A Detailed Guide to Field Planting Techniques and Potted Cultivation Methods for Crabapple
Crabapple is a plant native to China. It mostly grows in plains and mountains at altitudes of 50 m to 2000 m, and can be introduced and cultivated artificially. It is a small deciduous tree. Crabapple likes light, is cold-resistant, dislikes waterlogging, dislikes excessively humid air, is relatively drought-tolerant, and is not demanding about soil and water. It grows best in fertile, loose, well-drained sandy loam.
Propagation Methods
Crabapple is commonly propagated by sowing, division and grafting. Sowing can be done in autumn or in spring after sand storage. Seedlings grow slowly and take 5-6 years to flower, and often produce variations, so sowing is used only for rootstock cultivation and hybrid breeding.
Horticultural varieties are mostly propagated by grafting, using seedlings of Malus baccata or crabapple as rootstock. Both branch grafting and bud grafting can be used. For branch grafting, cut grafting and cleft grafting can be used; for bud grafting, the “T”-shaped method is mostly used. Graft in spring before bud break or in autumn between July and September. Propagate by division before bud break in spring or after leaf fall in autumn and winter. Propagate by layering and root cuttings in spring. Before spring sowing, the seeds must undergo 30-100 days of low-temperature stratification to promote germination. After the seedlings are planted, the soil should be kept loose and fertile at all times, and every autumn pond mud or fertile soil can be added around the root zone. Carry out one pruning in spring, cutting out dead and weak branches to keep the tree shape open and allow ventilation and light penetration.
It is generally planted in the ground, but can also be made into stump bonsai for pot cultivation. The best planting time is before bud break in early spring or after leaf fall in early winter. When seedlings leave the nursery, keeping the root system intact is one of the keys to successful planting.
Cultivation Techniques
Generally, large seedlings for planting should be moved with a soil ball, while small seedlings should retain some of their native soil depending on the situation. After planting, tending and management should be strengthened, the soil should be kept loose and fertile at all times, and every autumn and winter a batch of pond mud or fertile soil can be replaced around the root zone.
Carry out one pruning after leaf fall and before bud break in early spring, cutting out dead and weak branches and diseased and pest-infested branches to keep the crown open and allow ventilation and light penetration. To promote vigorous flowering, the water sprouts should be cut back to reduce nutrient consumption during sprouting, so that the remaining axillary buds can obtain more nutrients and form more flowering and fruiting branches. Fruiting branches and intermediate branches do not need pruning. During the growing period, if the growing tips can be pinched in time to limit vegetative growth early, the effect will be even more noticeable. This control is even more necessary for potted stump bonsai.
In early July, move the potted crabapple tree to a rain-sheltered, cool place to lower the temperature, reduce light, and control watering. Watering must be gradually reduced until the plant's leaves turn yellow and fall off on their own, so as to promote dormancy. After that, continue watering in small amounts, just enough to maintain life and prevent new buds from sprouting. After a dormancy period of 35-45 days, place the plant in full sunlight, water thoroughly, and apply liquid fertilizer to awaken it and make it sprout new buds (leaf buds and flower buds growing together). After another 5-7 days, the bright and eye-catching crabapple flowers can be seen.
In addition, taking advantage of its buds' sensitivity to temperature, the method of heating to force flowering can be used in deep winter: move the potted crabapple stump bonsai into a sunny spot in a greenhouse, water thoroughly, apply liquid fertilizer, and afterward spray a suitable amount of water on the branches and trunk every day, keeping the room temperature at 20-25°C. After 30-40 days, it can also bloom, and can be used for display and viewing during New Year's Day or the Spring Festival. Large cut branches can also be forced in water in a greenhouse. They can be grown in water in batches throughout the winter and used as they bloom.
Daily Management
1. Watering and Fertilizing
Watering should be done so as to keep the potting soil moist. In dry weather and the height of summer, water should also be sprayed on the leaves and the ground to raise air humidity, which is beneficial to growth. Avoid water accumulation in the pot and rain exposure, otherwise the roots rot easily. In winter, the potting soil is better kept slightly dry, and every 7 days spray the leaves and the surrounding environment with clean water; this both increases humidity and keeps the leaves clean. During the growing period, apply dilute cake fertilizer water about once every 10 days; during the bud stage, apply a quick-acting phosphorus fertilizer as a top dressing. When fertilizing, be careful not to splash the fertilizer solution onto the leaves; do not fertilize during the flowering period or in winter and summer.
2. Light and Temperature
The suitable temperature for the growth of Begonia maculata is 18-20°C, in an environment with good ventilation and scattered light. In hot seasons, measures such as shading, ventilation and water spraying are needed; in winter, it is best to keep the room temperature above 10°C, and it can be placed in a sunny spot. When grown at home, place it outdoors in scattered light once or twice a week during the growing season, and in winter place it in a sunny, wind-sheltered spot.
