Things You'll Need:
- Trowel or cultivator
- Sphagnum peat moss
- Bypass pruners
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Step 1
Care for a crabapple tree by ensuring it has been planted in an appropriate location, with moist yet well-drained soil, and plenty of sunlight. If larger trees adjacent to the crabapple tree are shading it, you may want to prune the branches of the other trees. Lack of sunlight will affect the crabapple tree's ability to produce beautiful blossoms and fruit.
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Step 2
Prune the branches of your crabapple tree in the late spring, once the blossoms have arrived and you see the first signs of fruit. Avoid pruning your crabapple tree in the fall, which can result in the removal of too many dormant buds and may seriously deter the amount of foliage and blossoms the next spring. Use bypass pruners, which have sharp edges on both blades, to produce a clean cut that will stimulate new growth.
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Step 3
Break up hard or compacted soil around the base of your crabapple tree, especially during warm or dry weather. Use a handheld cultivator or small trowel to loosen and rake the soil around the trunk and near larger roots, taking care not to nick or destroy the smaller root ends. Use a couple of handfuls of sphagnum peat moss to break up muddy or overly moist soil, as well as to provide better drainage for your crabapple tree.
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Step 4
Remove grass or other types of vegetation from around the base of your crabapple tree. Flowers and perennials planted around the trunk may seem like a good idea aesthetically, but these plants will actually compete with the crabapple tree for nutrients in the soil.
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Step 5
Eliminate all new branches near the bottom of a mature crabapple tree that appear to be suckers or water sprouts. This new growth may divert nutrients from the branches that are producing fruit and blossoms, and can actually cause a crabapple tree to become sickly or spindly. By removing these low branches, you will also stimulate the vertical growth of the tree.
