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FAQs
Crab Apples are very tough and will grow in any reasonably well drained soil, including heavy clay as long as it is not waterlogged.
Partial shade is fine, but like all fruiting trees, crab apples fruit and flower best in a sunny location.
The ideal soil conditions are moist, rich, neutral to slightly acidic, with a yearly mulching.
As a tree, they are wind resistant, but in exposed locations the wind will tend to knock the fruit off by early-to-mid Autumn. In sheltered spots, they can hold their colourful deep into winter.
Ornamental Crab Apples are relatively small, compact trees to under 10 metres, perfect for most gardens.
The weeping variety Red Jade only reaches 3-4 metres, and Red Sentinel is very compact at about 7 metres tops, with a narrow canopy.
All Crab Apples respond well to pruning and are easy to control.
You can plant Pot Grown Crab Apple trees at any time of year, and Bareroot trees during winter, except when the soil is frozen.
The best time to plant Crab Apple trees is from late Autumn to early Spring (November to March), using bareroot stock, which is cheaper, easier to carry and plant, and tends to establish even better than their pot grown equivalents.
Watch our Tree Planting Video for instructions.
Although optional, we strongly recommend using Rootgrow.
Aftercare:
Remember: the two biggest killers of recently transplanted trees are underwatering, and being choked by weeds and grass.
- Regular, thorough watering is vital during dry weather in their first spring and summer, and highly recommended the following summer, especially if there is a heat wave.
- Either remove weeds and grass by hand periodically, or use some form of mulch to suppress them.
Tree Planting Accessories
Standards that are 6/8cm in girth and upwards are quite big trees, so they need a tree planting stake and a tree tie (with a buffer between the tree and the stake) during their first couple of years.
A mulch mat is will suppress weeds & grass, and preserve moisture: remember that dry soil and competition with weeds are the two biggest killers of new trees.
Even with a mat, you should remove anything that manages to grow up between the mat and the trunk in late spring and summer.
You can buy those items separately, or save money with our Tree Planting Pack.
You definitely need a tree guard if there are deer or rabbits about.
In urban areas with no wild animals, tree guards are great for protecting against mowers and strimmers.
For that purpose, you can cut one tree guard into several pieces about 20-25cm long, to act as skirting around the base of the tree.
Mycorrhizal Fungi
We cannot recommend using Rootgrow fungi enough: it makes a huge difference, especially with larger trees, which are scrambling to regrow the root systems that they lost when we dug them up, in order to support their now top-heavy growth above ground.
Mycorrhizal fungi assist the roots in accessing soil nutrients and water, and protect the roots from soil critters.
In return, the tree shares sugar with them, and the result can be over 50% more growth above ground!