3. Staking and Repotting
Because Begonia maculata plants are relatively tall, supports such as thin bamboo stakes are needed to hold up the branches and prevent lodging. At the same time, every spring the pot should be changed, the soil replaced, and the branches pruned, cutting off weak branches, overlapping branches and residual roots. For plants that have already flowered for 2-3 years and are too tall, cut them back hard, leaving only 6-10 cm of stem, to let them sprout new branches again.
Disease Control
1. Brown Spot Disease
[Symptoms and occurrence pattern] Brown spot disease occurs on the leaves. In the early stage, brown spots appear with indistinct edges, then gradually expand and enlarge, and the color gradually turns grayish brown, with the center darker and the edges lighter; in the late stage, the spots dry up and bear black granules, ultimately causing the leaves to wither, yellow and fall off. This disease is caused by infection by an imperfect fungus. The pathogen overwinters on the diseased remains of the host plant and spreads via wind, rain and watering. It is highly prone to occurrence under poorly ventilated and hot, humid conditions, with the peak incidence from August to October.
[Control methods] Pay attention to pruning the tree and strengthening ventilation and light penetration; during the winter dormancy period, spray the plant once with lime sulfur mixture for prevention; if disease occurs, spray with 65% zineb wettable granules at 800 times dilution or 70% thiophanate-methyl wettable granules at 1000 times dilution, once every 10 days, and 3-4 consecutive sprays can effectively control the disease.
2. Canker Disease
[Symptoms and occurrence pattern] This disease mainly infects the branches. In the early stage, small round reddish-brown spots appear; after the spots enlarge, the edges become raised, cracks form in the spots, and when humidity is relatively high, white mold-like material is produced around the cracks; in the late stage, the spots dry and fall off, the xylem becomes exposed, and raised healing tissue forms around them. The pathogen overwinters as mycelium in infected tissue, produces conidia in spring of the following year, spreads via wind and watering, and invades through wounds. The main infection period is before and after leaf fall.
[Control methods] The planting site and soil conditions should meet the ecological requirements of crabapple; water and fertilizer management should be timely and adequate to strengthen the tree vigor and improve the plant's disease resistance; in the early stage of disease, scrape off the spots with a sterilized sharp knife and disinfect the wounds with 10 Baume lime sulfur mixture.
How to Grow Crabapple: Potted Crabapple Cultivation Methods
Crabapple has long been known as the "national beauty." Its flower posture is wonderful and its ornamental value is extremely high. Su Shi once wrote, "I only fear that in the deep night the flower will fall asleep, so I burn tall candles to shine on the red makeup," which is enough to prove the charm of crabapple. So, for the homehow do you grow crabapple? Next, Xiao Qi will sharethe cultivation methods and precautions for crabapple。
I. Cultivation Methods for Crabapple
Crabapple likes light and also tolerates partial shade. It is highly adaptable, cold-resistant and drought-resistant. It is not demanding about soil and can generally be cultivated in well-drained places, but avoid low-lying and saline-alkali land. It has strong sprouting ability and can be pruned into shape. Crabapple is extremely cold-resistant, so it can withstand cold climates, but there is also a limit. Generally speaking, crabapple can grow very well at minus 15 degrees and can be placed outdoors without any problem. However, if it is especially cold, such as minus thirty or forty degrees, then protective measures must be taken.
Planting and repotting of crabapple are best done in February to March, and also in late autumn. It is advisable to use loose, fertile garden soil or leaf mold mixed with sand or rice husk ash as the substrate, and mountain soil can also be used. When potting or repotting, a large amount of decomposed cake crumbs and bone meal can be put in the bottom of the pot as base fertilizer. Young trees grow relatively fast, so the pot can be changed every 1-2 years, while old stumps can be repotted at intervals of 2-3 years. When repotting, the roots and branches need to be pruned to enhance elegance and maintain balance. Crabapple should be placed in a sunny, well-ventilated spot. If light is insufficient, growth will be poor, and shading is not needed in summer. Crabapple is relatively cold-resistant. In summer it can be buried, pot and all, in a wind-sheltered, sunny spot outdoors, or moved into a bright indoor place to overwinter, with the temperature kept at 0°C. If the indoor temperature is raised in summer, it can bloom earlier and be moved out in March of the following year.
