Crab Apple - Opinions? but I'm not going to listen :P

[Stan Kengai]

Here is a Crab I got this weekend from Steve Cratty at Plant City Bonsai. It is 9" tall and has a +1.5" trunk. I knew the moment I saw it what I wanted to do with it, but I'd like to see what you 'Nuts think, just in case you see something better.

I don't know the variety. A few of the neighboring trees still had some dime size fruit, and the leaves in the pot were pretty small for a crab. From my chosen front, there are a few decent surface roots on the left side and a really large (1/2") downward root on the right. I know the "branches" lack taper and movement. They will be cut back and regrown after I let them thicken a little more.

I apologize for the picture quality, but it's the best i can do right now.

Front, Right, Back, Side, Front Trunk close-up

 

[Stan Kengai]

OK. Got some pictures that are a little better, but it's so overcast today that I can't do much better than this.

 

[Stan Kengai]

More. These pics (above and here) start at the "front" and rotate counter-clockwise at about 60 degree intervals.

 

[Poink88]

I wish you cleaned the moss off...so we can see the nebari & trunk better.

 

[Stan Kengai]

I wish you cleaned the moss off...so we can see the nebari & trunk better.

I wish I could too, but it's been so wet here that the bark is coming off with the moss (see the bright brown patch towards the top of the trunk). I'll have to wait until it dries out, which doesn't look to be any time soon. There's not really any flare to the base, except where the big root comes out of the right side.

 

[NewWorldBonsai]

Unless you want a natural/broom style I would consider removing all but two of the current branches. However, it wouldn't hurt to pot it up and just let it grow for a bit till the scars heal over. Meanwhile that new growth will be making your nebari nice and fat. I see a cool tree in the 5th picture on post #2.

Good luck, a nice little crab apple indeed

 

[GrimLore]

I wish I could too, but it's been so wet here that the bark is coming off with the moss (see the bright brown patch towards the top of the trunk). I'll have to wait until it dries out, which doesn't look to be any time soon. There's not really any flare to the base, except where the big root comes out of the right side.

Hair dryer

 

[Poink88]

Crabs are (for me) very difficult. They bulk up in a different way from other plants, and very difficult to wire/bend due to brittleness.

IF this is mine (my style and taste)...I am sure it will be reduced down to almost half its current height and 2 of the (4) main branches removed.

 

[Vance Wood]

I would love to see if it flowers this coming spring. Then you can make decisions as to what you should do. Don't worry about the base, they tend to be really shallow rooted and will over time develop a decent flare at the base without a bunch of clever bonsai doings.

 

[Stan Kengai]

Semi-cascade

Thank you guys for the responses. I was really looking for stylistic recommendations, and I know that's hard to do with pictures, especially the crappy ones I took. I really just wanted to make sure I wasn't pushing this material into being something that it isn't. I know this plant doesn't look like that great of material, but the more I look at it, the more excited I get about it. I'm going to go Han Kengai with it (BTW, my nickname here comes from my mispronunciation of this Japanese style 20 years ago).

Again, I know it's hard to tell from pictures, but this trunk is just screaming "tip me over". It curves inward on the right side, and the roots on that side are about 3/4" deep. The left side surface roots are loose, and look like they can be easily raised to the new angle. The effective trunk diameter will go from just over 1.5" to at least 2", and the large root on the right side should look perfectly in place and add flare to the base.

This year, the only thing I'm going to do is repot it at the new angle in a slightly bigger pot with more open soil ,and work on the scars. I'll be looking to thicken up the main branch and the "trunk" this year and maybe next. Then they'll all be cut back by at least half of where they are now. Dario, you're right, the only time you can wire crabs effectively is in summer on the semi-ripe wood. I think this can be a great bonsai in less than a decade. Now let's just hope I don't screw it up.

 

[JudyB]

Now that you've tipped it, I can really see the direction you're looking at, and I agree! Nice root started too.

Now I'll have to go google han kengai!

 

[Poink88]

I think you are heading the right direction. It is much better than all the design options I made in my mind.