Questions on this malus...

[Fidur]

So I made an impulse purchase,



and paid 100€ for this malus sylvestris (a variety called here everest). It is labelled as 14 years old, though I think that was 2 years ago. This variety has white (pinkish) flowers and produces little reddish apples:



I think this one was field grown as prebonsai, establishing the trunk line, but not the branch structure.

So my questions are,
a) Did I pay too much?. It is the first time I've been able to buy a malus, and maybe I rushed too much.
b) When to repot and trim roots?
c) I am very tempted to chop the trunk ( at the end of the "s" shape) and rebuild the tree for a fresh start....would you?

I have no experience with this species, and would appreciate any tip on its horticultural development and general care.
Anyway, I know that this tree looks a bit awful right now, but I think I can develop a nice bonsai out of it in the next 2 or 3 years (though maybe I'm a bit over optimistic in this case) if I make the right moves....

 

[KikurageOtomo]

A) It has quite a substantial trunk, I cant speak to the economic differences between the US and Spain... but you would pay far more stateside for a trunk of that caliper, generally. 100 euro seems like a fairly good purchase to me.
B) For the majority of species a repotting/root prune in spring as buds are pushing is best practice. Exact dates/month would be very location contextual, as zone 12 likely is hitting its spring flourish well earlier than most represented USDA zones on this forum.
C) Its absolutely a little bit "commercial", not quite as much of a high crime on a species you grow for flowers and fruit. If you're looking to build a bonsai that is critically superior and has more individuality, I say go for it!

My main concern is heat in your location as Sylvestris is only hardy to 8b as far as I can tell, putting you well outside its ideal habitat. Does your location get cold enough for a long enough time to support giving it a dormancy period? I'd at a bare minimum find a well shaded area, as direct sunlight in your zone will likely toast all the leaves.

 

[penumbra]

Nothing wrong with the tree, but I am also concerned about your heat. Apples like cooler climates.

 

[Fidur]

A) It has quite a substantial trunk, I cant speak to the economic differences between the US and Spain... but you would pay far more stateside for a trunk of that caliper, generally. 100 euro seems like a fairly good purchase to me.
B) For the majority of species a repotting/root prune in spring as buds are pushing is best practice. Exact dates/month would be very location contextual, as zone 12 likely is hitting its spring flourish well earlier than most represented USDA zones on this forum.
C) Its absolutely a little bit "commercial", not quite as much of a high crime on a species you grow for flowers and fruit. If you're looking to build a bonsai that is critically superior and has more individuality, I say go for it!

My main concern is heat in your location as Sylvestris is only hardy to 8b as far as I can tell, putting you well outside its ideal habitat. Does your location get cold enough for a long enough time to support giving it a dormancy period? I'd at a bare minimum find a well shaded area, as direct sunlight in your zone will likely toast all the leaves.

Nothing wrong with the tree, but I am also concerned about your heat. Apples like cooler climates.

Yes, you're right about climate.
But in winter we can reach 45F for some nights, and it's been enough to keep fine my japanese maples, white pines, and other cooler climate species I've been growing for some years. Also , apples are commercially produced ( for cider) about 5 km away from my home (though 300m higher in elevation).
So yes, I'm aware I'm making a bet here. Hope I win it, as I love the spring look of this tree.....

 

[Shibui]

That apple has a very attractive lower trunk. The bends look great.
The upper trunk is straighter but I don't see that as a problem. Cutting low and repeating the bends might be a little too repetitive. The longer, straighter trunk section and offset apex works IMHO
Lack of taper in the upper section is not ideal so if there is a well placed branch or leader to cut back to I would consider doing that at some stage. Lack of taper is not a deal breaker, especially in apple bonsai. Apples are shown when flowering or with ripe fruit and viewers are so taken with those features they generally don't notice lack of ramification, taper or other faults.

Apples flower on short shoots called 'fruiting spurs' more than the long, whippy vegetative shoots so the aim of pruning is to promote more fruiting spurs where possible. Branches bent down closer to horizontal are more likely to produce flowers and develop fruiting spurs.

Winter/Spring is the usual repotting season. Apples are very hardy to root pruning so no need to be conservative when repotting.

Apples do like cooler climates but are still quite sun hardy. Mine have no problem with 40C summer days if they get part shade. The bigger question will be flowering and fruit. Most Malus sp have winter chill requirements. Without enough accumulated cold through the dormant season they just will not flower well or set fruit.
Chill requirements is measured in chill hours - total hours below 7C through winter. Could not find any info on chill hours for Malus sylvestris as most work is related to domestic, fruiting cultivars. It will be interesting to see how your apple performs in the Canary Islands climate.

Having successful cider apples close by is a good indicator.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Nice fun tree. Crabs are know for producing taperless trunks over time and this trunk is better than many.

If one was to chop, from the image provided, thinking it might be a nice place somewhere between these two lines.



Also might consider splitting and shaving/carving the roots in the nebari to get these more enticing. Can see why the nebari was covered with moss in the image.

Cheers
DSD sends