This flowering crabapple was left alone for 3 years with no pruning. Regular crabapple pruning is required to have a great looking tree. When pruning an overgrown tree like this after years of neglect, it is best to proceed one step at a time and address one type of defect at a time.
CRABAPPLE PRUNING: ONE STEP AT A TIME
When crabapples are neglected they tend to develop specific types of defects. These defects include:
1) suckers,
2) water sprouts,
3) branches growing in odd and incorrect directions, and
4) overgrown terminal branches.
Crabapple pruning requires fixing these defects. This can be a multiyear process if the tree is a real mess. When pruning a neglected tree like this for the 1st time, I address the most important defects first.
CRABAPPLE PRUNING: SUCKER REMOVAL
The 1st step to crabapple pruning is to remove the suckers from the base of the tree. Suckers are shoots that grow from a bud at the base of a tree from its roots or lower trunk. Suckers often grow a lot more than other shoots on the tree. After the 1st year, they start to branch and can quickly take over a tree.
Suckers are often from the rootstock of grafted ornamental trees. If left to grow they can often cause the graft to fail. When this happens, your pretty red leaved crabapple can turn into a nasty regular old apple tree. The kind with big green disease-ridden leaves.
This 1st round of pruning resulted in a substantial amount of wood and leaves being removed from the tree. It also assured that the attractive tree that was planted would be there in the future instead of an overgrown rootstock. As you can see, just doing this step was a big job. It also resulted in a much nicer looking tree.
Pruning off these suckers is as easy as using hand pruners or a pruning saw to cut them off as low to the ground as possible.
On my next post, I’ll continue onto water sprouts and more.
If you have a tree that needs some pruning, you might want to take a look at my Recommended Tools page for some tools to make the job easier.
I planted my flowering crab tree 3 years ago. It bloomed well each year. This year it has no blooms at all. The tree did not produce anything at all and the branches snap easily. Is my tree dead?
Personal experience pruning a mature decorative crab tree, to shorten long branches rubbing on the roof and hanging over the sidewalk. Pruning those branches a few feet shorter in mid summer, resulted in the death of each pruned branch. Previously very thriving branch was dead wood back to the main trunk the next growing season.
The lesson being, decorative crab trees do not respond well to trimming when leaves are present on the tree
Location Calgary Alberta Canada
I just purchased a baby Robinson crabapple. It is about 7-8′ tall and skinny. Can I prune the main branch that comes from the base to the top? Like topping it? When its mature I want it to be a more round top tree, so will this also get it to start filling out? Thanks.
Yes you can
Just wondering if you have any advice on starting saplings? I bought a super skinny Prarifire (I think it came out of one of those “wrapped and put into cold storage for winter” situations) and planted it mid-summer last year. The blossoms were absolutely spectacular this spring and it’s now covered with teeny crabapples. My problem is it’s now around 8 feet tall and the top flops over – It’s still a very thin tree. I read that staking for more than a season weakens the root system, but it does look like a little help might be appreciated. Any info you can share would be appreciated!
Can you prune it back so it is shorter?
I appreciate all the knowledge and experience sharing in this blog! I feel really supported as a beginner gardener. I recently moved to the countryside with lots of garden that was left on its own. So there is this crabapple that actually has no main trunk. I have left the three thicker branches but should I go for just one? I urgently need to use the sucker stopper as well because there are roots sprouting 2 meters away! Thanks for your help!!
Hi Jim,
I have recently planted a new crabapple tree for the first time; was container-grown, and bought from a local nursery in the Chicago area. I think it will only go about 15 feet tall and wide on maturity.
1) What are the necessary steps I should follow to keep it healthy?
2) When is the best time if I need to do a light pruning on this young tree which is about 7-8 feet tall.
Thank you.
I just bought a crabapple tree from a garden center, the trunk of tree is probably 8 feet taller than where branches are. Can I top tree so it’s down where branches are?
I planted a crab apple from seed started in a nursery pot in my yard. It’s been a few years, flowered first time last summer. There was a single trunk that after about an inch and a half branches out into three or four branches. It seems like a bush or shrub form, and I am wondering if I should cut back all of those trunks to just one, or if I should prune some other way in order to keep the branches from obstructing the sidewalk
Prune it to how you want it to grow. Crabs take pruning really well.
I also have a new tree I planted last year and it has no branches on one side. Is there anything I should do to stimulate some growth to even it ?
Assuming it is in the sun, just keep lightly pruning the other side. You should eventually get sprouts on the other side.
Is there anything I can do to prevent the growth of suckers? They’ve started growing further out than just underneath the tree trunk area.
You can try a product called “Sucker Stopper”
Hi,
I have a crab apple that with a few mid sized dead branches. It may be brown rot but I’m not sure. Can I remove them in late May or should I wait until the tree is dormant for large cuts like that.
Thanks,
Garrick
I would wait till Summer.
