Although fruit trees are always a good choice for your home, a crabapple tree is especially lovely in any garden or yard area. Even though you’ve probably never eaten a crabapple, they’re tasty and great for cooking. The trees can also add a beautiful splash of color to your yard, which makes them a great choice for an accent tree. With that in mind, knowing where to plant it is essential. Discover whether you should plant a crabapple tree near an apple tree.
Crab apple trees are small, ornamental versions of apple trees that produce tiny, tart fruits. Their name comes from the fact that their fruits resemble small, sour crabapples rather than the larger, sweeter apples we eat. But this leads many people to ask do crab apple trees actually grow real apples?
The short answer is no. While crab apples and regular apples belong to the same genus (Malus), crab apples are considered a separate species (Malus sylvestris). They are not cultivated specifically for their fruit but rather for their attractive flowers and foliage.
However, there is often confusion about crab apples because some crab apple varieties do produce fruits that resemble small apples in appearance. So let’s take a deeper look at the differences between crab apples and regular apples.
Key Differences Between Crab Apples and Regular Apples
While crab apples and regular apples share a common ancestry, they have diverged over time into distinct fruits with different characteristics:
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Size: Crab apple fruits are generally under 2 inches in diameter, while regular apples average 2-4 inches across. Some crab apple fruits can be as small as 1/2 inch!
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Flavor: Crab apples tend to be very tart, bitter, and astringent due to their high tannin content. Regular apples have a wide range of flavors from sweet to tart.
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Uses: Crab apples are primarily ornamental while regular apples are cultivated for eating fresh and cooking.
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Seeds: Crab apples usually have more numerous, smaller seeds versus regular apples.
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Growing habits: Crab apple trees are much smaller, topping out around 20 feet on average. Standard apple trees can reach 30-40 feet tall.
So while crab apples and regular apples share an ancestry, selective breeding has led crab apples down a different evolutionary path. Their genetics and chemistry make them unpalatable for eating fresh.
A Brief History of Crab Apples
Crab apples have grown wild for millennia in Europe and Asia. They were likely one of the earliest types of apples cultivated by humans strictly as an ornamental plant.
In cultivation, crab apples have always been valued more for their blossoms and compact size than for their fruit. History suggests they were first brought to North America by European settlers in the 17th century.
Since then, crab apple breeding programs have focused on enhancing ornamental qualities like disease resistance, floral displays, colorful fruit, and attractive leaf color. Flavor and fruit size have not been priorities.
Today there are over 800 named cultivars of crab apple trees offering variation in size, flower color, fruit color, disease resistance, and more. They remain extremely popular ornamental trees for landscapes.
Pollination Between Crab Apples and Regular Apples
While crab apples don’t produce fruit suitable for eating, they can pollinate regular apple varieties. In fact, crab apples are sometimes planted specifically for this purpose in commercial apple orchards.
The pollen from crab apple flowers can successfully fertilize regular apple blossoms. This cross-pollination will result in normal apples developing on the regular apple tree.
However, the seeds inside those apples will be hybrid crosses between the two parents. If planted, those hybrid seeds would likely grow into trees with mixed characteristics – neither a true crab apple nor regular apple.
Can You Eat Crab Apples?
While crab apple fruits are generally too bitter to enjoy raw, they can be used in cooking and food processing in small amounts. When cooked with enough sugar, crab apples can make tasty jellies, preserves, syrups, and sauces.
Some amateur breeders have worked to develop crab apple varieties with improved flavor for eating fresh. These “eating crab apples” are still quite tart but can be palatable when fully ripe. However, yields and fruit size remain small.
When consuming any part of a crab apple, be sure to remove the seeds. Apple seeds contain trace amounts of cyanide compounds that can become an issue if eaten in large quantities over time.
It’s also important to note that ornamental crab apple trees in landscapes may be treated with pesticides not approved for food crops. Only harvest crab apples from trees you know to be free of chemicals.
Reasons to Grow Crab Apples
So should you bother planting crab apples if they don’t produce edible fruit? Absolutely! Here are some top reasons to grow crab apple trees:
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Ornamental beauty: Crab apple trees provide four seasons of color from their blooms to fruit and foliage. They are versatile and suited to almost any landscape.
