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I planted two Prairiefire Crabapple trees on my front lawn about ten years ago. Each spring, they flower beautifully together, then fruit, then leaves.

This year one of them seemed to lag behind. It only bloomed very sparsely, with only a few flowers, and the same with the crabapples. It looks, for lack of a better word, sick.

I had a landscaper last year that took it upon himself to prune the trees while I was out. I was shocked to see how much he removed. Could this have something to do with it? I cannot see anything else wrong with the tree. They both look the same otherwise. This tree was planted for my aunt that passed away, so I really don't want to lose it. Any suggestions?

Niall C.
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Celeste
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1 Answers1

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A photograph or two of the affected tree might be useful, though if you can't see anything obvious, maybe not. Crabapples are best pruned in late winter or early spring, before the leaves and flowers arrive. Pruning later than that increases the risk of pathogenic infection (usually fungal) getting in to the sap stream of the tree, and it may be this is what's happened to yours, as the landscaper pruned in summer. If you've had them both 10 years, then I doubt your fertilization routine, or lack of it, has contributed, but it might be worth fertilizing the one that's suffering now, and adding a mulch of humus rich material (well rotted animal manure, bark chips, that sort of thing) if the mulch you've currently got is inorganic (pebbles, gravel). Any mulch you apply should not be in contact with the trunk of the tree though, just as close as you can get it. If the area is very dry, it might help to water well once you've used the fertilizer and before you put the mulch down. The reason for this is, if its got an infection, but isn't showing anything obvious other than growing poorly, then the only thing you can do is to nurse it with feeding and watering to give it more energy to fight back and try to defeat the infection. It might not work, but it gives it the best chance.

Bamboo
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