Calling all crab apple experts.

[Rob_phillips]

Hi all i have a question on the development of my crab apple.

This tree is in full on development mode and it needs lots of new and better placed branches.
My question is to get the most out of the season and not wasting too much energy should i stop the tree from flowering and eventually fruiting?
Or should I let it flower out and enjoy them then dead head them afterwards to stop the fruit from developing?
Bearing in mind I dont really mind too much about the flowers this year its all about branches.

 

[JudyB]

Enjoy the flowers but take them off before they try to turn into fruit. That is the thing that takes the energy you want to re-direct to the tree.

 

[Rob_phillips]

Enjoy the flowers but take them off before they try to turn into fruit. That is the thing that takes the energy you want to re-direct to the tree.

Cool i wasnt quite sure if flowering would use up energy too but to be fair it aint as much as it fruiting out.
cheers for the response

 

[JudyB]

I learned this from our resident flowering/fruiting expert @Stan Kengai he's very helpful with crabapple development questions. Here is an old thread of mine with some great pointers from Stan.
https://bonsainut.com/threads/crabapple-renovation.6379/

 

[JoeR]

I learned this from our resident flowering/fruiting expert @Stan Kengai he's very helpful with crabapple development questions. Here is an old thread of mine with some great pointers from Stan.
https://bonsainut.com/threads/crabapple-renovation.6379/

I had no idea Stan was the go-to guy, good to know! Well, maybe not for him... lol

 

[JudyB]

I had no idea Stan was the go-to guy, good to know! Well, maybe not for him... lol

Well if you take a drive thru that thread, there is plenty of information for you without having to stalk him...

 

[Carol 83]

My two from evergreen garden works are shipping on Monday. I'll need all the help I can get! Venturing out of my comfort zone.

 

[Rob_phillips]

I learned this from our resident flowering/fruiting expert @Stan Kengai he's very helpful with crabapple development questions. Here is an old thread of mine with some great pointers from Stan.
https://bonsainut.com/threads/crabapple-renovation.6379/

Thank you

 

[moke]

My two from evergreen garden works are shipping on Monday. I'll need all the help I can get! Venturing out of my comfort zone.

I’ve also got a crab coming from Brent Monday as well, can’t wait to get it.???

 

[erb.75]

i got mine from him last week (4 of them )

 

[erb.75]

plus i bought sergeant crab seeds last year and potted them up...now I have like 100 seedings

 

[Rob_phillips]

@JudyB that link you posted has answered alot of questions thanks for re posting it

 

[Gsquared]

My two from evergreen garden works are shipping on Monday. I'll need all the help I can get! Venturing out of my comfort zone.

Look reward to seeing pics when they come in. That goes for everyone.

 

[Gsquared]

Here are pics of my 2018 crabapple purchases. Actually the larger one was the one I purchased, the smaller one came as a GWP. Nice gift since the trunk is a little over an inch and has movement. These are Manchurian Crab (Malus mandshurica?). They've not flowered yet according to the seller, because he's had them in the ground and fertilized for vigorous growth. Can't wait to see how these take off.

 

[M. Frary]

Manchurian Crab (

If I remember correctly from my nursery days these have white flowers.

 

[erb.75]

I learned this from our resident flowering/fruiting expert @Stan Kengai he's very helpful with crabapple development questions. Here is an old thread of mine with some great pointers from Stan.
https://bonsainut.com/threads/crabapple-renovation.6379/

JudyB,
Question: can you cut back crabs hard and force buds to pop all over the place? I'd like to shorten some of mine, but I am not sure what will happen if I chop back a branch with no buds.

 

[baron]

I have a similar crab, or well it's in a similar state and I got the following advice.
(https://bonsainut.com/threads/malus-domestica-advice.32622/)

Crab are exceeding tough. Root work you have done, and drastic cut back proposed by Van Fleet can be done in same season. Fine to do cut back now. New buds will pop, and you can start building usable branches.

 

[JudyB]

If the tree is young and vigorous, you should get buds popping everywhere with a hard cutback. At least that has been my experience with them @erb.75 .

 

[Rob_phillips]

Hi all just a quick update and a pic.
We have had some hot weather here in the uk the last two days or so and everything is moving on so quickly now.
Here is my crab starting to flower.

 

[petegreg]

Nice, you mean you went directly from winter to summer like us? Incredibly hot here for a spring, pretty hard to keep new collected trees happy.