greg writes
Hello,

More stupid questions from a completely novice gardener.
We planted a crab apple about a month ago and are not really sure if
it is OK.

A lot of the leaves are crinkly and quite yellow - is it poorly (maybe
over / underwatering? - I've been giving it some water from a watering
can every 3-5 days since we've had no rain recently), or could they
just be the newer leaves coming out?

And how do you tell the difference between overwatering and
underwatering anyway?

If something is in open ground, you're less likely to overwater it,
because any excess water will escape into the surrounding ground.

Watering takes a lot more than you might imagine - a 2 gal watering can
full is a starting point. It is interesting to give what you think is a
good watering, and then check a few minutes later by digging around with
a stick and seeing how deep the water has penetrated - sometimes you
will find completely dry soil under a half inch layer of damp soil at
the top.

The first year is important for watering - after that, the tree will
have had chance to get its roots down deeply, and, depending on where
you are, you may not have to water from the second year.

--
Kay