Crab Apples

Crab apple collected from a cow pasture



Anouther from the cow pasture



Close up of Flowers



more bovine bonsai



anouther

Wow...what a nice assortment. I particularly like the tree/pot combo of the first and the fourth tree. Thanks for sharing.

two smaller ones

this one is a Malus sargentii 'Tina'


and a Malus x zumi, both of these came from evergreengarden works in 4 inch pots 6 or 7 years ago.



Close up of flowers

Jesse, thank you, the first pot is an antique japanese pot, I think.
Here's chop maybe someone can ID.





The fourth is my friend and main teachers work, a Nick Lenz pot.

Just noticed you are in Mass. I was there for the Boston Marathon a couple of weeks ago. Would have been fun to see a few of your trees in person. If you have this many crab apples I'm guessing you have quite an overall collection. I will definitely be on the hunt for a crap apple or two in the near future.

I like the other trees/pots as well but those two are amazing to me. That antique pot is really something and the tree fits it perfect in my opinion.

Thank you Jesse,
I got that pot from the shelves of used pots at NE Bonsai 4 or 5 years ago.
PM'ed you my contact info

Hi DougDT

I really like the cow pasture crab aples. The delicate branches are quite ehr...delicate! I might add, that I like those trees a lot better than the cut back styled crabs, because of the 'natural' - almost casual - feel they display.

Best regards from Loke Emil

I Love those trees!!! i have been looking around to pot myself..you have done a good job with yours!! take care john

Doug, your trees are lovely. I have a "Nagasaki" that's approx 10 years old that I'm hoping will bloom ... any year now. I love that first pot. Are there any more like that around your neck of the woods?
Thanks,
Todd

Thank you Emil, it's easy when you collect apples to cut them down to just the trunk and regrow all the branches, but it's really hard to impossible to give them the natural, wild randomness and delicacy that the wild ones have or had.

John I'm happy you love them.

Todd, I’ve not seen any pots like that one. It is a little old school, deeper and larger than what’s in fashion these days. The color or a similar color is real nice with most deciduous trees.

Very nice trees. I agree that the "wild" trees have a certain something about them. However, I'm
very impressed by what you've accomplished with Brent's trees in that time period. I've got a couple
of his crabapples that arrived in 4" pots so it's great to see what you've done with them. Would you care
to describe your growing process? Did you put them in the ground and lift/root prune periodically,
or were they container grown? How about pruning/wiring of the trunks?

Chris

I did pretty much just what Brant wrote in his article "Crabapples for Bonsai" and "developing Large trunks".
I never put the tree in the ground I used the root escape method. Went from 4 inch pot into one gallon pot put that in the ground and let it grow like crazy for first year or two, up potted to a two gallon rootmaker pot let it escape and grow wild for another year. You know when the root escapes, the tree sends out a super shoot some seem to grow a foot overnight.
Chopped it back to a branch 4 or 5 inches bare rooted it and fixed up nabari than planted it into large tray about 3" deep 12" wide and 20" long. Let it grow wild again, early spring choose branch for new leader and chopped off old top. Started branch selection at that point, leaving many sacrifice branches to heal big chops and add girth. Always used LOTS of fertilizers Miracle grow, peters, stink cakes, whatever I had on hand they loved it all.

Some old photos
Tina in tray


Zumi went into mesh pot guess

Doug, thanks for describing your process and providing the additional photos. As a beginner, it's helpful
to see what's possible with this kind of basic nursery stock in a few years. Should help guide me through
the process, though I have planted mine directly into a nursery bed instead of using the root escape
method. Might regret that down the road, we'll see!

Chris

Your 1st pot is a Chinese pot. The mark indicated the pot size - size 14.

Thank You PkWk, I had no idea, I thought because of the quality of it that it was Japanese.

Chinese or Japanese, I still like it.

Live and Learn

Hey Doug,

Love the apple trees. Hmmmmmm W. Mass, maybe around Springfield?? Let me know the next time you go to that cow pasture..............

Pastures been closed to collecting On the lookout for another, though, I do have enough trees for now, well unless you find more of those monster hornbeams.

My two small crab apples in full flower enjoying the sun

their fall colors must be great to watch..

Terrific stuff Doug! Thanks heaps for sharing your approach to growing them out. Good stuff for us beginners.

Lovely! Particularly the first 2 photos. The only criticism I have is that you have too many of them. You can correct that by sending one of them to me.

WAW!
They are just fantastic!
Job well done.
Lots to learn from You.

Chinese it is, and newer, as these sizing Numbers are relatively new. I'm guessing it's around 16-17"?
Ryan
http://japanesebonsaipots.net/

lovely seasonal trees

Do you have any shots in fruit though ? (do they have different fruit colours).

re chinese pots - I think old chinese pots are often held in higher regard that japanese ones - they have very unique qualities and are very desirable for top end shows and collections - it seems to be very western that we want all the pot details so stamped and signed japanese pots offer the ability to track down 'who, when, where'. I think it is harder to know the exact history of many antique chinese pots in a similar way.

cheers Marcus