Royal Raindrops® Crabapple Tree for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by Mary Van Keuren | Gardener (30+ Years Experience) – last update on October 14, 2022

Planting instructions

Site your tree in fertile, well-draining soil that receives at least 6 hours of direct light a day. Unpot your sapling and tease out any encircling roots, which can girdle the tree and slowly kill it. Dig a hole that’s as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Place the tree in the hole, spreading out the roots. Holding it upright and steady, fill in around the roots with topsoil, tamping down as you go to eliminate air pockets. Water thoroughly. Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch such as bark chips around the root zone to conserve moisture and hinder weed growth, but keep it from touching the trunk to avoid problems with rot.

Watering and nutrients

Water your newly-planted crabapple every few days until you see robust new growth appearing on the branches. Then taper back to once-a-week watering for the remainder of the first year. Once established, these trees are moderately drought-resistant and will only need supplemental watering in very dry conditions. To determine if water is needed, check the soil two inches below the surface. If it’s dry, give your tree a drink. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced, slow-release product designed for landscape trees and shrubs.

Pollination

Crabapple trees are self-fertile, or monoecious. That means that even if you only have one tree, insects moving from flower to flower will be able to pollinate them. Pollinated flowers result in small red berries on the Royal Raindrops® crabapple, which persist through the winter unless they are eaten by birds.

Pruning

Monitor your crabapple for dead, diseased or damaged limbs, and prune these out whenever you see them. If you wish to prune for shape, do so in late winter before the buds break in the spring.

Pests, diseases, and animals

Royal Raindrops® crabapple is resistant to many of the common pests and diseases of the crabapple family. These include insects such as tent caterpillars, aphids, and Japanese beetles. A healthy tree can usually fend off infestations on its own, but if insect pressure is severe, consider releasing beneficial insects such as ladybugs or lacewings to eat them. Common crabapple diseases include scab, fire blight and powdery mildew, but you are unlikely to see these on your tree.

Achieving maximum results

Knowing how to use your tree to maximum effect in your garden is important, especially with showy plantings such as Royal Raindrops® crabapple. These trees are superb specimen plantings, and if you’re not sure where to place yours, consider a highly visible spot so that your tree can receive the admiration it deserves. These crabapples are also good near the back of a mixed perennial border or flanking a front entryway. If you have a cottage garden, Royal Raindrops® would look splendid in the center of it.

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