Training Begins Year One
When I got home I tidied up the roots even more, making sure all the cuts were smooth and downward
facing. (Fig. 1)

All the clay was washed off. An ideal front, based on root placement and trunk movement, was selected. The trunk was reduced some more so that, along with the new apex, the tree would be manageable. There was nothing scientific about that. I just eyeballed it. Normally, in a trunk reduction, I cut straight across because that would give me a greater selection of buds to use as a leader. For some reason, I didn't do that this
time. Instead, after reducing the height, I made another cut at an angle to the back thus creating an appearance of taper. This approach says a bud will form exactly where its needed. If it doesn't, well, back to the drawing
board.The cut was covered in cut paste.Then, the stump was planted deeply in coarse soil into a large peat pot (Fig. 2).

Pot and all was allowed to soak in a solution of Superthrive and water until the soil was saturated. It was then placed into full sun to do its thing. And it did, vigorously.

Apples, as you may know, have a reputation of budding profusely from old wood and that's what mine did. Many of the buds were well placed and those that were not, were immediately rubbed off. (Luck was with me, too, regarding the apex. A bud actually burst exactly where it was needed!) Those that were kept were allowed to grow freely.

Another characteristic of trunk- reduced crab-apples seems to be that they will put out clusters of buds at one location. This wonderful feature is a real boon to developing an apple bonsai from scratch. Here is why. First, it allows you to refine your branch selection at these points because there are several potential branches from which to choose. Second, you can right away choose the right diameter branch in ascending order. Third, this feature allows for a number of sacrificial branches that should be kept until the "ideal" branch has hardened off. Having these sacrificial branches available is, in my view, critical because fresh apple branches, while in their flexible state,snap off at the trunk easily, especially when being wired. So, just in case you do snap off a branch, you'll again have a choice of several branches to replace the one lost. Once you are satisfied that the branch of choice is safe, the remaining branches should be removed.

Wiring apple branches while in their delicate state is important because the branches are still easy to bend and place, albeit with care. If you try wiring branches when they are past that snap-off stage, the wood is so rigid that you can barely bend it. Try too hard and you can easily break the branch; do just enough not to break it and you'll likely have to settle for something less than you wanted.

In the case of my apple, I wired the branches, I believe, in June 1992. They were wired carefully and very loosely with a size of wire that, for the most part, was heavy enough to facilitate a certain amount of bending. When manipulation was necessary, the branch was supported and it was done away from the trunk.The wire was left on well into the second year. The tree was not fertilized but it was heavily watered.

Year Two
The tree had really done well in the first year and this encouraged me to transplant it into a bonsai container in the spring of 1993.Throughoutthe growing season it was heavily fertilized using full strength 30-10-10, and watered copiously. It was grown in full sun. All this resulted in lots of foliage and long branches that, by the end of the year, had thickened considerably. Most of the wire was removed. In terms of styling, some branches were shortened to encourage ramification. Its over-all height and shape was also established. (Fig. 3)

Year Three
Because of the results of the second year I was able to shorten the branches severely in the spring of 1994. Some of the branches were rewired. Generally speaking, third year training was more directed and purposeful. The tree was kept in check by not letting branches elongate; more pruning was done to encourage branch development, and in late summer the fertilizer was changed to 10-52-10. The reason for doing this was to strengthen the roots and to promote flowering. (Fig. 4)

Year Four
In the spring of 1995, the bonsai was transplanted into a dark blue Tokoname-ware container. At that time the tree was 29 inches tall and had a trunk diameter of 3 inches. The roots were healthy and plentiful. I continued to grow it in full sun. The fertilizer was changed to 20-20-20 for most of the growing season. In August, I started using low nitrogen fertilizer with high potash and potassium numbers. Still no apples, though. (Fig. 5)