Moving a crab-apple

Move it as soon as possible Frogprincess. Don't wait until it is fully leafed out. Be careful when you are digging the roots and take as much soil with the roots as possible. When you plant it in its new home make sure you stake it. Put a tall stake in either side of the trunk at the edge of the root ball. You can use old stockings to make a figure eight around the stake and the trunk. Do this for both stakes. This allows the tree support until the new roots stabilize the tree. The use of stretchy stockings allows some small movement of the trunk which will encourage stronger roots.