Coralburst® Crabapple for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by John Haryasz | Horticulture Writer and Landscape Designer – last update on October 26, 2022

Planting instructions

As long as you plant your Coralburst® Crabapple in a location that receives full sunlight and has soil with decent drainage and a moderate amount of nutrients, it should perform well. To plant this tree, you should begin by digging a hole that is as deep as the root ball is tall and at least twice as wide. Then, loosen the root ball and the sides of the hole to encourage the roots to spread. Finally, backfill the hole and cover the area with a healthy layer of organic mulch.

Watering and nutrients

Both the watering and fertilization routines for a Coralburst® Crabapple are quite straightforward. Feed this tree each year in early spring with a balanced fertilizer. Water your Coralburst® Crabapple about once per week or more during the first year of growth. Following the first year, you can reduce your watering schedule. For the rest of this plant’s life, you’ll need to supply water only about once per week during the hottest parts of summer and any prolonged droughts.

Pollination

When the Coralburst® Crabapple blooms in spring, its flowers will not only impress you and anyone who visits your garden at that time, but they will also attract plenty of pollinator species. These insects will feed on the nectar the flowers hold and conduct pollination simultaneously. Since the Coralburst® Crabapple is a self-fertile tree, it can pollinate itself, meaning you need only one tree to produce fruits. Upon successful pollination, your Coralburst® Crabapple will develop a set of small, round fruits that have a bronze color for many weeks.

Pruning

In keeping with the theme of easy maintenance, the Coralburst® Crabapple is a plant that requires very little pruning. Deadheading during the bloom period will help this produce more blooms. You may also perform light pruning during the dormant winter period to remove any branches that are dead, damaged or diseased. Otherwise, you won’t need to prune to control this plant’s size or spread, and it will typically grow healthily with a neat overall form all on its own.

Pests, diseases and animals

In general, crabapple trees have multiple pest and disease threats that they may face throughout their lives. One of the most common diseases that these trees face is apple scab, which causes foliage discoloration and fruit deformation. Crabapples can also encounter issues with cedar apple rust and common insect infestations, including scale, mites and aphids. However, the good news is that the Coralburst® Crabapple typically does not face as many pest and disease issues as other crabapples.

Harvesting

It is most common for people to grow the Coralburst® Crabapple, or any other crabapple, strictly for ornamental purposes. As such, most people do not concern themselves with harvesting this tree’s fruits, even though they are technically edible. Crabapples are safe to eat in their raw form but often have a sour taste, which is why it’s typically better to incorporate them into jams and similar recipes. If you want to try eating crabapples for yourself, you can remove them from your tree by hand during the fall and even into the winter months.

Achieving maximum results

The Coralburst® Crabapple can develop suckers that emerge from the base of the trunk. When pruning, you should always remove these suckers as they do not contribute to this tree’s overall form and will use energy that could have gone to more important branches. You should also be sure to prune lightly in general since crabapples set their flower buds on old wood. Be careful not to remove too many stems and branches when pruning this tree during its dormant phase to preserve as many flowers as possible.

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