Crabapple Tree Planting

Overview

Crabapple trees are a small- to medium-sized flowering landscape tree with edible fruit. Depending on the cultivar, crabapples range in height from 8 feet to 40 feet with the average height between 15 to 25 feet tall. Crabapple flowers may be single, semi-double or double with colors of white, pink or red. Crabapple trees have six shapes: upright or columnar, weeping, vase, pyramidal, rounded or spreading. Crabapples thrive in moist soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 but will tolerate pH up to 8.0. These low-maintenance trees are drought tolerant, and many cultivars will retain their fruit well into winter, providing needed food for wildlife.

Step 1

Select a well-drained spot that receives at least 10 to 12 hours of direct sunlight per day.

Step 2

Remove potted crabapple trees from their container, or unwrap burlap from balled saplings.

Step 3

Prune off broken or bent roots, making the cut just above the damaged area.

Step 4

Dig a hole that is twice as wide as the root ball (or roots in the case of bare-root trees) but just deep enough to place the top of the root ball level with the soil.

Step 5

Mix the removed soil with enough compost to form a 50/50 mix of compost and soil.

Step 6

Make several horizontal (from top to bottom) 1-inch deep cuts with a sharp knife in the root balls of container and burlap-wrapped crabapple saplings. Doing this helps spread roots and will prevent roots circling the root ball and girdling the tree.

Step 7

Center the crabapple in the hole, taking care to spread out the roots as much as possible.

Step 8

Backfill the hole with the 50/50 compost/soil mix until the hole is three-quarters full.

Step 9

Fill the hole with water. Allow the water to drain from the hole completely. This settles the compost/soil mix preventing air pockets. Continue backfilling the hole until the soil is level.

Step 10

Place 1 to 2 inches of mulch around the base of the tree to discourage weeds and retain soil moisture.