Malus (Crabapple) Forest #36, #37, #38

[Orion_metalhead]

Three trees grown together for the past few years. Would like thoughts on new front. Id like to keep the trees relatively in the same arrangement. They are all from thr same seed batch. They are each about 1/2" thick and 10" tall. Aprox 4yrs old now. I get good growth each year but they havent been repotted so Im going to tackle that next year and get them into a nice new grow box, a bit flatter, you all know the drill. Ill attach some photos below. The first two are my front thoughts.

front option 1.

front option 2

Summer shots:

 

[LuZiKui]

I know you want to keep them relatively the same but I think I might advocate for a reposition when you repot them this year.

They look like nice trees for only 4 years but I see 2 problems.

First, the gap between them is too big. I think there should either be 2 more trees in there or you should scoot them closer together.

Second, the 2 trees next to each other are basically parallel. If they weren’t so close I think it wouldn’t be as noticeable but right next to each other it jumps out.

Sorry don’t mean to sound harsh, I figure the sooner you reposition them the easier it will be in the long run!

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Yes, I see what you mean regarding the parallel nature of those two. Maybe I could rotate one of them to alleviate that parallel nature a little bit.

I like the three trees, Maybe I could root and add a few smaller cuttings on the edges? Ill think about adding some additional trees.

Which front of the two that I show did you like better?

 

[Hack Yeah!]

I like your 1st option best of the two. Root cuttings should be fairly easy if you want to add a few trees during repot

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Dunno… I usually cut my little crabs back repeatedly and low so they don’t have such straight trunks. This give crabs that aged gnarly look, enhancing interest. Then I stick the winter cuttings into the media to root as @Heck Yeah! mentioned. Often I get a number to root.

Back awhile ago Brett at Evergreen Gardenworks wrote about this technique. See “training young material.”

I take issue though about not easy to root from cuttings. I’ve done cuttings every mid winter for the past three years in a first crab forest and it works about 50%. That forest is getting dense!

cheers
DSD sends

 

[Orion_metalhead]

I think in a forest setting, taller more slender trunks make sense. I think some cuttings on the outside of edges could help improve the forest, though

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Certainly. Rule One: Your Trees, Your Choice!

You might like the image in this article.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Certainly. Rule One: Your Trees, Your Choice!

You might like the image in this article.

cheers
DSD sends

I have a clump style I am working on that is going to be... well... clumpy. So I would like something different for this forest.

Interesting article!

 

[Kanorin]

Do you have any ideas for what type of nature scene you want to evoke with the eventual composition?
For example you could evoke a lakeside scene by having a big area of negative space to one side.
Or a "couple trees in the middle of the prairie" homestead type scene by having negative space on both sides of the composition.
Or more of a deep in the forest compostion by really filling up the space with trees.
You get the idea.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Thinking of something more foresty, with a path through the middle of the forest.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

So buds started popping on these trees, probably because the weather has been so mild. I figured I might as well tackle the repot. Had no idea what to expect with the roots. These were last repotted in 2020, the year after I started them from seed.


Buds popping. You can see the bright red buds on all three trees.


Prepared a spare grow box. Lined the gaps with mesh.


The bulk removed from the old grow box. These were in 100% 8822 DE.


After separation.

The three trees cleaned up:


They'll need more work but they are mostly off to a good start.


New planted forest. I rotated the trees to their best front based on roots. I think it will make a nice little forest as is but I want to try some cuttings from this years growth to add on the sides, keeping these three large trees in the middle, as some have suggested. I dont want a ton of trees in the planting, but maybe maxing out at 7 ultimately would be good.

 

[Hack Yeah!]

You're going for softwood cuttings vs just sticking a few if those chopped off roots?

 

[Orion_metalhead]

I was going to do softwood cuttings. I forgot we talked about root cuttings for crabapple. Will try some!!

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Havent touched since repot. Been a little slow. Next year will prune. Leaving alone this year. Need to fertilize.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Today. Getting some fall color!

 

[Orion_metalhead]

End of year... dropped leaves super fast but had some nice color. Repot slowed growth this year. I expect an explosion in the 2024 rest year.