Crabapple Malus Liset problem..

Hi,

After looking for a good Crabapple bonsai I finally found one that I liked, it is a Malus Liset.
It came without a pot but the roots and a bunch of soil was wrapped in a net. I tried putting it in a pot today, big mistake. The pot was too small (24 cm). I only realised this AFTER getting the tree ready for planting. I now putted it in another normal plant container with some of it's original soil and the akadama that I wasted sadly.
I tried to get it into the smaller pot so much that I ended up cutting down a thick long branch that was between the roots and pointed downwards taking up about an extra 10 cm... did I mess up? I didn't loose any small and normal roots, just the branch-like one. I did check that there were no roots on it... I should have a bigger pot and soil that I ordered on wednesday. Will the tree recover from this?

I wouldn't worry too much: I think if the tree is healthy, it will survive.

If it hasn't budded out yet, keep it in a cool place, make sure the soil is not soaked but stays damp, and away from the winds.

Any photos?...

AlainK wrote:I wouldn't worry too much: I think if the tree is healthy, it will survive.

If it hasn't budded out yet, keep it in a cool place, make sure the soil is not soaked but stays damp, and away from the winds.

Any photos?...

This is the tree I got, and how I got it.
It hasn't budded yet. It's outside.
The seller said it was around 10 years old.

I still think it should be OK.

If you have some hormones, or any kind of "root bosters", it could help. I can't advise you with local products that might not be available in your area, and "willow water" needs 2-3 weeks to be efficient, but if there is a willow in your area, plant a couple twigs in the soil, around the pot, it can help.

crab apples are very resilient, they can handle heavy root work in spring. I would guess you could reduce the rootball small enough to get it into any pot you like. I suggest completely bare rooting it with a hose trim off whatever doesn't fit, use a good bonsai, protect from frost until actual spring hits water it in and put in full sun

Hi,

Today I tried again to put the Crabapple in the smaller pot and I think it worked, I cutted the biggest roots shorter and added woundpaste on the cuts.
Here's a picture of how it looks like now
This is the first time I repotted a tree in a bonsai pot, I had some troubles figuring out how to use the wire to attach the tree to the pot. Luckily this tree doesn't seem to need much help.



Sorry that the picture is sideways, I can't seem to fix the issue with this picture
The pot is oval but the picture makes it look round.