Hi Jim,
We have a well established crabapple tree in our yard that is over 20 years old. Last fall a large bear broke off most of the branches when it climbed into the top. Picture the entire top of the tree broken and bent and disfigured. It is early spring here and my husband started pruning off the dead and ended up trimming all the way to the main trunk with 4 main branches (thick) left that also had to be shorted due to damage. I love that tree and am hoping it’ll come back. Have we killed it or do you think it will start to grow back?
Thanks, Tammy
I think it will grow back.
Hi Jim,
It’s November in York , Maine and my crabapple trees need pruning. Can I do it now? I’ve noticed most say the late winter is best but I’ll be away for a few months.
Yes
I would like to trim/prune my crabapple tree now or soon, mid September , it has branches rubbing on deck and is close to house. What happens if I prune now?
Probably nothing
Hi Jim, I have a crab apple tree which has a large and long limb about 6-8″ in diameter that has cracked at the main stem. It is August and I am leery about cutting the branch for fear it will endanger the tree, yet leaving the cracked branch is not really a great option either. The tree is in Montana and in no way will I be able to follow the guidelines for trimming or pruning as it relates to the time of year. What options might i have?
I would cut the branch now.
Jim, do I need to be concerned about trimming to promote a main trunk on a crabapple tree? I have a tree that has been in the ground less than a year and it has about 3 or 4 branches competing for the main trunk. Also, do I need to wait to see how it develops or trim now in the summer?
Assuming you have a tree form of crabapple, then Yes. Eventually you should prune out or reduce branch length of non leaders if they are competing with your chosen leader. Now would be fine or you could wait.
I am not sure what you mean about having a tree form of crabapple. This was a tree the city planted and I know it is a flowering crab. It certainly is not a bush as it was a single trunk with a root ball. How much of the non leader branches should be cut back. The leader is about 6-8 inches taller than the other competing branches and slightly bigger in diameter.
You can cut the non leader branches back a foot or so below the leader length.
I have a mature crabapple at the far (northwestern) end of my back yard. It is in full view of my kitchen window, so I see it often–and with dismay.
The City has the legal right to trim this tree as it encroaches on the electric and cable wires that run along the west side of my lot. “Trim” in this case translates to “top.” Consequently, after ten years the crown on the west side is 6 to 8 feet shorter than it is on the east side.
I realize that lopping off the east side of the crown for esthetic balance will result in a skyful of water sprouts, but is there anything else an arborist might do?
Keep it a regular maintenance. Shear it if it gets to that.
I have a crab apple that is growing out too far now that it’s touching my house and gutters. Can I just trim it like a bush? Like take off the Ends on the one side to get it off the house? Thanks
I have a crab apple that is growing out too far now that it’s touching my house and gutters. Can I just trim it like a bush? Like take off the Ends on the one side to get it off the house?
Yes but you will have to do it annually.
Personal experience pruning a mature decorative crab tree, to shorten long branches rubbing on the roof and hanging over the sidewalk. Pruning those branches a few feet shorter in mid summer, resulted in the death of each pruned branch. Previously very thriving branch was dead wood back to the main trunk the next growing season.
The lesson being, decorative crab trees do not respond well to trimming when leaves are present on the tree
Location Calgary Alberta Canada
I have a crab apple tree that needed to have its low hanging branches trimmed JUs the the ends of the limbs we snippped off,, Wss it too late in the season to do it?
Nope. Your fine.
Hi Jim, just noticed I called you John!!! Sorry a moment of brain fade!!!
No problem, just don’t call me Shirley.
Hi John, I have just bought a Crabapple from a garden centre, after preparing the ground to plant it I noticed it is very tall and unstable for it’s root system in the pot it’s in. It is already over 12 feet tall with a very slender trunk and two upward growing long branches. All the growth is at the top of these two branches, in even a slight wind it tips over.
Can I prune the branches back after planting to make it more stable and allow the roots to settle?
Absolutely you can do that. Crabapples take pruning better then most trees and they can certainly handle their branches being cut back a bit (even with heading cuts if they are not too thick).
When is their growing season?
Spring to Fall, but most of growth occurs in early to mid Summer.
Thanks for all the helpful information. I do wish that I could see you trimming what many of us are dealing with – a tree that has not been properly pruned in 10, 20 years…ever?? I have taken a run at mine, but it is really overwhelming. It is so overgrown that some places are literally snarls of branches, suckers everywhere, watersprouts everywhere, it is waaaay too tall – where to start and how much to do at one time? I ended up mainly just cutting out deadwood this spring, piles and piles of it. I didn’t really get it all either, I just ran out of steam and had other massively overgrown plants that required attention also. I got some vague advise from the extension folks – “open it up” – well ok, I know what that means, but I would have to cut out a huge amount of material to do that. Do I do it all at once, in stages? And how much now in late summer? It is most likely about 50 years old.
Cut more then you want, but not too much. How about that for advice. You can always cut more next year (in fact you will HAVE to as it will grow back). Take a look at my post Pruning to Reduce Regrowth
Thanks. There are details in the pruning to reduce regrowth that none of my pruning books have ever mentioned. And vagaries such as more than I want but not too much is actually helpful. I did completely cut out all of the suckering and will motor on.
