Crabapple
Identify
Watch for
Crab apple trees belong to the apple family and have many differently varieties. They bloom in the spring to summer time depending on the variety and often bloom white or red or a hue in between these colors. Crab apples make for very nice ornamental domestic trees that you can plant in your yard. They do not have huge apples so they do not require as much pruning as traditional apple trees need.One major disease to look for in your crabapple is crabapple scab. This disease comes off looking very ornamental or in other words like it will only harm some leaves. The truth is that apple scab can kill a crab tree once it gets too infected with the disease. It will shrivel up the leaves and leave scabs on the fruit of the tree like shown to the right.Apple scab is treated in the spring before the tree has budded. This is often done near the 15th of April. By far the most effective treatment method is spraying the buds of the tree. This process will have to be done a couple weeks later as well after the leaves have started to emerge from the tree. Other methods of treatment include injection of tree in the fall to cover the next season. This method is not as effective as spraying for apple scab.Other diseases that crab apple get are mainly leaf diseases meaning they are only shown on the leaves. They include a fungus disease called powdery mildew and leaf scorch. These disease should be watched carefully so they do ruin the beautiful look of your crab apple tree. All the diseases that crab apples get are treatable.Here are some things to look for in your Crabapple Tree:There are over 60 varieties of crab apples. I have included a great link to spot the differences. Click HERE to find out more.
