Malus Domestica advice

[karen82]

The fact that they are ungrafted cultivars is the bonsai appeal, and the reason for a $20 4” pot. If you were planning to grow them out in the ground, the movement comes with pruning resulting growth. Had they been wired or pruned as 1/4” starts, they would have grown themselves straight in a couple years. Be patient, they will trunk up exponentially each year in the ground. If you want movement in the trunk, you might also consider not planting them straight up, but at a sharp angle.

Here are 2 of my crabs that also came from Evergreen Gardenworks, after 2 years in the ground (from 1 gal), they’re 2”+ trunks.
As received in 2018, planted in 2019, and now:
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’seiboldii’:
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‘Sugar thyme’:
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I dug and chopped the sugar thyme last weekend, and planted it back in the ground; going for some good trunk movement. The ‘seiboldi’ is going to be a larger tree, so I’m going to give it another year or two before I make the next chop.

When I got them, they seemed too stiff to wire and I couldn't bring myself to chop them, I was afraid I'd kill them due to their small size and the fact that they were starting to leaf out more than expected. But I do plan to chop and replant them at an angle. I just am forcing myself to be patient by waiting til they are at least an inch diameter before I do that. Maybe in another year or two.
The one I got in the gallon size actually looks like it was pruned once so it had some very slight movement. That must've slowed its growth a lot though, as it was (and still is) the same diameter trunk as the ones in the 4" pots.