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Pollination: As discussed earlier, crab apples can help pollinate regular apple varieties and other fruit trees. Even if you don’t grow apples, they support bees and other pollinators.
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Wildlife food: Birds relish crab apples left on trees into winter. Some wildlife also eat fallen fruits.
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Rootstock: Some crab apple varieties are used as hardy, disease-resistant rootstock for grafting regular apple trees.
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Cooking: While not ideal for fresh eating, crab apples have culinary uses when processed with sugar into jams, jellies, sauces, etc.
For ornamental beauty you just can’t beat crab apple trees. Let their pretty blossoms and cheerful fruits brighten your landscape!
Frequently Asked Questions About Crab Apples
Here are answers to some common questions about growing and caring for crab apple trees:
How big do crab apple trees get?
It depends on the variety, but most crab apples reach 15-20 feet tall at maturity. Compact dwarf varieties max out under 10 feet while a few large cultivars may reach 30 feet.
How fast do they grow?
Crab apples are relatively slow growing, averaging 1-2 feet of growth per year when young. Full size is reached in 10-15 years usually.
What soil and sun do they need?
Crab apples perform best in fertile, well-draining soil and full sun – at least 6 hours of direct sun daily. Morning sun is especially important.
Do crab apples need a pollinator?
Most crab apples are self-fruitful and do not require a pollinator. But cross-pollination can sometimes increase fruit yields.
Are the fruits edible?
Technically yes, but they are very tart. Selected sweeter varieties or thorough cooking with sugar can make them palatable.
How do I prune crab apple trees?
Prune in late winter or early spring. Remove any dead, damaged or diseased wood first. Then selectively thin crossing and congested branches for good structure and airflow.
What pests and diseases affect them?
Crab apples can be susceptible to apple scab, fire blight, powdery mildew, cedar apple rust, and other apple maladies. Choose resistant cultivars and practice good sanitation.
In Summary
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Crab apples are actually a separate species from regular edible apples, selected for ornamental qualities rather than fruit.
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They produce bite-sized, tart fruits that are generally too sour and astringent to enjoy raw.
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Through cooking with sugar, the fruits can be made into jams, jellies, syrups, and sauces.
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Crab apples provide food for pollinators in spring and wildlife in fall/winter.
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While not apples, crab apples remain extremely popular for landscaping thanks to their pretty blossoms, colorful fruits, attractive foliage, and compact size.
So while crab apples don’t offer the bounty of regular apple trees, they have their own unique merits. If you value ornamental beauty, crab apples are a must for gardens both large and small!
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Reasons To Plant a Crabapple Tree
There are many good reasons to plant a fruit tree in your yard, but a crabapple tree is especially good for you and the wildlife in the area. Aside from being beautiful, they’re also a versatile asset to the landscaping on your property.
Most people who want to grow fruit trees in their backyard think about peaches, apples, or blueberries. Crabapples, on the other hand, are not as common. Follow along to learn about a few of the various reasons to plant a crabapple tree.
When spring comes around, crabapple trees start to bloom. These flowers bring in the pollinators that keep the ecosystem going. Crabapple trees help save the bees by providing them with a convenient source of nectar. Furthermore, attracting pollinators to your garden could help boost the production of your other fruit and vegetable crops.
The most appealing thing about crabapple trees might be how beautiful they are, but it’s by no means the only reason to plant one. In fact, crabapple trees produce pink and white blossoms with incredible fragrance in the spring. Once summer hits, the tree changes to bright green foliage with beautiful fruit. As the leaves change to bright red, yellow, and orange in the fall, crabapple trees make for even more beautiful scenery.
Planting a Crabapple Tree Near an Apple Tree
Apple trees and crabapple trees are actually in the same family, even though you might think they’re very different. With that in mind, they’re perfect options to co-exist on your property. For instance, they both produce edible fruit, but they require another apple tree nearby for pollination. Because they’re not botanically different, crabapple trees can pollinate apple trees and vice versa.
Interestingly, the pollen from a crabapple tree doesn’t impact the quality of fruit for the apple tree. Even though the seeds inside the fruit will have different genes, the apple tree will still make fruit that is all the same. For bees to be able to pollinate both trees, they shouldn’t be more than 100 feet away from each other.