A Detailed Guide to When Crabapple Flowers Bloom and How to Encourage Flowering

Crabapple is a plant native to our country, long known as the “national beauty,” with a great many varieties and a delicate, gorgeous beauty. So, when do crabapple flowers bloom? How do you encourage crabapple to bloom? Is crabapple poisonous? Let's take a look together!

1. When do crabapple flowers bloom?

Different crabapple varieties bloom at different times, and the region and growing temperature also affect blooming time. Below are the approximate blooming times of some crabapples:

1. Midget crabapple

Blooms around April

2. Hall crabapple

Blooms March——April

3. Japanese quince

Blooms March——April

4. Chinese quince

Blooms in April

5. Wax begonia

Blooms in spring and autumn

2. How do you encourage crabapple to bloom?

1. Watering and fertilizing

Water so as to keep the potting soil moist. In dry weather and the height of summer, also spray the leaves and the ground; raising the air humidity is good for crabapple growth. Avoid waterlogging in the pot and rain exposure, or the roots rot easily. In winter, it is best to keep the potting soil slightly on the dry side, and every 7 days spray the leaves and the surroundings with clean water; this both raises humidity and keeps the leaves clean. During the growing period, apply dilute cake fertilizer water about once every 10 days, and at the bud stage add a top dressing of quick-acting phosphorus fertilizer. When fertilizing, take care that the fertilizer solution does not splash onto the leaves. Do not fertilize during the flowering period or in winter and summer.

2. Light and temperature

The suitable growing temperature for crabapple is 18-20 degrees, in a well-ventilated spot with filtered light. In hot seasons, take measures such as shading, ventilation and spraying. In winter, it is best to keep the room temperature above 10 degrees and place the plant in a spot with plenty of sunlight. When grown indoors at home, during the growing season put it outdoors in filtered light 1-2 times a week, and in winter place it in a sunny, sheltered spot.

3. Tying up and repotting

Because most crabapple plants are fairly tall, they need supports made of thin bamboo or similar to hold up the branches and prevent lodging. At the same time, every spring you need to change the pot, change the soil and prune: cut off weak branches, overlapping branches and damaged roots. For plants that have already bloomed for 2-3 years and are too tall, cut them back hard, leaving only 6-10 cm of stem, so they sprout new branches again.

3. Is crabapple poisonous?

After consulting many sources, the editor found that crabapple is mildly toxic and can cause symptoms such as itchy skin, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat and difficulty breathing, especially the begonia types, which are best moved outside at night. In fact, many flowers have some degree of toxicity, such as crown of thorns, red spider lily, yellow azalea and so on; their toxins are mostly in the stem sap, roots, leaves and flowers, but as long as they are not eaten, the human body cannot take in the toxins, and even if it does, they will not cause harm. Growing flowers and plants can purify the air and regulate temperature. Of course, some poisonous plants produce toxic substances, especially allergenic pollen and even harmful volatile gases, but that does not mean they are necessarily toxic. Wax begonia does not release excessive harmful substances, so you can grow it with peace of mind.

The above is the Tuliu.com editor's summary of when crabapple flowers bloom and how to encourage crabapple to bloom. We hope it helps those of you who like crabapple.