fruiting crabapple tree

Fruiting Crabapples

Golden Hornet – This is an upright variety that produces white to pale pink blooms followed by greenish-yellow fruit. ...
Snowdrift – This rounded form produces pink buds that bloom white. ...
Sugar Tyme – Having an oval-like shape, this crabapple tree has pink flowers with deep red crabapple fruit.

How long does it take for a crabapple tree to produce fruit?

How long does it take crabapple trees to produce fruit? The climate and conditions in which your tree is growing will dictate how quickly it will fruit, but two-to-five years is a good range to plan on.

Do all flowering crabapple trees produce fruit?

Most people choose crabapples for their smaller size and for the pretty white or pink flowers that they produce in spring. ... Of secondary consideration is the fruit on a crabapple tree, but most will produce them.

Do crabapple trees bear fruit every year?

Crabapple blossoms come in single, double, and semi-double flowers, all with yellow stamens in the center of the blooms. Most crabapple varieties bloom every year without fail, while others bloom profusely only every other year.

How big does a flowering crabapple tree get?

Large crabapples can grow up to 40 ft. tall and wide (12m); medium-sized trees reach 15-20 ft. in height and spread (4.5-6 m); small crabapples typically grow up to 10-15 ft.

What is the lifespan of a crabapple tree?

The crabapple tree is considered a long-living deciduous fruit tree. Trees that live past 40 years begin to show a decline in flowering, fruit production and new growth. A few crabapples have been noted to live up to 70 years.

Are Crabapple berries poisonous to dogs?

The fact is that – YES – crabapples are toxic to dogs. ... In a crabapple, only the seeds are considered toxic. The seeds, which are also called pips, contain a poisonous chemical called amygdalin. Amygdalin turns into cyanide in your dog's body and causes cyanide poisoning.

Do flowering crabapple trees make a mess?

Crabapple trees provide beauty in the spring but a mess in the fall once the fruit drops. ... A favorite tree in today's landscape is the flowering crabapple. Most people grow this for the intense bloom that occurs usually in April/May.

Are crabapples self pollinating?

Crab apples, however, are self fertile. Indeed, they have a longer flowering season than culinary apples – and produce up to ten times as much pollen – so one crab apple tree can serve as pollinator for a wide range of culinary apple varieties.

When should you prune a crab apple tree?

So, in the early years of a fruit tree's life, when you want it to grow strongly to create a sturdy framework of branches, it's vital to prune in the dormant season. Once it has reached the required size and shape, most of the pruning can be done in summer.

Is a flowering crabapple tree fast growing?

Many crabapple cultivars grow at a greater rate of 13 to 24 inches per year. The flowering tea crabapple (Malus hupehensis), hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8, grows at a rate of 24 inches per year.

Can you leave crab apples on the ground?

Crab apple (Malus spp.) ... Some species can hold the fruit into winter, but the fruits from most crab apple trees eventually drop to the ground where they make an obstructive mess. Rather than leave them to rot on the ground, you can remove them to maintain a neatly manicured lawn.

How often do crabapple trees bloom?

Crabapple trees are known for their beauty as an ornamental tree in the home landscape. They cover their branches in blooms for two to three weeks every spring, if undisturbed by wind or rain. Their early flowering provides a welcome source of food for bees and butterflies, after a long, lean winter.

How much space does a crabapple tree need?

Grouping Crabapple Trees

Space the saplings between 6 and 15 feet apart. Use the closer spacing for narrow varieties and dwarf cultivars.

When should I plant a crabapple tree?

Planting Time: You can plant crabapples most any time the soil is workable. Bare-root trees need to be planted in early spring, but balled and burlapped or container grown trees can be planted in spring, summer, or fall.

Do crabapple trees need a lot of water?

Crabapple trees need about 1 inch of water every week during their first year. You need to make sure you're watering the tree regularly during the first year because the tree is establishing itself during this time period and once it has, you don't have to be worried about watering it.

What grows under crabapple trees?

Underplant your crabapples with low-growing plants such as Periwinkle (Vinca minor), Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus), and Liriope. Small Violas, Creeping Veronica, Creeping Phlox can also create very fine color combinations.

Can you prune crabapple trees in the summer?

The ideal time to prune a crabapple tree is late winter or early spring, before the new set of leaves begin to appear. ... In a pinch, it's okay to prune in early summer after the tree has finished blooming, although this can increase the risk of "fire blight" and other warm-weather diseases.

How do you take care of a crabapple tree?

During its first year of growth, crabapple trees need regular watering. Keep the soil evenly moist over the root zone, about an inch per week. Once it is well established, crabapples are very drought tolerant and shouldn't need supplemental watering unless the season is extremely dry.

Why are crab apples called crab apples?

Crab apples are technically called such because of their size—small—and not their cultivar, since no two apple seeds are genetically alike. Think of them as their own fruit for culinary reasons, since you can't use crab apples exactly as you would larger, more familiar apples.

How big are crab apples?

For instance, a crab apple can range from 3/4 of an inch (2 cm) to 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter, while a medium-sized apple is about 3 inches (8 cm) in size (5).

Can Crab Apples kill dogs?

Apples (including Crabapples)

Although the regular flesh of apples isn't considered dangerous, the leaves/stems/pips or seeds of apples and apple trees are all toxic to dogs. When ingested chemicals in them are converted to Cyanide, a very dangerous poison.