An apple tree can not only be grown outdoors in its usual form with a large tree crown. Special apple varieties are also suitable for decorating the course of the seasons as bonsai on the terrace and on the windowsill.

Not every apple tree can become a bonsai

An apple tree that has been grafted as a standard is of course not suitable as starting material for the training pruning of a bonsai due to its growth habit. If you want to grow an apple tree from a core yourself, this is basically a possible approach to growing bonsai. However, large-fruited varieties are not suitable for this, since the disproportion between tree size and fruit size would only provide a very unsatisfactory picture for a bonsai.

Choosing the right apple variety for a bonsai

In total, the list of apple varieties that have been bred worldwide now includes more than 20,000 varieties. The small-fruited varieties, also known as ornamental apples, are primarily suitable for bonsai design. Despite the designation as ornamental apple or crab apple, some of the fruits are also suitable for consumption, so that delicious jams and jellies can also be made from the harvest of the bonsai apple tree. Suitable varieties for the design of a bonsai apple tree in a pot are:

  • Malus spectabilis
  • Malus halliana
  • Penalty "Everest"
  • Malus sieboldiii

The slow training of the apple tree to bonsai

You need a little patience to create a bonsai from an apple tree. It can sometimes take up to ten years before the designed bonsai resembles a miniature version of a gnarled, old apple tree. To do this, it is necessary to regularly cut off the branches of the tree relatively just above the rootstock. The trunk can be raised with a stable iron wire in a slightly inclined position and the branches also get a realistic miniature shape by lowering with wire. With a well-considered pruning, you can achieve fine ramifications in your bonsai apple tree, on which the blossoms and apples look particularly attractive.

tips and tricks

Apple trees of all growth forms and sizes require a relatively large amount of water. Since bonsai are typically planted in a rather shallow pot, bonsai-shaped apple trees should be watered regularly and sufficiently. In winter, ornamental apple varieties in the pot must be protected from frost. A bright, cool place in the basement or stairwell is suitable for this.

Category:

Trees