Bonsaify | Quirks of European Crabapple for Bonsai

Crabapple is a classic bonsai tree, and Eric is finally getting around to working with the European Crabapple species. He shares what he finds fun and interesting (and maybe strange?) about these trees. Given our northern California climate, Eric essentially performs summer work on a tree with strong growth even though it's early fall.
00:00:45 Eric will continue developing the tree, wiring out new shoots since the last cutback.
00:01:20 Why Eric selected the European species.
00:01:35 What else Eric finds interesting about them, including reduction in leaf size.
00:02:29 Escape rooting leads to significant trunk growth and informs wiring rationale.
00:03:43 Can flowering and fruiting be induced in our climate - does it get cold enough? Cold requirements for apples.
00:04:30 A look at the interesting characteristics of a few 4 year old starters in 3" containers.
0:05:48 Suckers!
Have you had success with flowering and fruiting of apples in warmer climates? Let us know in the comments below. Thank you for watching; we appreciate when you give the video a "like" and share it with your bonsai community!

[@baldyeti]

I’m in Alaska, and my crab malus shoot-out every fall, right after I heel them in. And that fresh growth overwinters! Crazy “quirky” crabs

[@bonsai_life_style]

Hi bro )))

[@francklehmann8689]

Root cuttings is working well on those. Let time be for flowers and fruits and i don't trim to hard in fall, preferring trim in spring after the flowers.

[@bonsai_life_style]

I have 4 mame and 2 shohine size trees of them and they look awesome. Definitely tree that you can play with .

[@user-yl3vf4ho7i]

take a fine needle to that starter and poke a million holes in it, maybe not a million but ALOT, and it'll rough up consistently where it looks bark like ... this trick works like a charm on elms too to get them to bark over faster

[@Bonsaify]

Maybe a tattoo machine 🤔

[@boxCatalogue]

@@Bonsaify Aren't tattoos like shari with inverted colours anyway? Imagine tribal tattoos on a juniper. Or better yet!! Kanji tattoos, on a bonsai.

[@user-yl3vf4ho7i]

@@Bonsaify meat tenderizer, just small gauge needles

[@Bonsaify]

@Pedro-ow4tk I await your innovations.

[@boxCatalogue]

@@Bonsaify Wabi-stabi

[@nickaleshin7149]

I should’ve watched this video before emailing you, my bad Eric!! I may use this layering / rooting characteristic of these to create “bridges” or something to that tune, maybe not as dramatic as David De Groot’s redwood but maybe on a smaller scale. I absolutely love the bridging idea and multiple points of rooting along the soil with negative space dappled in between. Could be interesting!

[@Bonsaify]

Lol, no worries, I actually made the video after your email - in part because your question brings up at least one of the quirks. And yeah - these will make very odd formation - I have a few in gallon cans that already have some really odd things going on. The craziest thing I've seen is a ring of roots coming out in the fall under the fallen leaves....e.g as soon as the stem stays wet consistently it seems to issue roots wherever.

[@matshagstrom9839]

Hi Eric,
Thank you for yet another well made video. The idea of utilizing suckers for branches on exposed roots is brilliant. I have thought that allowing sucker should help create a wider nebari at least in some varieties.
I also have young fruit trees that have not flowed. I may graft some scion for mature crab apples next spring. I started a lot of these from seed but I’m thinking maybe cuttings is the way to go if you want blossoms and fruit.
Fruit tree bonsai is a bit underrepresented. Perhaps fruit tree bonsai deserve their own classification. There is a lot to consider when growing these. SF is indeed a unique place to grow trees. My Japanese cherry trees and mature crab apple trees just blossomed for the second time. Our cold summer and relatively warm fall fools some trees into thinking there are two springs per year.
Thank you again,
Mats

[@Bonsaify]

The quince in my front yard is blooming also. But, they're a bit less determinate than some other fruiting trees.

[@TheMightyYak]

I have a crab apple that keeps throwing out suckers, i live the idea of an exposed root with "root branches" - definately stealing this!

[@brucedeacon28]

👍👌🙂

[@raymondbirds2392]

Enjoyed the video, how easily are the crab apples airlayered

[@baldyeti]

SUPER easy

[@raymondbirds2392]

@@baldyeti thank you, i will have a go next spring

[@matshagstrom9839]

Most fruit trees will root easily.

[@raymondbirds2392]

@@matshagstrom9839 thank you for replying,