crabapple fall colors

Si Nguyen

Omono
Messages
1,048
Reaction score
218
Location
Lake Forest, CA
Hi all, here's my contribution for some fall colors. This is all I got this weekend (other than some tropical flowers). This is a crabapple I collected in January 2010. I chopped it back a lot but not enough. There are still too many bad thick branches. I just never got around to picking a front on it this year. It grew to about 5 feet tall until August when I chopped it back hard again. Then it bloomed all over! I should have taken some pics then. The flowers were of a white to pale pink color. Now there are 7 little fruits! There were a few more fruits but some fell off last week after some strong wind and rain. I don't know what variety this crabapple is. Any idea would be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!
Si
 

Attachments

  • crabapple 1.jpg
    crabapple 1.jpg
    82.7 KB · Views: 190
  • crabapple 2.jpg
    crabapple 2.jpg
    52.9 KB · Views: 109
  • crabapple 3.jpg
    crabapple 3.jpg
    40.9 KB · Views: 97
Last edited:

Si Nguyen

Omono
Messages
1,048
Reaction score
218
Location
Lake Forest, CA
Here's a picture for size comparison.
 

Attachments

  • crabapple 4.jpg
    crabapple 4.jpg
    32.7 KB · Views: 77

Si Nguyen

Omono
Messages
1,048
Reaction score
218
Location
Lake Forest, CA
Here's a picture of it in February 2010 right after collecting.
 

Attachments

  • crabapple 5.jpg
    crabapple 5.jpg
    88.5 KB · Views: 159

DaveV

Shohin
Messages
408
Reaction score
56
Location
Nebraska
USDA Zone
5a
That will make a good looking tree Si.
 

Brian Underwood

Chumono
Messages
930
Reaction score
214
Location
Santa Rosa, CA
Sweet! That is going to be a very nice tree soon. I am fairly certain it is not a crabapple though. Considering the size and coloration of the fruit, as well as the leaves, it looks like a miniature apple, not a crab. Try tasting one of the little guys that fell off, there is a small chance it is sweet, in which case it is a real apple. Cant wait to see it's progress, thanks for sharing!
 

pjkatich

Chumono
Messages
826
Reaction score
38
Location
Northeast Florida
USDA Zone
9
Si,

You have a good eye for potential bonsai material.

What zone are you in?

I have several crab apples that I have been working on for some time and they never bloom. Just does not get cold enough here.

Regards,
Paul
 

Attila Soos

Omono
Messages
1,804
Reaction score
54
Location
Los Angeles (Altadena), CA
USDA Zone
9
Sweet! That is going to be a very nice tree soon. I am fairly certain it is not a crabapple though. Considering the size and coloration of the fruit, as well as the leaves, it looks like a miniature apple, not a crab. Try tasting one of the little guys that fell off, there is a small chance it is sweet, in which case it is a real apple. Cant wait to see it's progress, thanks for sharing!

You are right, those little apples look like tiny reall apples. I guess we just call every apple that has tiny fruits, crab apples.
 

Klytus

Omono
Messages
1,300
Reaction score
27
Location
Singing Pines Tyneside-England
USDA Zone
8a
I tried my luck tasting a Crab apple earlier in the year,it had a disgusting taste.

An apple so evil that even the birds who eat ghastly insects and mouldering suet cakes do not eat them.
 

ianb

Shohin
Messages
470
Reaction score
364
Location
Mission Viejo, CA
USDA Zone
10a
You are right, those little apples look like tiny reall apples. I guess we just call every apple that has tiny fruits, crab apples.

These really are crab apples, what you don't realize is Si has the tiniest hands, maybe 2 inches long at most. Sorry Si couldn't resist:D:D:D
 

Attila Soos

Omono
Messages
1,804
Reaction score
54
Location
Los Angeles (Altadena), CA
USDA Zone
9
....., what you don't realize is Si has the tiniest hands, maybe 2 inches long at most. Sorry Si couldn't resist:D:D:D

Then Si should have been in the medical profession, delivering babies...his hands would be in gread demand:)

I have the same apple stock, from the same source, but since I gave the tree a hard pruning this spring, there are no apples yet. Probably next year, I hope.
 
