Tree
Crab apple
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flowers | Flowers in April | Flowers in May | ||||||||||
| Plant | Plant in January | Plant in February | Plant in March | Plant in November | Plant in December | |||||||
| Prune | Prune in January | Prune in February | Prune in December | |||||||||
| Looks good | Looks good in April | Looks good in May | Looks good in September | Looks good in October | Looks good in November | Looks good in December |
Overview
The native crab apple, Malus sylvestris, is a thorny hedgerow tree with pink-flushed white blossom and small, sour, yellow-green fruit. Garden crab apples are mostly hybrids bred for showier flowers and decorative fruit that often hangs on into winter. 'John Downie' has orange and red fruit that makes outstanding jelly, 'Red Sentinel' keeps dark red fruit on its bare branches for weeks, M. x zumi 'Golden Hornet' carries yellow fruit, and 'Evereste' combines heavy white blossom with small orange-red apples.
Where to grow crab apple
Crab apples grow in any reasonably fertile soil that does not stay waterlogged, including clay and chalk. Full sun brings the most blossom and fruit. Because they flower over a long period, they make good pollination partners for eating and cooking apples within a few gardens' distance.
Planting
Bare-root trees are best planted between November and March. Check the label for the rootstock, which controls final size. Plant with the graft union above soil level, stake on windy sites and keep the base free of grass for the first few years.
Care through the year
Spring
Mulch with well-rotted manure or compost and keep young trees watered as the blossom opens.
Summer
Rub off unwanted shoots sprouting from the trunk or rootstock.
Autumn
Pick fruit for jelly when coloured and slightly soft, leaving plenty for birds.
Winter
Rake up and dispose of scabby fallen leaves to reduce disease next year.
Pruning
Prune in winter while dormant, aiming for an open, balanced crown. Remove dead, diseased and crossing branches and thin congested growth. Avoid heavy pruning, which triggers masses of upright water shoots; snap those off in summer.
Propagation
Cultivars do not come true from seed, so they are grafted onto rootstocks, a job for keen gardeners in late winter. Seedlings of the native species are worth raising for hedging.
Common problems
Apple scab causes dark blotches on leaves and fruit, powdery mildew coats new shoots, and canker forms sunken wounds on branches. Good air flow, clearing fallen leaves and cutting out cankers help. Aphids and fireblight can also occur.
Guides to the problems most likely to affect crab apple:
Something else wrong? Diagnose it by symptom.
Month-by-month reminders
Jobs for this plant come round in January, February, March, November and December. Each month page lists everything else worth doing in the garden at the same time.
Related plants
Sources
Botanical names follow Kew's Plants of the World Online; growing attributes were checked against the references below. Text is our own. See our editorial policy.