In crabapple cultivation, the potting soil should be kept moist, but water must not accumulate. During the growing period in spring and summer, more watering is needed appropriately; in the height of summer with low temperatures, watering should be timely and ample, because if water is lacking, the leaf edges tend to scorch. After the weather cools in autumn, gradually reduce watering; after leaf fall in summer, water even less to prevent root rot. As it is a deciduous tree species, it should not be sprayed with too much water on the branches and leaves. Crabapple likes fertilizer and can be fertilized more appropriately, and attention should be paid to using nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium together. If too much nitrogen fertilizer is used, it easily causes lush branches and leaves but sparse flowering. After flowering in spring, mainly apply nitrogen fertilizer to promote the growth of branches and leaves. In summer and spring, apply more phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to benefit flower bud differentiation and ensure abundant flowers and bright colors. Fertilizers can include cake fertilizer, human waste, bone meal, chicken manure, fishy water, and so on.
Crabapple has strong sprouting ability and grows fast. Attention should be paid to cosmetic pruning. From after leaf fall in summer to before bud break in spring, chaotic branches such as dead branches, diseased and pest-infested branches, weak branches, crossing branches, overlapping branches and overly dense branches can be cut off. After flowering in spring, depending on the shaping needs, overly long branches can be appropriately shortened to promote the production of side branches, increase the number of flower buds, and ensure unique flowering the next year. In addition, after bud break in spring, excess crabapple seedlings' overly dense and poorly positioned buds can be removed to prevent weak branches from spreading.
II. Precautions for Crabapple Cultivation
1. Watering should be done so as to keep the potting soil moist. In dry weather and the height of summer, water should also be sprayed on the leaves and the ground to raise air humidity, which is beneficial to growth. Avoid water accumulation in the pot and rain exposure, otherwise the roots rot easily. In winter, the potting soil is better kept slightly dry, and every 7 days spray the leaves and the surrounding environment with clean water; this both increases humidity and keeps the leaves clean. During the growing period, apply dilute cake fertilizer water about once every 10 days; during the bud stage, apply a quick-acting phosphorus fertilizer as a top dressing. When fertilizing, be careful not to splash the fertilizer solution onto the leaves; do not fertilize during the flowering period or in winter and summer.
2. The suitable temperature for the growth of Begonia maculata is 18-20°C, in an environment with good ventilation and scattered light. In hot seasons, measures such as shading, ventilation and water spraying are needed; in winter, it is best to keep the room temperature above 10°C, and it can be placed in a sunny spot. When grown at home, place it outdoors in scattered light once or twice a week during the growing season, and in winter place it in a sunny, wind-sheltered spot.
3. Begonia maculata plants are relatively tall, so supports such as thin bamboo stakes are needed to hold up the branches and prevent lodging. At the same time, every spring the pot should be changed, the soil replaced, and the branches pruned, cutting off weak branches, overlapping branches and residual roots. For plants that have already flowered for 2-3 years and are too tall, cut them back hard, leaving only 6-10 cm of stem, to let them sprout new branches again.
The above ishow to grow crabappleandthe cultivation methods and precautions for crabappleintroduced. Before growing crabapple, you should first understand the cultivation methods of crabapple, so you won't have to worry about not being able to keep crabapple alive.
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② How to Grow Silk Tree: Silk Tree Cultivation Methods
③ Cultivation Methods and Precautions for Oleander: Oleander Picture Appreciation
④ Cultivation Methods and Precautions for Camellia: Camellia Picture Appreciation
⑤ Peony Planting Techniques: Peony Management and Care Experience
How to Grow Potted Crabapple: Propagation Methods for Potted Crabapple
Many friends very much like to place a few pots of flowers at home as decoration, and crabapple is one of those choices. So how should potted crabapple be cultivated? The following is content we have compiled about the cultivation methods for potted crabapple. We hope you like it!
Cultivation Methods for Potted Crabapple
1. Malus micromalus likes sunlight and is itself strongly cold-resistant, but its requirements for air humidity are also very strict. Remember that waterlogging must be avoided, and air humidity must not be too high. It is suitable for growing in fertile, loose, well-drained sandy soil.
2. Malus micromalus can be propagated by grafting, division, root cuttings, layering and other methods. Grafting is further divided into branch grafting and bud grafting. Branch grafting is generally carried out in February to March, and bud grafting between August and September. Root cuttings are carried out in February to March, with roots about 1 cm thick and 7-10 cm long inserted 3/4 into the soil; division and layering are both suitable in spring, with a relatively high survival rate.
3. Malus micromalus likes fertilizer and grows rapidly, so the flower pot must not be too shallow or too small, otherwise a new pot will soon be needed. In addition, planting and repotting of Malus micromalus are best done in February to March, and also in late autumn. Use loose, fertile garden soil, or leaf mold mixed with sand; mountain soil can also be used. Young crabapple trees grow very fast and must be repotted every 1-2 years. When repotting, the roots and branches can be pruned to ensure a beautiful effect.
