Kei Apple - Dovyalis caffra
Posted: August 5th, 2011, 3:45 pm
G'day,
I was given this Kei Apple back in 2000 by a guy who learned that I used to be into bonsai. It was actually the tree that started my passion back up again as can be read in the thread How did your passion begin.
Back in 2000 it was a thumb thick, 3 year old starter and unfortunately I don't have any pictures of it until 2008.
Here is how it looked in 2008 after years of living in an air conditioned office with only fluro lights and a bit of morning sunshine;
Kei Apple is a lovely evergreen fruit tree native to southern Africa. It is drought and frost resistant and can reach 8 meters tall with a very full crown.
It has creamy green flowers in summer. Male flowers are 3mm long in dense clusters of 5-10 flowers. Female flowers are found in groups of up to three on stalks 4-10mm long.
The fruits are ping pong ball size, are very like an Apricot in colour, are edible and make an excellent jam. They have a formidable thorns that begin to show at a young age. They start off soft and green but soon turn NASTY! I cut them of my tree.
They were initially brought to Australia by farmers for use as hedge fencing and can become a problem if left unattended as so often happens in the bush. Apparently Jesus' crown of thorns was made from Kei Apple branches.
By September 2008 it was starting to look healthier after being repotted for the first time in 7 or 8 years.
In December 2008 it was growing well and pushing out lots of new growth.
In April 2009 it was starting to get a better shape after some training.
By September 2009 it was starting to fill in and thicken nicely. The ramification was also improving after wiring and selective pruning.
In 2010 it started to suffer die back in the apex and have struggled since to grow a healthy crown. If anyone has experience with Kei Apples or can shed any light on why this might be happening I would love to know. Perhaps it has something to do with repotting and root pruning to fit it into this smaller pot? It is currently growing in a mix of Diatomite, Zeolite and organic mix.
The following picture is how it looks today after reducing the right hand side to create a more flowing look.
It currently stands;
350mm tall from top of pot to apex,
450mm wide from branch tip to branch tip
75mm thick trunk at base above roots
As always, your feedback, comments and advice are welcomed.
Regards,
Steven
I was given this Kei Apple back in 2000 by a guy who learned that I used to be into bonsai. It was actually the tree that started my passion back up again as can be read in the thread How did your passion begin.
Back in 2000 it was a thumb thick, 3 year old starter and unfortunately I don't have any pictures of it until 2008.
Here is how it looked in 2008 after years of living in an air conditioned office with only fluro lights and a bit of morning sunshine;
Kei Apple is a lovely evergreen fruit tree native to southern Africa. It is drought and frost resistant and can reach 8 meters tall with a very full crown.
It has creamy green flowers in summer. Male flowers are 3mm long in dense clusters of 5-10 flowers. Female flowers are found in groups of up to three on stalks 4-10mm long.
The fruits are ping pong ball size, are very like an Apricot in colour, are edible and make an excellent jam. They have a formidable thorns that begin to show at a young age. They start off soft and green but soon turn NASTY! I cut them of my tree.
They were initially brought to Australia by farmers for use as hedge fencing and can become a problem if left unattended as so often happens in the bush. Apparently Jesus' crown of thorns was made from Kei Apple branches.
By September 2008 it was starting to look healthier after being repotted for the first time in 7 or 8 years.
In December 2008 it was growing well and pushing out lots of new growth.
In April 2009 it was starting to get a better shape after some training.
By September 2009 it was starting to fill in and thicken nicely. The ramification was also improving after wiring and selective pruning.
In 2010 it started to suffer die back in the apex and have struggled since to grow a healthy crown. If anyone has experience with Kei Apples or can shed any light on why this might be happening I would love to know. Perhaps it has something to do with repotting and root pruning to fit it into this smaller pot? It is currently growing in a mix of Diatomite, Zeolite and organic mix.
The following picture is how it looks today after reducing the right hand side to create a more flowing look.
It currently stands;
350mm tall from top of pot to apex,
450mm wide from branch tip to branch tip
75mm thick trunk at base above roots
As always, your feedback, comments and advice are welcomed.
Regards,
Steven
So which normally comes first, the leaves or the flowers?