Malus question

bridge

Hello. I have a three foot tall crab apple with a one inch trunk. I want to start working on trunk taper with the intention of eventually creating a finished tree of about twelve inches. Will this species survive being chopped down to a branchless three inch stub, or will I be killing it? Thanks. Bob.

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OKbonsai

You should be ok with cutting back the top that much. Here is one that I just dug and it was over 3 foot tall. It will pop all up and down the trunk as yours should.
F

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GB_Bonsai

You should be fine chopping ar far down as you want to go. Crabs are tough; you probably need a presciption to kill them...

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Brent

If this is a seedling or cutting grown crab, then there will be no problem. However, if it is a grafted crab, then you will most likely have problems, and I doubt it is worth the effort. Grafts on crabs are problematic for several reasons. They are budded, which means that there is usually a bad U turn right at the base of the scion, and about six or more inches above the roots. If you cut below the graft, all you get is nasty understock. If you cut above it, the chop will usually be too high and the scion will grow weakly, but the understock will be invigorated, causing more problems. Lastly, the understock used for grafted is usually very susceptible to woolly aphids which can cause gall, more so than most crabs on their own roots.

Cutting grown crabs are the best since it can take twenty years or more for seedling crabs to flower and fruit.

Brent
EvergreenGardenworks.com
see our blog at http://BonsaiNurseryman.typepad.com

OKbonsai

Brent,
My Prairie Fire crabs bloomed and fruited in less than 5 years.
Frank

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Marie1uk

I had this same problem and thread grafted below the ugly graft (hey the initial stock was a freebie). I then allowed the thread graft to grow on and gradually reduced the top. I even thread grafted a sacrifice at the base. Probably not worth the hassle but what the hey.

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Brent

Frank

Yes, there are some crabs that will mature in the five to ten year range, but it is the exception rather than the rule. I have some apples (and Hawthorn) that are well over twenty years old and have never flowered.

Brent

OKbonsai

Brent,
I must be lucky in my choice of trees as all my crabs in the yard bloomed in less than 10 years. And it maybe where I live but I have never seen a crab take that long to bloom. You see very few apples and hawthorns here, I would guess too many eastern red cedars.
I don't see many people choosing a crab for their landscape if it took twenty years to get blooms.
F

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