4. Malus micromalus is suitable to be placed in a sunny, well-ventilated spot. If it is placed in a cool, wind-sheltered spot for a long time, it will grow poorly, so even in hot summer there is no need to shade it. Crabapple is relatively cold-resistant, and in winter it can be moved directly to a sunny indoor spot.
5. As for watering Malus micromalus, it is enough to keep the potting soil moist, but there must be no water accumulation, otherwise it will cause yellowing and falling of leaves. In cold winter, watering can be stopped and replaced by spraying fertilizer water on the leaves, to prevent careless watering from causing crabapple root rot.
Growth Habits of Potted Crabapple
Crabapple likes sunlight, does not tolerate shade, and dislikes water and moisture. Crabapple is extremely cold-resistant and has strong adaptability to severe cold and dry climates, so it can withstand cold climates. Generally speaking, crabapple can grow very well at minus 15°C and can be placed outdoors without any problem. However, if it is especially cold, such as minus thirty or forty degrees Celsius, then protective measures must be taken. Crabapple likes sun and is suitable for growing in a sunny environment. If it is placed in a cool place for a long time, it will grow poorly, so it must be kept in sufficient sunlight.
Propagation Methods for Potted Crabapple
It is commonly propagated by sowing, division and grafting. Grafting is the main method, and layering and division can also be used; the sowing method is used only for breeding. The rootstock for grafting is mostly Malus prunifolia or Malus baccata. It tolerates extensive cultivation and has relatively wide adaptability. In cultivation, it is only necessary to water and fertilize appropriately and pay attention to shaping and pruning, and then the plant will be healthy and the flowers abundant. Sowing can be done in autumn or in spring after sand storage. Seedlings grow slowly and take 5-6 years to flower, and often produce variations, so sowing is used only for rootstock cultivation and hybrid breeding. Horticultural varieties are mostly propagated by grafting, using seedlings of Malus baccata or crabapple as rootstock. Both branch grafting and bud grafting can be used. For branch grafting, cut grafting and cleft grafting can be used; for bud grafting, the “T”-shaped method is mostly used. Division is mostly carried out before bud break in early spring or after leaf fall in autumn and winter.
Graft in spring before bud break or in autumn between July and September. Propagate by division before bud break in spring or after leaf fall in autumn and winter. Propagate by layering and root cuttings in spring. Before spring sowing, the seeds must undergo 30-100 days of low-temperature stratification to promote germination. After the seedlings are planted, the soil should be kept loose and fertile at all times, and every autumn pond mud or fertile soil can be added around the root zone. Carry out one pruning in spring, cutting out dead and weak branches to keep the tree shape open and allow ventilation and light penetration. It is generally planted in the ground, but can also be made into stump bonsai for pot cultivation. The best planting time is before bud break in early spring or after leaf fall in early winter. When seedlings leave the nursery, keeping the root system intact is one of the keys to successful planting.
Morphological Characteristics of Potted Crabapple
Crabapple is a tree, up to 8 m tall; branchlets stout, cylindrical, with short pubescence when young, gradually falling off, reddish brown or purplish brown when old, hairless; winter buds ovate, apex acuminate, slightly pubescent, purplish brown, with several exposed scales. Leaf blade elliptic to oblong, 5-8 cm long, 2-3 cm wide, apex shortly acuminate or rounded-obtuse, base broadly cuneate or nearly rounded, margin with closely appressed fine serrations, sometimes partly nearly entire, both surfaces sparsely short-pubescent when young, later falling off, old leaves hairless; petiole 1.5-3 cm long, with short pubescence; stipules membranous, narrowly lanceolate, apex acuminate, entire, inner surface with long pubescence.
Inflorescence nearly umbellate, with 5-8 flowers; pedicel 2-3 cm long, pubescent; bracts membranous, lanceolate, caducous; flowers 4-5 cm in diameter; hypanthium outside hairless or with white tomentum; sepals triangular-ovate, 3 mm long, shorter than or nearly equal to the hypanthium, apex acute, entire, outside hairless or occasionally sparsely tomentose, inner surface densely white-tomentose, sepals slightly shorter than the hypanthium; petals ovate, 2-2.5 cm long, 1.5-2 cm wide, base with a short claw, white, pink in bud; stamens 20-25 (30), filaments of unequal length, about half as long as the petals; styles 5, rarely 4, base with white tomentum, slightly longer than the stamens.
Fruit nearly spherical, 1.5-2 cm in diameter, yellow, sepals persistent, base not sunken, stalk cavity raised; fruiting pedicel slender, thickened at the apex, 3-4 cm long. Flowering period April to May, fruiting period August to September.