The crabapple tree belongs to the Rosaceae family and also the Malus genus. This hardy tree thrives at the moderate winters of a Mediterranean climate, in addition to climates with ulcerative colitis, like U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 4. Many people add crabapples for their garden landscape for their showy, four-season displays. Understanding the magnitude of the tree, in addition to the magnitude of the root system in adulthood, helps you determine whether a crabapple is ideal for your lawn.
Crabapple Basics
You’ll find more than 500 distinct varieties of crabapple trees. These deciduous trees require full sun and rich, fertile, well-draining soil. Crabapples are adaptable to many soil conditions, along with being drought tolerant; however, this tree thrives in moist soils having a pH of 5.0 to 6.5. Oversaturation of the soil leads to root rot. Crabapple trees often succumb to the very same insects and disorders that affect apple trees. With proper cultural care, the crabapple tree creates thick, dense foliage during the summer months; a showy blossom display during the months of April and May; and lastly, the production of small, tart apple-like fruits during late summer into the autumn.
Tree Size
The extent of a adult crabapple tree is dependent on the number and cultivar of the tree that you choose to plant. Most crabapple varieties produce mature trees of a mean size, approximately 15 to 25 feet tall. Other crabapple varieties are extremely big, standing as tall as 40 feet. Weeping crabapples and dwarf varieties would be the smallest, standing only 8 to 10 feet tall at maturity. The magnitude of the crabapple tree considerably impacts the magnitude of the tree’s root system once the tree is established and full-grown.
Root System
The root cause of a adult crabapple tree is neither aggressive nor invasive. Crabapple roots aren’t known to break or grow through home or building foundations unless the foundation is already cracked or leaking. Crabapple roots are generally surface roots, with a couple sections that penetrate deep into the ground. Because crabapple varieties comprise trees of all different sizes, the size of the root system depends upon the size of the tree. To determine the size of the tree’s roots, then measure the distance in the back of the tree out to the dripline. The dripline is located under the edge of the outermost section of the tree’s canopy. Feeder roots, which extend the furthest in the tree, typically extend two to three times this distance. As an instance, if the dripline is 8 feet in the back of the tree, the roots will probably extend 16 to 24 feet in the crabapple’s trunk.
Planting Crabapple Trees
To achieve the healthiest possible tree in maturity, extra care should be taken during the planting of the crabapple tree. Without the properly sized planting hole and planting space, the root system of a crabapple tree becomes stunted, negatively impacting the health of the tree. Bending or forcing the root ball of a crabapple into a planting hole that’s too small results in root strangulation, which ultimately kills the tree. Crabapples require 10 to 20 feet of spacing between each tree, based on the expected full size of the tree at maturity. Dig a planting hole as deep as the root ball, and two to three times the width of the root ball to permit room for the origin system to propagate.