Is Crabapple deer resistant?
Malus sp.
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Not listed by Rutgers NJAES. Rating reflects general horticultural consensus.
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Crabapple
Soft mast that is easier to establish than apple and far less work to keep alive. Crabapple takes less spraying, less pruning and more neglect than a grafted eating apple, and deer make no distinction between them. The variable worth choosing on is drop time. Some cultivars shed fruit in September, others hold into December, and a mix across the property gives a longer draw than any single tree. Persistent-fruiting types are the ones worth paying for. In an ornamental garden the rating is a warning: deer browse young crabapples hard, and a whip planted without a cage will be stripped to a stick. In a planting meant to attract them, that same browsing is the point, but the tree still needs protecting until it is above browse height, roughly the first four years.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 6.8
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Moderate
Tolerances and uses
- Attracts birds
Deer-resistant alternatives to Crabapple
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Crabapple keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
Similar to Crabapple
Other trees with the same deer rating.
- Alternate-Leaved DogwoodCornus alternifoliaZones 3–7Occasionally damaged
- American PersimmonDiospyros virginianaZones 4–9Occasionally damaged
- AppleMalus sp.Zones 4–9, genus rangeOccasionally damaged
- Atlantic White CedarChamaecyparis thyoidesZones 3–9Occasionally damaged
- Atlas CedarCedrus atlanticaZones 6–9Occasionally damaged
- Bald CypressTaxodium distichumZones 4–9Occasionally damaged
Protecting Crabapple
Whether this survives comes down to local pressure, so it is worth knowing the options before it gets browsed rather than after.
- Protecting a young treeBrowsing costs a season. A buck rubbing a two-inch stem in October girdles it and kills it outright.
- How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
- Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
- Check it is actually deerDeer tear and leave a ragged stub. A clean 45-degree cut is rabbits, and slug holes get blamed on deer constantly.
Where Crabapple grows
Hardy across most of these 50 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Browse from here
Every list Crabapple belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Crabapple
- Is Crabapple deer resistant?
- Crabapple (Malus sp.) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Crabapple grow in?
- Crabapple is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat. That is the range across the genus, so a named species or cultivar may be narrower.
- Does Crabapple grow in shade?
- No. Crabapple wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Crabapple get?
- Mature height is roughly 177–299 in. Growth rate is moderate.
- Is Crabapple toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Crabapple as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.