Bud id on what I thought was crab

[ptrickc]

I bought this last year told it was a crabapple that had never blossomed so I took a shot on it hoping better care would make it flower but these buds look nothing like crabapple buds on my other trees.. any help?
No flowers yet either.
The second image is from last summer in full leaf.

 

[Tums]

No pics?

 

[ptrickc]

added them after posting.

 

[Crazy Diamond]

Prunus maybe? some kind of Apricot? IDK

 

[ptrickc]

Most prunus would flower before budding in my experience. Budding resembles more of an azalea pattern to my untrained eye but I have a limited knowledge of other deciduous trees like lindens etc

 

[Tums]

Looked at a tree key real briefly on https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/ and my guess would also be prunus? But definitely not sure.

Edit: also plugged your pics into my plant ID app and plum (prunus) was a common guess.

 

[LanceMac10]

Looks like a crab to me.

 

[rockm]

Looks like a crabapple to me as well. Just a different variety than your others. There are dozens of cultivars and they don't all look exactly the same.

FWIW some crabapples are better at flowers and fruit than others. Flowering doesn't really depend on proper everyday care. It depends on pruning and alot of sunlight. It's about building flower buds on older wood, at the expense of elongating green growth... hard pruning is done in late winter.

 

[Mr GeaRbOx]

Looks like a crabapple to me as well. Just a different variety than your others. There are dozens of cultivars and they don't all look exactly the same.

Indeed. Crabapples have a wide range of appearance. I even found a "pear leaf crabapple" (malus prunifolia) in my neighborhood. Took me quite awhile to ID it because the fruits vs leaves.

My vote is a crabapple as well.

 

[LanceMac10]

 

[ptrickc]

It’s funny after looking at the buds a bit more closely I wondered if it wasn’t possibly a cultivar that flowers in clusters.. I’ll wait a few days and see if they look closely to @LanceMac10 pics.

 

[LanceMac10]

Looks like a crabapple to me as well. Just a different variety than your others. There are dozens of cultivars and they don't all look exactly the same.

FWIW some crabapples are better at flowers and fruit than others. Flowering doesn't really depend on proper everyday care. It depends on pruning and alot of sunlight. It's about building flower buds on older wood, at the expense of elongating green growth... hard pruning is done in late winter.

I'll do any hard cutbacks right after flowering so I can remember which spur was flowering. Not a bad time to repot as well. Slight lag after flowering until vegetative growth takes over.
Be careful to not remove flower buds if you prune in late winter. Seal cut site, crabs attract all manner of little beasties and disease!!

 

[LanceMac10]

 

[rockm]

I'll do any hard cutbacks right after flowering so I can remember which spur was flowering. Not a bad time to repot as well. Slight lag after flowering until vegetative growth takes over.
Be careful to not remove flower buds if you prune in late winter. Seal cut site, crabs attract all manner of little beasties and disease!!

Some cultivars push leaves before they flower...A few varieties here in landscapes are pushing new leaves now, but have flower buds that are far from opening. They typically flower in April, right after the cherries finish.

 

[LanceMac10]

If you need backbudding, let it grow out for awhile and cut back hard. Back-budding from old wood is no problem for crab's.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Sure looks like a crabapple to me. Yet members of prunus can be hard to distinguish at this time of the year.

This is a little Crabapple forest of multiple assorted street Crabs @Mike Hennigan gave me. Its foliage it eerily similar to yours, and is @LanceMac10 photos. Note the cluster of blossoms on his images, similar in form to yours.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[ptrickc]

I got it last year mid season and it was pretty neglected which is why I have been waiting to cut it back.. I want the old wood for now to see where it has been budding.
i repotted it this year and it had very little fine roots, primarily the thick ones running the edge of the pot so after a later season fertilizer fest I was hoping it would have a nice good sleep and let rip some flowers.
I agree this probably is just a different cultivar. Wonder which!

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

There’s a blizzard of crabapple cultivars in the nursery trade! One of my favorites is Malus sargentii (Sargent's Crabapple).

btw, I forgot to mention that many crabapples, especially the wild type cultivars, have an inclination to bud on alternate years.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[ptrickc]

I currently have quite a few sargenti!
I have heard that as well but my Mary potter, Sargent and prairie fire have never had off years.
This tree my friend and I found the remnants of a (1)flower bud so I took the chance in hopes better care might jump start it
Thanks everyone I’ve been super helpful making me feel like I didn’t get something weird!

 

[ptrickc]

Looks like it is a crab. The flowers are starting to push. Thanks everyone!