Profusion Crabapple Tree for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by John Haryasz | Horticulture Writer and Landscape Designer – last update on October 7, 2022

Planting instructions

Start the planting process for your profusion crabapple tree by digging a hole that is as deep as the root ball is tall and at least twice as wide. Place your tree in the hole and backfill with nutrient-rich soil while supplying plenty of water. Finish the process by applying a layer of mulch to help maintain consistent soil moisture. The location where you plant this tree should receive at least 6 hours of light per day, and the soil in that location should be slightly acidic.

Watering and nutrients

You should water a newly planted profusion crabapple tree about once per week during the first two growing seasons. After two seasons, your tree should be well established, at which point it will be capable of surviving drought. You’ll need to water a mature profusion crabapple tree only during long periods of hot and dry weather. You can fertilize this plant once per year in the early spring using a fertilizer that has equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Pollination

The profusion crabapple tree is a self-fertile tree that will bloom with many flowers in early spring. Those flowers are not only incredibly beautiful, but they are also attractive to local pollinators. You can expect honeybees to be among the creatures that arrive at your profusion crabapple tree to feed on its nectar and conduct pollination in the process. After successful pollination, this plant will produce a set of round dangling fruits that can persist into winter.

Pruning

Your profusion crabapple tree will grow best when you perform regular pruning. Pruning can take place at two different times of the year. The first pruning opportunity for this tree occurs at the end of the bloom period, in late spring and early summer. At that time, you should perform light pruning and remove spent blooms. Later, during early winter, you can prune again just after this plant has dropped its leaves and entered a dormancy phase.

Pests, diseases and animals

Many types of crabapple trees can run into several disease issues. For example, cedar apple rust and apple scab are both common for these trees. However, one advantage of growing the profusion crabapple tree is that it proves to be resistant to both disease and pest issues. Along with that general resistance, the profusion crabapple tree also shows a great ability to resist deer browsing. Those capabilities, along with an ability to overcome pollution, make this plant incredibly adaptable.

Harvesting

Although people do not commonly grow crabapple trees for the sake of fruit harvest, it is entirely possible to eat the fruits these trees produce. In their raw form, the crabapples that dangle from the branches of a profusion crabapple tree will likely be quite sour. However, they will taste much better when used in jams and similar dishes. If you want to try these fruits, you should allow them to remain on the tree for as long as you can to develop the best flavor. At times, this can mean harvesting in early winter.

Achieving maximum results

While the fruits of a profusion crabapple tree are well-capable of adding fantastic ornamental value during the fall and winter, they can also be somewhat of a nuisance. Although these fruits won’t often fall on their own, it’s possible for birds and other animals to knock them loose from their branches. When the fruits fall, they can leave a stain if they land on paving. Those falling fruits, along with the leaves, can make for a lot of clean-up during fall.

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