The pathogens that cause the rusts need live plant tissue to grow on, ie. the Juniper, and then a Malus for the rest of its life span. Eliminating one or the other will help control those spores. Having a stump of one or the other will not have any affect.

Amy, as long as susceptible junipers are nearby, you'll need to be very careful about bringing certain plants into your landscaping.

But it would be well worth your while to contact your local extension office to discuss resistant varieties...of both juniper AND crabapples. It is possible to grow crabs in proximity to junipers with a combination of improved cultural practices and the introduction of resistant cultivars.

You can, of course, find lists of resistant varieties on a much wider scale, but it can be helpful to talk to some local experts, as well.

It might be encouraging to know that research has been on going for many, many years and some mighty fine (in terms of resistance) crabs have been introduced. There are CAR resistant juniper varieties, too.

If, by some chance, you can't find the information you need at Penn State, be sure to check out Cornell Extension. Lots of work being done there.

Here is a link that might be useful: click here for Extension information

Thank you so so much, I've been trying to answer this myself through research since early September!

Amy

You need to put the Gardenweb on 'speed dial', lol.

rhizo,
I browse, reread everyday... I just am slow to learn right now, or there's so so much...

Amy

Rhizo or anyone,
Rereading this... what exactly does the extension office do? I've read of it so much here, and now have above link.

Do they give you advice over the phone? Do they ever come out to assess something?

Are they the ones who do the soil samples? I'm currently pretty ill so I can't drive but can soil samples ever be mailed in?

They seem like useful people, I'm just not sure what they can do. Or what I'm limited to, since I can't physically take things there for indefinite time.

Amy

Amy, I'm very sorry to hear of your illness and hope that you're recovery will be a speedy one.

Our extension services offer a wealth of information for private homeowners and even more services to farmers, nurseries, etc.

They USED to be able to make 'house calls', but I doubt that many are able to do that any more. However, I've learned that each state and even each office is different. I've known some that were an absolute embarrassment while others provided stellar service to the communities.

If you navigate the entire website I linked you to before, you'll see that you can have your soil tested through your local extension office. By all means, you should call your county office and talk to them.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to send soil samples