Last edited:

Brian Van Fleet

Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
Messages
13,959
Reaction score
45,886
Location
B’ham, AL
USDA Zone
8A
Wow that is a nice malus! Not sure where you're collecting, but by the looks of that, you made a lucky wrong turn into some bonsai nursery's grow-beds!!! Great find, nice tree! Would love to see some photos of it in flower next spring.
 

ianb

Shohin
Messages
470
Reaction score
364
Location
Mission Viejo, CA
USDA Zone
10a
I have the same apple stock, from the same source, but since I gave the tree a hard pruning this spring, there are no apples yet. Probably next year, I hope.

Me too, I did have some late summer flowering but no apples, Si must have trained bees at his place.

I have been battling woolly aphid on this and another small apple lately though, damn things just keep on coming back, I may have to bring out the nukes.
 

Klytus

Omono
Messages
1,300
Reaction score
27
Location
Singing Pines Tyneside-England
USDA Zone
8a
It may be of uncertain parentage,inspired by your apples with a good colour i retrieved some frozen windfalls for seed sowing.

Suprisingly these are intact with no mould,can't say the same for my folks Bramley's seedling.

These are ruby,possibly garnet,red and grew on a young tree that now stands ever so close to the spot where the Crabapple of my youth once grew.

Gracing her bowed branches use to be green/yellow vile fruits wheras son of Crabapple grows erect with his dark red ones.
 

Attila Soos

Omono
Messages
1,804
Reaction score
54
Location
Los Angeles (Altadena), CA
USDA Zone
9
I have been battling woolly aphid on this ..

Interesting, but I had the same aphid problem with mine, although I live a good few miles away from you. I have hundreds of other trees around this apple, but only this one attracts the aphids. I wonder what is causing it.
 

donkey

Mame
Messages
192
Reaction score
4
Location
strathclyde, scotland
I really like this tree. there is something i really love about miniturised fruits. and is it true about your hands?:D:p
 

discusmike

Omono
Messages
1,495
Reaction score
553
Location
elkton,MD
USDA Zone
7a
Id like to know were you go collecting Si,nice tree.
 

Si Nguyen

Omono
Messages
1,048
Reaction score
218
Location
Lake Forest, CA
Sorry for the late reply guys. Thanks for all the comments.

To Discusmike: I could tell you where, but you'd have to call me master. :p

To Donkey: It is true about the hands, but it is not true that women like small hands. For some reason, they don't like small feet either.:eek:

To Atilla: my wife loves her gynecologist. He'd better have small hands.:mad:

To Klytus: Nice rambling! Almost poetry! Good luck with bastard seedlings!:)

To Ian: Who died and made you a comedian all of a sudden?:D

To Brian VF: Yeah, it was luck, and a few hundred dollars.;)

To Paul: I am in zone 9-10, which is probably same as yours. Keep trying with your crabs. They will flare up when you least expect it.

To Brian U.: My wife ate one apple and said it was very sour. I didn't take a bite. I will look into this miniature apple idea. Mine does appear too big for the usual crabapple. I have 2 other known crabapples with much smaller leaves, flowers and fruits.

To Dave: Thanks!

Cheers,
Si
 
Last edited:

milehigh_7

Mister 500,000
Messages
4,920
Reaction score
6,096
Location
Somewhere South of Phoenix
USDA Zone
Hot
Sorry for the late reply guys. Thanks for all the comments.

To Discusmike: I could tell you where, but you'd have to call me master. :p

To Donkey: It is true about the hands, but it is not true that women like small hands. For some reason, they don't like small feet either.:eek:

To Atilla: my wife loves her gynecologist. He'd better have small hands.:mad:

To Klytus: Nice rambling! Almost poetry! Good luck with bastard seedlings!:)

To Ian: Who died and made you a comedian all of a sudden?:D

To Brian VF: Yeah, it was luck, and a few hundred dollars.;)

To Paul: I am in zone 9-10, which is probably same as yours. Keep trying with your crabs. They will flare up when you least expect it.

To Brian U.: My wife ate one apple and said it was very sour. I didn't take a bite. I will look into this miniature apple idea. Mine does appear too big for the usual crabapple. I have 2 other known crabapples with much smaller leaves, flowers and fruits.

To Dave: Thanks!

Cheers,
Si


This was so funny I almost spit water on my laptop!
 
Top Bottom