Dear Jim — thank you for all the information given to others. One site said NOT to prune in summer; I’m so thankful you disagree as I certainly want to because now tree is so loaded with apples that one can see where it would be a good thing to get rid of some of the unruly, too crowded areas. (Quick way to “pick”!–they do make great jelly.) Thanks again. God bless.
My 12 ft. Flowering Crab uprooted from wind & we disposed of it. I now have a healthy sucker growing from the original tree’s root system. It is about 2.5 ft. Tall & this growth is from May 5 2016. It has about a 1/4 in. trunk with 3 branches about 1.5 in. from the ground. I pruned 2 of the branches & they are branching out now. If I leave this continue to grow & prune regularly will this tree flower in spring if it survives the winter? Will I get any fruit or will this tree end up being a distraction as it continues to grow? Can you advise me?
If it is growing from the rootstock it will become whatever that tree was. Cultivars are mostly all grafted onto un ornamental rootstock, but there are a few exceptions. You could always give it a try and see what it becomes but it will probably be best to replace with another tree even another selection of a crabapple (with excellent disease resistance). See my post here for a few good ones.
I have 2 crab apple trees that I planted 3 years ago. They were in full bloom when I bought them. This year one bloomed beautifully but the other had no blooms. The trunks have what looks like a mossy look but it’s not anything I can trim. It doesn’t feel like anything just bark with a funny white patches. How can I help my trees?
Some crabapples bloom in alternate years so no blooms in one year may not be that abnormal. Do you know what cultivar they are? Also how much sun are they getting?
It sounds like you have a lichen growing on your bark. Google some pictures and compare to what is on your tree. If that’s what they are, they won’t hurt your tree.
Hi Jim,
Thanks for the great article. I have a question. I planted a crabapple last spring. It is healthy and growing well. I have some small suckers or new shoots growing low on the trunk. Do I need to wait until the tree is dormant to remove these?
Thanks in advance.
Nope cut them anytime if they at just a few, in fact mid summer is a great time to do this.
I have a large cluster of suckers that are a result of years of neglect. The root cluster come out about 8 in all the way around. I have been using an axe to remove this cluster of sucker/roots. Is this ok to do?
A pruning saw would leave a cleaner cut that well heal quicker, but an axe might be quicker.
Hi
I have a crab apple tree which is about 15ft tall,3 years ago I cut out the main stem of the tree to try and bring the height of the tree down,but now it has gone mad and would like to cut some of the branches back its fruiting at the moment when would be the best time to do this , and also the roots are lifting my paving slabs is this due to cutting the tree
many thanks
Mid summer is a good time to prune your crab. I dint think I have heard of pruning inducing extensive root growth that could cause pavement lifting, but I am not sure about that one.
We have a crabapple that has several lower branches hanging down almost to the ground and makes mowing and other yard chores difficult. We pruned it once before during late winter but it is once again out of control. Is it too late in the year now to saw those branches off? Everything I’m reading on the internet says no later than March before new growth. Thanks.
You may sacrafice some of next years flowers if you prune at other times, but other then that go for it. Crab apples can be pruned almost anytime. I prefer mid to late summer or late winter myself.
We planted a flowering crab two years ago. This year, the only leaves that we have are on the suckers. I’m afraid that if I trim these away that the tree won’t absorb any light, but if I leave them on, the tree won’t thrive and will eventually die.
We have a large crab apple tree on the property line with our neighbor. It has a large trunk and
is probably 40 to 50 ft tall. Can you tell me if it will continue to grow if I cut it down significantly – by about half the height? Or will I end up killing it? Thanks.
That is kind of tough to answer. I think it could be reduced significantly, but if you cut it down by half it’s height I would think you will probably kill it or at least significantly disfigure it.
It may be able to be done by an experienced (certified) arborist, but without looking at the exact tree, I can’t say for sure.
That large of a tree should probably be handled by a professional just for safety’s sake too.
Hi I have a crab apple tree in my front yard planted 2 yrs ago. Its trunk was 1 or 2 inches thick when we planted . And after some time the top part of it started leaning on one side from wind and my DH cut off the top part. Im worried how is it goong to shape up as it grows. Please help
Do you have a picture?
You may want to also to look at my post on pruning to reduce regrowth for more info on pruning crabapples.
Three aesthetic pruning cuts
It depends upon the growth habit of the tree. Is it upright growing, spreading, weeping, etc?
You probably should train a new leader to grow up into the space by directing the growth and removing competing branches.
Great advice! Should I dress the cuts after pruning the suckers to avoid disease?(the areas will be covered with mulch)
No need, especially on crabapples that heal fast.
Thanks
Jim this is an awesome blog! Great pics. Can’t wait for the next installment!
Great website, Jim!
The instructions on pruning the overgrown and neglected crab apple tree is so well done.
Good photos and explanations. Than you for offering your advice.