How to Prune Flowering Crab Apple Trees

Ornamental crab apple trees are easy to maintain.

Flowering crab apple trees are an ornamental, spring-flowering tree. They grow anywhere from 6- to 50-feet high. Most of the 700 varieties grow in the 15- to 25-feet range. Flowering crab apple trees are pretty low maintenance, requiring some pruning but not a lot to maintain their shape and to keep their growth in check so as not to interfere with nearby trees and shrubs. All pruning should be completed before early June. By early summer the tree is producing flower buds for next spring's blooming.

Things You'll Need

• Rubbing alcohol
• Hand pruners
• Pruning saw

Instructions

1. Spray or wipe down pruners or saw blades periodically with rubbing alcohol before making cuts. This reduces the chances of inadvertently infecting the tree with pathogens during pruning.

2. Use hand pruners to cut away suckers, also known as water sprouts. These are fast-growing shoots that spring from the base of the tree. They drain away nutrients and water from the rest of the tree. Cut the suckers off where they meet the trunk of the tree or at ground level.

3. Examine the tree for diseased, dead or wind-damaged branches. Dead branches are lighter in color and have no flex to them. Cut these away with a hand-held pruning saw. Cut a quarter inch above the crotch of a branch that is still living or a quarter inch above a dormant bud.

4. Cut back branches where two separate branches are touching and rubbing together. The rubbing can open a wound in the branch inviting disease to set in.

5. Examine the overall shape of the tree. If there are branch tips conspicuously growing longer than others, prune the tip of the branches back to retain a uniform shape.

6. Prune towards the center of the tree if there is thick branch growth. This opens the tree up to receive more sunlight and offers better air circulation which will ward off bug, fungal and bacterial infestations.

Tips & Warnings

• Dead or diseased branches can be cut anytime of the year.

• Check the tree for any insect web sacs built in the branches. Cut or prune the branches to which the sacs are attached. Place them on the ground or in a burn barrel and burn them completely.

References

• Landscape America: Flowering Crabapple
• Garden Guides: How to Prune a Flower Crab Apple Tree

Resources

• North Dakota Extension Service: Crab Apple