5 Things To Know About Planting & Growing Crabapple Trees

Posted on: 16 August 2016

If you want to add a tree to your front yard that has flowers in the spring, lush foliage in the summer, and provides fruit in the fall, a crabapple tree could be a great addition. Here are five things you need to know about planting and growing crabapple trees if you are considering adding one to your yard.

When To Plant

Crabapple trees are really adaptable and can be planted just about any time of the year when your soil is workable, ruling out only winter time when the soil may be hard or frozen. If you purchase a bare-root crabapple tree, it is best to plant that type of tree in the early spring. However, if you purchase a container grown, balled or burlapped crabapple tree, you can plant it anytime in the spring, summer or even fall.

How Deep To Plant

With crabapple trees, it is generally best to plant them as deep as the container that they can in. Take your measuring stick and measure how tall the container was that the tree came in, or how tall the wrapped ball of dirt and roots are. That is how deep you should dig the hole for your crabapple tree. Crabapples don't need deep holes; keep it as deep as the container to best allow the roots a chance to survive and thrive.

How To Water Your Crabapple Tree

During the first year, you want to make sure that your crabapple tree is watered once a week. That water can come naturally from rainfall or from your garden hose. Just make sure that it is watered on a weekly basis. Once a year has passed and the crabapple tree is well established, you shouldn't have to worry about watering it at all. However, if your area ever experiences an extreme drought, you may want to consider watering your tree to help it through the dry times.

When To Fertilize

Crabapples are a very low maintenance tree. If you have good soil in your yard, you don't really need to fertilize your crabapple tree on a regular basis. You only need to fertilize your crabapple tree if you notice the leaves are pale yellow, the tree isn't producing flowers or fruit, or if the tree isn't growing.

When To Prune

Once again, crabapple trees are pretty low maintenance and don't need to be pruned on a regular basis. You only need to prune your crabapple tree if there are dead branches or branches that are rubbing against your house or another shrub. All pruning should be done before June in order to not compromise next spring's flowers. You can also prune your crabapple tree in order to shape its growth if you want it to grow a specific way. Contact a tree trimming service like Dubois Outdoor Services for advice on how to prune your tree.

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