Malus - Flowering Crab apple

The Flowering Crab apple is one of the best flowering trees for bonsai, right along with Azaleas. This tree produces magnificent white, fragrant flowers that will cover the entire tree during the early spring months just prior to the start of foliage. Once foliage begins growing, you would see small, lobed green pomes appearing in the summer that look like miniature apples. The crab apples will ripen with varying colours during the autumn months. The Flowering Crab apple is extremely easy to grow and maintain, making it a great choice for beginners.

The Flowering Crab apple loves full sun. The key to prevent mildew is to provide it with good air circulation. Although the Flowering Crab apple is hardy, you do need to provide good protection from frost. This particular tree also needs adequate water, especially during the fruiting season. For feeding, you should provide fertilizer biweekly until the tree starts to flower, as feeding afterwards, leaf growth could take place of fruiting. To protect the fast growth of the tree, do not let the tree fruit for at least two years, which would only weaken the tree.

You then want to repot the Flowering Crab apple annually prior to bud burst but with a basic but good soil. To prune the tree, cut back new shoots to just one or two leaves in the spring. Once pruned, the tree should be left alone until late summer. To propagate the Flowering Cra bapple, you can sow seeds outdoors or use all wood type cuttings in the autumn. You can also layer in the autumn, as long as the tree is protected from frost.

BONSAI CULTIVATION NOTES

POSITION Full sun. Provide good air circulation to discourage mildew problems. Crab Apples are very hardy though trees in shallow pots may need some frost protection.

WATERING Give plenty of water when fruiting.

FEEDING Feed every two weeks until flowering. Feeding after flowering may cause leaf growth at the expense of fruiting. If trees are in training and vigorous growth is required at the expense of fruit, continue to feed fortnightly, otherwise cease feeding until fruit are well developed. To protect the vigour of the tree, it is better not to allow the tree to fruit every two or three years as fruiting weakens the tree.

REPOTTING Annually in early Spring before bud burst using a basic soil mix.

PRUNING In Spring prune back new shoots to one or two leaves. Trees should then be left unpruned until late Summer. Pruning must be undertaken by late August, otherwise vegetative growth is more likely to occur than flower buds for next year. Trees in training that require maximum growth can be left unpruned until leaf-fall.
If fruit are not required, deadhead flowers as they go over.