Japanese Crab Apple

Japanese Crab Apple Malus Floribunda

What is the plant

The Crabapple is one of the very best of small ornamental trees for planting around the home. It is suggested here as only one example of crab-apples that are being grown throughout the entire country wherever apples prove hardy.Flowering crabs seldom grow over 30 feet tall, if that, making them especially useful for smaller properties. They are of ornamental interest at least twice a year, and sometimes longer. Crabapples are small deciduous trees or shrubs with oval or elliptic leaves which can also be lobed in some cases and grow in an alternating pattern. They are native to the northern temperate zones and are frost tolerant.

It has little invasive potential in the US.

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Humidity

Normal

Lighting

Full Sun

Hardiness zone

4 - 8

Difficulty

Medium

Hibernation

Cold Period

Toxicity

Poisonous

Water
The crabapple needs a lot of water during the growing season and must not dry out, especially when it flowers or produces fruit. Those will be dropped if sufficient water is not provided in time. In winter the apple must be kept slightly moist. Apples don't like acidic water and soil, so in most cases tap water is just fine for watering.
Sunlight
The crabapple needs much sunlight and aeration, so place the tree outside in full sun. On the other hand it does not like strong heat, so don't place it in front of a wall which heats up during the day, for example.
Fertilizer
Apply solid organic fertilizer every four weeks or use a balanced liquid fertilizer every week during the growing season. Take care not to use a very nitrogen-rich fertilizer while the tree flowers or develops fruit because this would encourage the tree to grow strongly instead of producing fruit. Always apply the liquid fertilizer on moist soil.

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Soil
light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
Pruning
Prune the crabapple in late autumn, after the leaves have fallen. Then flower buds and leaf buds are easily identified and you can take care not to cut off all flower buds. During the growing season trim back new shoots to one or two leaves when they grow overly long and thicken too much. If the tree produces a great number of fruit, remove all but one from each cluster in order not to weaken the tree. Younger branches and twigs can be wired but older ones are quite brittle and you better shape them with guy wires.
Temperature
The tree is frost hardy but crabapples planted in bonsai containers should be protected from strong frosts for safety.

Disease diagnosis: ill emoji

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Additional
All members of this genus contain the toxin hydrogen cyanide in their seeds and possibly also in their leaves, but not in their fruits. Hydrogen cyanide is the substance that gives almonds their characteristic taste but it should only be consumed in very small quantities. Apple seeds do not normally contain very high quantities of hydrogen cyanide but, even so, should not be consumed in very large quantities. In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown to stimulate respiration and improve digestion, it is also claimed to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer. In excess, however, it can cause respiratory failure and even death.
Popularity
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