How many years does it generally take for a Malus robusta 'Balen' tree to start bearing fruit?

Malus robusta 'Balen' is an excellent apple rootstock with strong resistance to waterlogging and salinity-alkalinity, so how many years does it take for a Balen crabapple tree to bear fruit?

1. Growth habits of the Balen crabapple tree

The Balen crabapple tree is a deciduous small tree of the Rosaceae family and Malus genus, also called Huailai crabapple, flat red crabapple, flat-ribbed crabapple, Haihong, etc. It is native to the Huailai area of Hebei, China, and has strong adaptability and stress resistance, moderate tolerance to drought and waterlogging, and strong salinity-alkalinity tolerance. In soil with a pH above 8, its leaves begin to show yellowing.

The Balen crabapple tree is fairly close to the Xifu crabapple, and the main differences between the two are:

The Balen crabapple has broader leaves with a rounded or broadly wedge-shaped base; the flowers are mostly white, with only very few pale pink, and the fruit is larger with obvious ribs and a sweet-sour taste.

The Xifu crabapple has narrower, longer leaves with a wedge-shaped base; the flowers are pink to purplish red, and the fruit is small with inconspicuous ribs and an astringent taste

2. How many years does it take for a Balen crabapple tree to bear fruit?

After planting, a Balen crabapple tree with proper management generally enters the fruiting stage in 3-4 years and enters full fruiting after 8 years; the exact fruiting time depends on actual conditions.

A Balen crabapple tree should be fertilized 3-4 times a year: bud-promoting fertilizer, mainly nitrogen fertilizer, applied when the tree buds; post-bloom fertilizer, mainly nitrogen fertilizer, to promote cell division and increase fruit size; fruit-swelling fertilizer, with equal emphasis on nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer, to promote fruit enlargement and increase sugar content; and base fertilizer, mainly organic fertilizer applied in autumn.

Pruning should also be noted during the growth of the Balen crabapple tree. The pruning principle before young trees bear fruit is light pruning, delayed pruning, and keeping more branches. To open the angle of the main branches, inward buds pushing outward is the main method, with branch bending as a supplement; overlapping branches and crossing branches are thinned out to improve light conditions.

Aging trees show very short new growth, bare inner canopy, and reduced yield. Pruning should be heavy, cutting back to two- to three-year-old branches, combined with increased fertilizer and water, to renew the tree and maintain the years of high yield.