It’s been a while since I last pruned some young quince and crabapples I’ve been growing from seed. By pruning in summer I can encourage them to produce new growth that I can wire in fall. Here’s a six-year old crabapple that I’m growing to be a shohin-sized tree. Siebold’s crab The trunk is close […]
Crabapple
Pruning to support development goals on crabapple pre-bonsai
When pre-bonsai are in the trunk-thickening phase, the work is simple – prune to avoid unwanted swelling and wire new shoots where you want movement. I’ve been doing this work on a batch of crabapples I started from seed for several years now. Young crabapple Trunk detail To encourage new buds along the trunk, I […]
Crabapple update – focus on developing the trunk
Last year I wired and repotted a group of crabapples from 2″ pots to 4″ pots. As the shapes of the lower trunks are set, the goal this year is to thicken the trunks. To facilitate this, I’ve left last year’s sacrifice branches in place and moved the trees into one gallon cans. Young crabapple […]
Wiring and repotting crabapple seedlings
Two years ago I started a number of crabapple from seed. They’re due for some wiring. Two year-old crabapple seedlings The variety, Malus sieboldii, or zumi, must like it cold because they have yet to lose more than a few leaves. Zumi leaf Before wiring, I removed the foliage. After removing the leaves One tip […]
Starting crabapple for bonsai
One bonsai variety that I’d like to see a lot more of is crabapple. They make great shohin, great mid-size trees in medium displays, and, occasionally, outstanding full-size specimens. Kokufu Prize-winning crabapple on display in 2016 I particularly appreciate the color they can add to fall shows. One common variety of crabapple is Malus sieboldii. […]