Crabapple

Crabapple trees are favored by homeowners and landscapers for several advantageous reasons. Most often, it is the uniquely stunning scenes they provide from season to season. In spring, dramatic colorful blooms emerge among the expansive green canopy, creating a vivid sight that embodies the essence of the growth season. Flowers painted in shades of white, pink, and red bloom early in the season and leave a pleasant fragrance in the air.

In summer, the canopy is a luxurious and shapely green with crabapples beginning to bud and take the place of the falling flowers. Come fall, the crabapple tree’s foliage turns to brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows, and is littered with fruits colored orange, red, and purple. Even in winter, the gnarled, snow-covered branches make them an ethereal sight to behold.

Aside from their enduring beauty, crabapple trees are popular for property owners looking to attract wildlife to their yards. Pollinators flock to the spring blossoms, while small mammals enjoy snacking on the fall fruit. When you have a crabapple tree, you’ll often see bees, butterflies, robins, bluebirds, and insects and birds of all kind coming and going in the spring.

Mammals such as deer, foxes, and badgers will be drawn to the crabapples in the fall, but there will still be plenty of fruit for you to harvest yourself. Established trees (2-5 years old) yield an abundance of crabapples each fall that grow in picturesque clusters. While the taste can be a little too tart for some, their pungent flavor is excellent for jams, fruit butters, baked goods, wines, and more.

While crabapple trees are adaptable to different soil types, they do best in soil that is nutrient-rich, well-drained, and slightly acidic. A soil pH of 6-7 is ideal. When planting trees or shrubs, enrich the soil with peat moss and compost as you refill the hole—this will allow the roots to get a strong start. Crabapple trees are tolerant of heavy and compacted soils, so long as drainage is adequate.

Balled, burlapped, and container-grown crabapple trees can be planted any time in spring, summer, or fall. Bareroot trees must be planted in early spring. Dig a hole to the depth of the root ball and twice as wide. As you’re refilling the hole (with your soil, peat moss, and compost mixture), stop at about halfway to give the roots a deep watering, allowing the soil to drain completely. Then, refill the rest of the hole and apply a layer of mulch (about three inches) around, but not on, the trunk to help the soil retain moisture.

Most crabapple trees do not need fertilizing at all. For good measure, if you’d like, you can apply a light layer annually in the spring. Do not begin fertilizing until the first spring after planting.

Crabapple trees do not need regular pruning. Only prune occasionally to remove dead or diseased branches or when you see unwanted suckers/water sprouts. The best time to prune is in winter. Pruning after June may affect your next year’s blooms.

If you’re looking for a quality supply of crabapple trees and shrubs for your nursery or other plant business, so that your customers may reap their many benefits, Cold Stream Farm has you covered. We offer a variety of different crabapple species for convenient wholesale prices, both as bareroot seedlings and transplants, in Michigan and for delivery throughout the continental U.S. Our crabapple trees and other deciduous trees and shrubs are also available for individual retail purchase. No minimum order is required for wholesale or retail.