in late winter and ripen tart red fruit around May. The fruit makes a prized jelly. They thrive in low, wet spots where many fruit trees fail, and also grow on upland sites.

NC State lists eastern mayhaw for zones 6-11. It grows wild from North Carolina to Florida and west to Texas (UGA), needs far fewer winter chill hours than peaches, and has fruited in zone 10b in Florida (UF/IFAS).

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Plant grafted or own-root nursery trees on mayhaw rootstock; Washington hawthorn rootstock does poorly (UGA). Fall is a good planting time in the Deep South (LSU AgCenter). In UGA trials, 6-year-old trees gave 10-20 pounds of fruit each and 9-year-old trees 25-40 pounds.

Soil

Moist, well-drained, fairly acid soil is best for fruit, but mayhaws also handle low, wet ground and seasonal standing water (NRCS; UGA).

Test the soil and adjust the pH to 6.0-6.5 before planting (UGA).

Feeding

Young trees: early spring: balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10. Use 1/2 to 1 pound per inch of trunk diameter, spread under the branches (UGA).
Young trees: summer: balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10. Repeat the spring rate of 1/2 to 1 pound per inch of trunk diameter (UGA).
Older, bearing trees: early spring and again in summer: balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10. Feed twice a year, following a soil test (UGA).

Don't skip annual sucker removal: mayhaws send up root sprouts that crowd the tree (UGA).

Harvest

Fruit ripens from mid-April into May in the Deep South (NRCS; UGA). It ripens over several weeks, so plan more than one picking: shake limbs over a tarp, hand-pick, or gather fallen fruit (UGA).

Mayhaw gives one crop a year, ripening from late April to mid-May in Georgia depending on cultivar. Fruit ripens over a week or more, so plan several pickings: gather fallen fruit, pick low limbs, or shake limbs over a tarp.

Varieties (17)

Variety	Type	Notes
Turnage 57	Georgia selection	Medium fruit with light red skin and yellow flesh; soft. Bears young and heavily; kept about 80 percent crops after spring freezes. Its flowers seem to make no pollen.
Turnage 88	Georgia selection	Medium fruit with light red skin and yellow flesh; soft. Slow to start bearing heavily, then an outstanding cropper; the top yielder in one Georgia freeze year, about 41 lb per tree.
Big Red	Grafted fruiting cultivar	Large fruit with red skin and pink flesh; good firmness. Bore only a light crop after a hard spring freeze in Georgia.
Big V	Grafted fruiting cultivar	Large fruit with light red skin and pinkish flesh; soft and drops fairly easily. Kept 40-50 percent crops after spring freezes in Georgia trials.
Crimson	Grafted fruiting cultivar	Large fruit with mostly red skin and light pink flesh; only fair firmness. Late bloom helped it carry 30-80 percent crops after spring freezes in Georgia.
Double G	Grafted fruiting cultivar
Elite	Grafted fruiting cultivar
Mason's Superberry	Grafted fruiting cultivar	Large, very dark red fruit with pink flesh; very firm, but can cling to the tree too tightly. Its very early bloom led to light crops in freeze years in Georgia.
Maxine	Grafted fruiting cultivar
Red Champ	Grafted fruiting cultivar
Royal Star	Grafted fruiting cultivar	Very large, soft fruit with red skin. Reported to do well in Louisiana and Texas.
Saline	Grafted fruiting cultivar	Large fruit with mostly red skin and light pink-orange flesh; firm and holds well on the tree. Still bore about 60 percent of a crop after a hard spring freeze in Georgia trials.
Spectacular	Grafted fruiting cultivar
Super Spur	Grafted fruiting cultivar	Large fruit with light red-yellow skin and yellow flesh; soft and drops easily. Very productive when no late freeze hits the early bloom. Texas A&M ranks it among the best for yield and tree shape.
Surprise	Grafted fruiting cultivar
T.O. Superberry	Grafted fruiting cultivar	Large, dark red fruit with pink flesh; very firm and holds well on the tree. Very early bloom meant light crops in several freeze years in Georgia.
Texas Star	Grafted fruiting cultivar	Large, sometimes very large fruit with red-orange skin and yellow flesh; fairly firm and tends to hang on the tree. Its later bloom helps it crop after spring freezes in Texas and Louisiana.

Pests to watch for

Plum curculio, Apple maggot, Scale insects, Aphids, Whiteflies, Deer, Rabbits, Birds

Diseases and problems

Cedar-apple rust, Quince rust, Fire blight, Brown rot, Hawthorn leaf blight

In the kitchen

Cooked into jelly, syrup, sauces, juice and wine (UGA; NRCS); the fruit looks like a cranberry and tastes like a crabapple (UF/IFAS).

Keeping it: Mayhaws don't keep long: freeze them or make them into juice or jelly within a few days of picking.

Safety: The branches have sharp thorns. Hawthorn supplements (made from other hawthorn species) can cause dizziness and stomach upset and may interact with heart medicines, and little is known about their safety in pregnancy (NCCIH).

Pets: Listed as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses by the ASPCA (hawthorn, Crataegus species)

Sources

Photo: Photo: Laura Clark / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Photo resized for the web.

Planting dates and advice are general guidance; check with your local Cooperative Extension office for your area.