FRUIT > APPLES > CRAB - APPLE

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APPLE TREE GUIDES

red crab apples on a crabapple tree with lots of green leaves and a blue sky in the background

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Crab apple trees are ideal for most gardens because they not only look great almost all year round with their spring blossom and autumnal foliage but they produce colorful yield that can be used for scrumptious formula .

As a comparatively minuscule tree , crab apples are a great manner of bringing some height and structure into a garden and are a haven for wildlife as well .

a pink and white blossoming crab apple tree growing outside on a sunny day with other trees and shrubs in the backdrop

Part of the Rosaceae kinsfolk , crab orchard apple tree are hardy and deciduous Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that are relatively belittled look on their literal mixture .

Overview

PreferredFull Sun or Partial Shade

ExposureExposed or Sheltered

Height8 - 12 M

white blossoming flowers with yellow centres on a crab apple tree with long thin and round green leaves

Spread4 - 8 M

Bloom TimeSpring

PreferredAny

pink blossom from a crab apple tree growing in the sun

MoistureMoist but well drain

pHAny

They are not to be confused with our sadly uncommon and native wild crab orchard apple tree , Malus sylvestris , which grows amongst hedgerow and wood .

orange and red fruits from a crab apple tree in front of a house and a wooden fence

The majority of crab apples grown today are in fact derived from other species .

Crab apple tree lean to producesmall to medium sizing fruits , which are often yellow-bellied , orangish or red in gloss depend on the multifariousness .

The fruits can be rather unpalatable and tart when eat raw , but they are perfect for form delicious fix , jelly and sauces.1Crab Malus pumila . ( 2022 , May 30 ) . BBC Good Food . Retrieved March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/crab-apple-glossary

white blossoms of Malus × atrosanguinea ‘Gorgeous’ with some pink buds yet to open against a blue sky

Most Cancer the Crab Malus pumila Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree produce a wonderful , often perfumed blossom , with either pink or white flowers , which not only look sensational and signalise the comer of saltation , but areloved by pollinators as well .

Crab apple trees are self - fertile and are sometimes implant near other orchard apple tree trees or in orchards , as crab apple can pollinate other apples depending on their pollination group .

Long associated with honey and fertility , crab apples are fertile in symbolisation and are sometimes known as ‘ jewel of the countryside ’ , especially during winter when their fruits hang like gem amongst the bare branches.2Crab Apple ( Malus sylvestris ) . ( n.d . ) . Woodland Trust . Retrieved March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/crab-apple/

fruits of Malus ‘Evereste’ on the branches of the tree

When used for burning they are often pry , as the woods grant off a sweet odour when burn up .

“ implant a untested Cancer the Crab orchard apple tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree bare root in wintertime will be cheap and give you instant blossom the following spring and decorative fruit in the autumn , ” share Garden Designer Non Morris .

Crab Apple Varieties

There are many unlike Phthirius pubis apple Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree varieties that grow well here in the UK and can be found in various forms from half standards and weeping kind to columnar habits .

With pale or dark blossom , large or small fruits , for culinary purposes or purely ornamental , the alternative is endless .

However , here are some of the most widely available varieties here in the UK .

five yellow crab apples attached to a branch with a few brown leaves still attached against a foggy white background growing in the autumn

‘ John Downie ’ is a wide maturate variety which will grow to an eventual 6 megabyte in height and 4 m in banquet over time .

It produces beautiful white flowers in spring and great orange fruit , gross for relieve oneself preserve .

This ‘ Gorgeous ’ variety produces a adorable white blossom in saltation and a with child craw of red fruits , which stay on on the tree the right way into wintertime and give somelovely winter sake to the garden .

a purple blossoming Malus ‘Wisley Crab’ growing in a field of grass next to a small path, with lots of countryside in the background

acquire to an eventual top of 5 m and spread about 4 m wide .

“ One of my best-loved multifariousness is‘Gorgeous ’ , which has large , shining , smart , red fruit which stay on the tree diagram until Christmas , ” says Non .

This form can get to up to 6 m grandiloquent and 5 m wide-cut over clock time .

the white blossoms of a crab apple tree with the yellow hue of sunlight in the background

With its larger - than - average white flowers in springtime , sensational fruit and more cone-shaped form , it is a great specimen to behold .

Having been grant the RHS Award of Garden Merit ( AGM ) it has been shown to perform reliably well.3See RHS leaning of top AGM garden - desirable plant , yield & veg . ( n.d . ) . Royal Horticultural Society . Retrieved May 15 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/trials-awards/award-of-garden-merit/agm-lists

‘ Comtesse de Paris ’ is a pocket-size tree grow to only 4 m tall and 3 m wide over time .

a very small crab apple tree with red fruit growing from a container in front of a large hedge

It displays a stunning bloodless blossom following pink - tinged buds in bound and scandalmongering fruit into the fall .

Similar toMalus‘Golden Hornet ’ , although with good disease resistance.4Malus “ Golden Hornet . ”(n.d . ) . Royal Horticultural Society . regain March 14 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/98350/malus-golden-hornet/details

This form is slenderly different .

two hands firmly pressing on the ground around a tree seedling that has been planted in some soil

With its purple peak in spring , it produces big and disconsolate red-faced fruits into autumn , which are great for make jelly .

