Crabapple tree

How to grow Crabapple tree growing and care:

How to grow:
Chilling hours or cool winter (depend on the cultivars), cut all the infected branches.

How to care:
Prune if the tree attack in the beginning of the winter need to collect all the leaves and the fruit from the ground, prune once a year, put fertilizer twice a year

What is the best way to start growing?
Plant / Seeds / Air layering

Is it necessary to graft?
Yes, when it’s grown for edible reason, but if it’s for ornamental reason, mostly no need but possible

Difficulties or problems when growing:
Very sensitive to pests and disease

Planting season:
Winter to summer in hardiness zone 4-9, winter to spring in hardiness zone 10a and when planting bare roots winter to early spring after this it might die

Pests and diseases:
Aphids, Borer, mite

Pruning season:
End of the autumn to beginning of the winter, but if there isn’t a lot of fruits better after the fruits season but mostly grow as ornamental plant for flowers so after the fruits in summer will be better

How to prune:
Prune the week branches and dead, crossing branch, in order to get bigger fruits better to reduce the buds in order to get bigger fruits, old stems, reduce the amount of branches and need to take care that all the fruits will get enough light

Size of the plant:
2-8 m, 6-24 feet

Growth speed in optimal condition:
Medium growing

Water requirement:
Average amount of water / Big amount of water

Light conditions in optimal condition for growing:
Full Sun / Half Shade (in hardiness zone 10 better to put in half shade)

Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
No

Growing is also possible in a planter, flowerpot, containers:
Yes, in containers need to keep the plants small, start with pot that will be 20-50% more than the root ball, bigger the plant smaller the percentage, every time that the tree arrive to full capacity need to switch to bigger until arrives to desirable size, better to use this method because the soil lose the viability over time and it’s efficient of care for the tree, when the plant big need to switch part of the soil, drainage it’s important and need to make holes and to use peat soil and maybe some lava grit in the bottom or something like that, put a bottom for the container and when water the plant let it fill the bottom but also need to dry in the same day.

Blooming information

Bloom season:
Spring

General information about the flower
Pink or white or pink with white flower in the size 3-4 cm

Thinning the bloom:
The first two years recommend

Pollination is done by:
Bees

Edible Fruit

Fruit harvest season:
Summer / Autumn

Fruits pests or diseases:
Birds, mite, fruit fly

What can be done with big quantities of Crabapple tree fruits?
Eaten raw, baked, cake, juice and more, fruits leather, berries

Work requirements on the fruit:
Cover the tree with net or protect the fruit against fruit fly

How long does it take to bear fruit?
3-4 years

How to grow Crabapple tree from seeds

Sowing requirement:
Moist soil, sunny location

Saving seeds and care until sowing:
Keep the seeds in cool and dark location

Sowing season:
Winter to spring

Planting spacing:
Better in separate pots and graft it, the best that grow transplant to the location

Depth of Sowing:
1cm (0.5 inch)

Conditions for seeds germinate:
Moist soil, full sun

Watering requires for Seeds:
Average amount of water / Big amount of water, don’t let it dry

Germination time:
4-6 weeks not include burying

Condition of seedling:
Moist soil, put mulch and water regularly

Do the seeds require burying?
Yes

Time to bury the seeds:
1-2 months, better to put it in the refrigerator or to sow it outdoor in the end of the winter

Scientific name:

Malus domestica