What is the difference between crabapple flowers and peach blossoms? A quick guide to tell them apart

When crabapple flowers are mentioned, everyone is surely familiar with them. They not only have high ornamental value but are also easy to grow, so many people like to keep a pot at home. However, because they look very similar to peach blossoms, many people mistake them for the same plant. In fact, they are not. So what is the difference between crabapple flowers and peach blossoms?

1. What is the difference between crabapple flowers and peach blossoms?

The difference between crabapple flowers and peach blossoms is that crabapple flowers have long stalks, and the fruit they bear is like an apple, attached to a stalk. The flower buds they open are a standard sphere, giving them high ornamental value. Peach blossoms open almost pressed against the stem, with virtually no stalk, and the flowers they open are not very regular, so they are less ornamental than crabapple flowers.

2. How do you grow crabapple flowers?

1. Soil selection

The rhizome part of crabapple flowers is tender and fragile, so when growing them you must choose loose, fertile, well-drained soil as the growing medium. If the soil is too hard or too sticky, it will affect their growth and hinder root development. You can also mix your own growing medium. You can stir leaf mold and river sand together in a 7:3 ratio, then add an appropriate amount of cake fertilizer to make a nutrient soil.

2. Watering method

Crabapple flowers have a certain tolerance for drought, but they fear waterlogging, so when growing them you must pay attention to moisture and just keep the soil moist, but it should not be too wet, to avoid water accumulation. The soil also must not be too dry. If the soil is too dry, the plant's root absorption capacity weakens, which can easily cause the leaves to dehydrate, turn yellow, or wither, and in severe cases can cause the plant to die. In spring, water once every 3-5 days; in summer, when temperatures are higher and evaporation is greater, water once every 1-2 days; in autumn, water once every 4-6 days; and in winter, when temperatures are low and evaporation is low and the plant is less active, water once every 15-20 days.

3. Fertilizing method

If you want crabapple flowers to grow quickly and bloom more brightly, fertilizing is essential. In addition to the fertilizer applied when mixing the nutrient soil, you should topdress once every year after flowering. Each time, dig a trench beside the plant and apply decomposed organic fertilizer, cover it with soil, then water, so it is absorbed slowly and provides what is needed for growth. In autumn, apply another round of organic fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to promote flower bud differentiation and meet its nutrient needs for growth.

4. Light and temperature

Crabapple flowers generally bloom in spring, usually only once a year, but if light and temperature are managed properly, by cooling it and shading it, it can bloom a second time in autumn. In summer, during the hot and rainy period from June to July, move it to a cool, rain-sheltered place to cool it down. You can also set up shade and rain-shelter facilities and reduce watering, which can control the plant's vegetative growth. As time passes, gradually reduce watering until its leaves wither and fall off, causing it to enter dormancy. After that, water lightly to maintain the plant's needs. Once it has passed dormancy, place it in sufficient light, water and fertilize it, and promote its flower buds to sprout and bloom again.