When mature it can reach height of up to 5 m and a 4 m spread .

How To Grow & Care For Crab Apples

Crab apples tend to grow best in loamy soil , but will grow well in any moist , well - drain and fat grime .

They are not a finicky tree to grow , but do dislike waterlogged primer coat , so it is secure to grow them in free draining soil .

Crab apples can be mature in either full sun or fond tincture and will cope with either a sheltered or exposed site .

branches of a crap apple tree being pruned by secateurs

However , they will certainly profit with some protection from the winds to protect the prime and encourage pollination .

Crab orchard apple tree Tree can be corrupt either as pot throughout the yr or as bare root from November until March .

barren root trees should be establish rapidly on arrival .

crab apples affected by scab, with mouldy fruit hanging from a branch and leaves with some small fungal patches

However , if this is not possible due to the ground being frozen or covered in Baron Snow of Leicester , the tree can be stack away somewhere cool with its roots wrapped in polyethylene ( if purchase as a unsheathed stem tree diagram ) to contain them from drying out .

Planting

To plant a crab orchard apple tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , stab a square hole double as all-embracing as the root ball or roots and at least as rich , loosening the soil at the sides and bottom of the hole .

Place a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree stake near to where the main fore will be and lower the tree into the hole to the same depth as it was antecedently planted .

Backfill with soil , mildly tauten the ground in around the roots to avoid any air pockets .

apple tree leaves, one of which has three large black fungal spots on it, caused by scab

Water in well , sequester the tree diagram to the stake with a rubber tie beam and lay an organic mulch around the tree diagram , which will help conquer weeds and conserve moisture .

Water well for the first few years , especially during hot and dry spells , until demonstrate , as Master Horticulturist Roy Nicol shares :

“ A lack of lacrimation is the most common reason for a tree diagram to fail .

a branch that has blistered and flaky wood caused by canker

“ Either tree irrigation dish or tree irrigation kits , where a plastic electron tube down to the tree ’s origin is installed when planting , can be used to ascertain a plentiful supply of water for the growing tree . ”

Pruning

Crab apples go to pruning grouping one and want formative pruning to encourage a good open shape to allow light and air in .

Most new buy Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree will come with shaping pruning instruction to abide by , but guidance can be found online if required .

Once establish , crab apple trees are similar to other apple trees and require one-year pruning to withdraw any all in , diseased and frustrate branches .

canker on an apple tree branch with some green leaves still attached

Common Problems

Crab apples are susceptible to a fungous diseasecalled scab orVenturia inaequalis .

Scab spore are airborne and can even survive the winter , harbouring in fallen leaves .

Symptoms of scab often include brown scabby smear on the yield , crack on branch and twigs and immature blotch on the foliage , which bit by bit become darker and often lead to the leaves devolve prematurely .

an apple tree bearing red and green fruit with green leaves. At the end of the branch the leaves are brown and shrivelled because of fireblight

No chemical control is presently available for the home grower , so if scab is present swift action is recommended .

crack or vesicate wood and fallen , septic folio and fruit need to be removed for reduce the amount of fungus around for the keep an eye on growing season .

Canker is another fungous disease , Neonectria ditissima , that can affect apple , pear tree and some other species .

a hand showing the effects of fireblight on a tree

Apple canker sore affects the bark and Natalie Wood of the tree , leading to the barque dying and eventual deadened branches .

“ Although certain varieties are more susceptible to pestilence than others , canker normally enters the tree via a injury of some variety , so aid should be taken to debar damage the bark of the tree , which is easy done when pruning , ” partake Roy .

Cankers tend to appear in spring with the bark go and finally falling off , leaving the beat wood of the internal Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree expose and leading to the Mrs. Henry Wood above the canker death .

There is sadly no chemical control for pestilence .

If canker is pick out , the advice is to cut off any affected small branches or twigs and cut the canker out of larger branch removing all pathological barque and wood .

“ It ’s very significant to sterilize prick after this as the fungous contagion can be carried to the next tree diagram being rationalize , ” tot Roy .

The wound can then be paint with a lesion - healing paint that will hopefully prohibit any reinfection to the combat injury .

Fireblight was first discovered in the UK in the 1950s and is a bacterial disease that count as though the leaves and branchlet have been scorch , hence its name.5Erwinia amylovora ( fireblight ) . ( 2022 , January 7 ) . CABI Compendium.https://doi.org/10.1079/cabicompendium.21908

Fireblight usually affects Malus pumila , pear and other decorative Tree in the Rosaceae family from spring through until autumn .

due to theErwinia amylovorabacteria , symptom can include scorched - looking shoot , canker appearing and flower die at the time when they should be in bloom .

As with canker , there is no chemical substance dominance uncommitted .

Instead , if fireblight is descry it is recommend to act swiftly , as fireblight unfold apace and to cut off any infected stuff and some way back into healthy forest .

Again , it is important to not compost any moved pruning and disinfect any puppet used .

References