Crab Apple Roots
Good morning,I am a full time volunteer working in a grounds
maintenance department at the Watchtower facilities in Patterson, New
York. A lot of times we learn by experience and so even though not a
horticulturist I have learned a lot over the years. This morning I
searched the internet, mainly we were wondering if our dwarf crabapple
has a tap root. It is close to 20 years old and we are planning to take
it out even though it has leafed out. In this case we don't have a lot
of choice. Any tips? Thanks for your consideration of this.
There are several questions & answers about crabapple trees here:
Anthony R. Brach, Ph.D.
Missouri Botanical Garden
c/o Harvard University Herbaria
Your dwarf crabapple tree does not have a taproot or main root that
would be severed during transplant. Typically the roots will splay
out from the main trunk below ground. A local nursery should have the
expertise to recommend how wide and deep of a root ball you will want
and what you can do to minimize transplant shock regarding a watering
regime, destination site preparation and trimming the aerial part of
Jim Tokuhisa, Ph.D.
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Update: June 2012