hey guys so I was planning on using this crabapple tree seeds that I would gather in the fall and grow my own bonsai but my dad is cutting it down and up for fire wood as I type is there a way that I could get a bonsai out of one of the pieces of the tree before my dad burns it? I've heard of air layering but I don't think that this will work..

you could airlayer but it need to be on the tree. You could also take cuttings

A lot of fruit trees including crab apples, i think, will not fruit for several years if grown from seed so depending on what you want out of your bonsai and in what time frame, I would try to air layer or take cuttings. I could be wrong though. I'm sure someone, more experienced than I, will correct me if i am wrong

well it actually turns out that the tree was rotting from the inside so it was mostly dead anyway, but it turns out that my neighbor across the street has a huge crabapple tree so when I get the chance I'll ask her and see if she'll either let me have some seeds from the tree, or if she'll let me air layer one of the branches. :dry: but we'll have to see

If you can do all three ways of propogation. Take some cuttings from the current growth. Do a couple of air layers, depending on where you are will dictate when to do them. Sow the seed before winter to get the cold needed to germinate.

Maybe silly but eh.. If your dad is getting rid of the tree: Ask him to leave the stum in the ground for you. Let it shoot out for the rest of summer. In late summer, as the first leave starts to change, take a spade and cut all surface roots of the tree at about 15-20cm from the trunk. You can then lift the tree in early spring, when the buds start to expand (Normal tree re-potting moment). And you are good to go.

Taking cuttings:
homeguides.sfgate.com/can-start-crabappl...-cuttings-58076.html

hey jelle that was going to be my suggestion i hope that stumps still there