diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 241900a55..4f5441cf1 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ GITSTATUS = $(shell git status --porcelain || echo "no changes")
 SOURCES = cmd/main.go
 VERSION ?= $(shell git describe --tags --always --dirty)
 CRD_SOURCES    = $(shell find pkg/apis/zalando.org pkg/apis/acid.zalan.do -name '*.go' -not -name '*.deepcopy.go')
-GENERATED_CRDS = manifests/postgresteam.crd.yaml manifests/postgresql.crd.yaml
+GENERATED_CRDS = manifests/postgresteam.crd.yaml manifests/postgresql.crd.yaml pkg/apis/acid.zalan.do/v1/postgresql.crd.yaml
 GENERATED      = pkg/apis/zalando.org/v1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go pkg/apis/acid.zalan.do/v1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
 DIRS := cmd pkg
 PKG := `go list ./... | grep -v /vendor/`
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ default: local
 clean:
 	rm -rf build
 	rm $(GENERATED)
-	rm pkg/apis/acid.zalan.do/v1/postgresql.crd.yaml
+	rm $(GENERATED_CRDS)
 
 verify:
 	hack/verify-codegen.sh
diff --git a/pkg/apis/acid.zalan.do/v1/crds.go b/pkg/apis/acid.zalan.do/v1/crds.go
index b3cb341a0..1ab85c905 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/acid.zalan.do/v1/crds.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/acid.zalan.do/v1/crds.go
@@ -4,12 +4,11 @@ import (
 	_ "embed"
 	"fmt"
 
-	apiextv1 "k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/pkg/apis/apiextensions/v1"
-	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
-
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert/yaml"
 	acidzalando "github.com/zalando/postgres-operator/pkg/apis/acid.zalan.do"
 	"github.com/zalando/postgres-operator/pkg/util"
+	apiextv1 "k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/pkg/apis/apiextensions/v1"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/yaml"
 )
 
 // CRDResource* define names necesssary for the k8s CRD API
diff --git a/pkg/controller/util.go b/pkg/controller/util.go
index f5ee8cb86..87962f7b9 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/util.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/util.go
@@ -2,14 +2,12 @@ package controller
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 
 	v1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	apiextv1 "k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/pkg/apis/apiextensions/v1"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
-	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait"
 
 	acidv1 "github.com/zalando/postgres-operator/pkg/apis/acid.zalan.do/v1"
@@ -65,15 +63,9 @@ func (c *Controller) createOperatorCRD(desiredCrd *apiextv1.CustomResourceDefini
 	}
 	if crd != nil {
 		c.logger.Infof("customResourceDefinition %q is already registered and will only be updated", crd.Name)
-		// copy annotations and labels from existing CRD since we do not define them
-		desiredCrd.Annotations = crd.Annotations
-		desiredCrd.Labels = crd.Labels
-		patch, err := json.Marshal(desiredCrd)
+		crd.Spec = desiredCrd.Spec
+		_, err := c.KubeClient.CustomResourceDefinitions().Update(context.TODO(), crd, metav1.UpdateOptions{})
 		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("could not marshal new customResourceDefintion %q: %v", desiredCrd.Name, err)
-		}
-		if _, err := c.KubeClient.CustomResourceDefinitions().Patch(
-			context.TODO(), crd.Name, types.MergePatchType, patch, metav1.PatchOptions{}); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("could not update customResourceDefinition %q: %v", crd.Name, err)
 		}
 	}