Professional Tree Care for Your Crabapple Trees
The most widely planted tree in Canada just happens to be the crabapple, and it\’s not hard to see why. With their beautiful blooms, handsome foliage and plentiful fruit, crabapples are both attractive and useful.
Crabapples tend to be a fairly easy tree to care for. However, according to Trevor Cole, author of \’Growing Crabs\’ on the Canadian Gardening website, there are a few important points to keep in mind.
First
Crabapples require full sun. Planting them in full shade or even partial sun will result in less fruit (which, even if it does not upset the owner of the tree, will definitely upset the birds!).
Second
Planting needs to be done correctly (not too deeply). In order to assure the correct depth, the bark should be examined for the change in color that shows how deeply the tree was planted at the nursery. Do not rely on the container the tree came in as a guide.
There are also several diseases which a crabapple owner needs to be aware of in order to prevent weakening and even death of the tree. The first is cedar apple rust, which causes yellow spots on the foliage. A good way to prevent this is to not plant crabapples near conifers like junipers and cedars. Also, orange galls should be removed from conifers in spring.
Apple scab is another disease to be on the watch for. This creates dark spots on foliage and corky patches on the fruit. To rid crabapples of this, one should spray them with lime sulfur in late winter. Apple scab can actually kill crabapples, so it must be treated.
Third
Finally, fire blight is the third disease crabapple owners need to be aware of. This actually makes foliage look burnt. It will spread rapidly, so the affected area needs to be trimmed back to clean wood. Remember to disinfect pruners with bleach and water (50/50 mix) after doing so!
Of course, professional tree care can always be relied upon to assist you in maintaining the good health of your crabapples. For more information on how to keep your specimen of Canada\’s favorite tree healthy, you can follow along on Facebook and Instagram, or you can contact us here if you have any questions.
