crab apple

I am going to find a apple tree somewhere ,,nursery stock,, soon.. I know it will have to be chopped .. question,, how long after it grows new branches if it does will it take to flower and fruit ??? I have wanted one for a long time so will be looking soon... thank you for the information..take care john

bret waltson at evergreen garden works sells all the best varieties of crabapples for bonsais. they are produced from cuttings so should flower at a young age.

Yes, I've purchased a few 4" pot size crabapples from Brent...they are small but generally do bloom the first season. The other benefit of them being cuttings - no graft to worry about. Most of the crabapples (and regular apples) you'll find for sale are grafted.

Bucknbonsai and Cris,, Thank you for your information... i will check this out.. take care john

I thank you for the evergreen site..I kinda wanted to find a larger tree ,,bigger trunk,, to chop down..TOO OLD to wait for for one to get a bigger trunk size,,growing branches may not take so long,,i don,t know. the flowers and fruit is what i wonder about..thanks take care john

coh wrote:Yes, I've purchased a few 4" pot size crabapples from Brent...they are small but generally do bloom the first season. The other benefit of them being cuttings - no graft to worry about.

What size trunk are these?

I wasn't keeping good records in the past...but the one I purchased last spring (variety "Mary Potter") had a "trunk" size of a little less than 1/2", but I'm sure there is some variation - as they are recently rooted cuttings. Contact Brent directly, he's pretty good about answering questions. FWIW, I planted it in the ground in April and the "trunk" is now 1"...once established they grow pretty quickly.

Edit to correct - I just checked my notes, and it was the 2.75" pot size that I ordered. So the 4" would be larger - contact Brent for the size of those.

Hi John, My favorite tree source has many flowering crabs in the 5' to 6' range averaging $40-$50US. These will likely have trunks the size you want, but are to large as is for shipping, ie, they will have to be chopped first. I am 20 miles from Forest Farm and I would offer to assist in the selection and chopping of a good tree for you if it help you get what you want. I'm due for a trip to the farm anyway. I do think you could trust the folks there to do you well if you explain what you're wanting, but I'd do it personal for you just for added assurance. Check out their stock at forestfarm.com and let me know if I can assist. Sincerly Rick P.S. I hope I got all the typos and grammor errers.

Thank you R.Katzin ,,thanks for the web site and also the help you have offered to me...i will check on monday about their trees shipping ect. thanks take care john

Be sure to find out whether they are grafted (probably) or cutting grown! (Unless it doesn't matter to you)

CRIS,, It would matter to me if it had the large ,ball,, like a lot of grafts are..that is the reason i would like to dig around the base !!! i will check and see about that... thanks and take care john

Hi John, that's another good reason to have eyes on site. I have bought a lot of stock from ForestFarm over the years, My big Poncirus trifoliata came from there over twenty years ago. Many of the trees were grafts and they were always nice and clean, of course, I was able to pick through the lot and find a good one. I've spent hours thumbing through flats of maples. Oh! hey, you want an insider tip? I happen to know that Forest Farm is soon to be moving to a new location. My guess is (informed guess) that Ray is going to want to off-load rather than move a whole lot of stock. I had a little chat with the crew on my last visit and this was semi-confirmed. Oh! The things that are going to come out of the back pockets and deep niches of this place! There will be stragglers all over the place. Anyway, be good to get on their mailing list, and I'll delve into it further when I'm there next, see if I can instigate something.