I managed to get this Azalea at a good price. After repotting it and finding whoever potted it last did it half a$$ed as the roots were just one clump put in a pot and covered with dirt it is now doing really well.
Not quite sure of the exact type but am wanting to get peoples thoughts on styling ideas. Any ideas would be great
this one will make a nice little broom variation, what I would do is wire out the entire tree and place some branches in a fan like position. get the lower branches more horizontal and as you go up the trunk they can become somewhat more vertical (angling up as it goes up the tree).
you will have to cut hard once the branches are set and have to let it regrow, this will produce back budding and give more forking in the branches, the more forking you can get the better the tree will look, it will take time and patience, I suggest you look at as many pictures and read up on as many techniques you can to create this tree you want, as there is a broom style tree in there
SHOHIN YAKUZA!!! taking the top half of trees of since 2005!
and growing trees for the future generations! 50+ year plans
I know this lil one has potential and has been going since 2001 but i only received it earlier this year. When cutting back hard, how far exactly on the branches do i cut back and also the best time of year to do this?
like I said I would wire it all out first, get the branching placed then leave it for some time to set. when it comes to cutting back hard, I would cut back the branches to be about half as long as you want the overal finished branches to be, then when you get new shoots you can selct and get them to bi-furicate ( branch out/split into seperate branching) and then wire them out and do the same again once they are set. I am still learning with azalea re pruning but if it was me I would do it just before bud break, which is where the buds start swelling and will open within a day or two.
others should be able to help on the pruning side more
SHOHIN YAKUZA!!! taking the top half of trees of since 2005!
and growing trees for the future generations! 50+ year plans
That is the part i am havng trouble working out and trying to find information on. Once i have the branches set how do i get them the bi-furicate? do i cut on the branch or do they automatically just grow from the buds or from the pruned area?
when you prune back the tree should bud back freely and you should be able to pick a choose which buds to select at which points.
if you check out bonsai4me.com it will give you some great tips and advice, a very well layed out site with an abundance of info, I refer back to it all the time myself, give yourself some time with it to go through his articles and progressions too.
Wiring Azalea's is one of the most tricky things you will find if the wood is old. The are very brittle. They do set pretty quick, the other thing is the bark is thin so you can strip it easy. It is advisable to wrap the wire with some paper or as I have found masking tape. This protects the bark. When you have it where you want it do not be tempted for JUST a little more that is usually when you break the branch or twig.
Cheers Pup
IN THE LIGHT OF KNOWLEDGE ATTAINED, ACHIEVEMENT IS WITHIN SIGHT
very important point pup made there!! one thing I didnt mention!
I found with the one azalea I have and am learning with is that even some of the smaller branches were somewhat brittle and when wiring I did go for some hefty compression to get it in tight, I think I cracked just about every branch so I just backed it back that bit to where before it cracked and have left it, there will always be a weak spot now but 95% of the branches survived the cracking/breaking (some did break severe and have survived).
protection of the bark will definately help, if you can with some of those thicker branches that have smaller branches coming off them is to use the smaller branches for wiring and just prune to where you can to use the smaller ones.
jamie
SHOHIN YAKUZA!!! taking the top half of trees of since 2005!
and growing trees for the future generations! 50+ year plans
Yes, pushing them back to gether whilst the wire is on works but if you seal the join as well, either with one of the liquid sealants or even PVA, you will have an even better chance of survival.
Just to add to the growing list of handy tips here...
- two wires spaced evenly apart is better than one wire. It gives much more support to the branch and you get far less breaks.
- The branch will often tear away from the trunk at the point where it joins. When bending a branch down its best to start the bend a little out from the junction and hold the junction tight supporting it as you bend. If you need to change the angle of emergrnce of a branch you can try using a sharp knife to cut a tiny wedge of wood out from the bottom side, squeeze a little liquid sealer in and then bend it down slowly. This releaves a little pressure and stops it tearing away from the top.
Just a few notes concerning this nice little tree you found. I wrote up something earlier but somehow it got lost.
If you have repotted this within the last 4 - 8 weeks I would not do anything to it until it had a season of growth. Fresh roots would be forming still and you might kill it by any disturabance at all. If it was potted up 3 months ago or more it should be ok.
This could be turned into many styles of tree but I rather go with the consensus and feel it will make a very nice Natural Style Broom ( interestingly enough a lot of our indigenous trees grow this way don't they? ).
At this stage I would thin out crossing branches and simply establish the very basic broom trunks, not worrying about too much dtail so the tree has a chance to really get going. Although I usually wire up extensively I don't think I would do it at this stage on this particular plant. If you do Neal is quite right. Two wires spaced evenly is much better than one heavy one on Satsuki. After pruning in which you would have got rid of all flowers and buds, it will need plenty of spray on its top which will encourage it no end.
Did you get this at Williams' Nursery in Melbourne? If so it is probably is Hakurei which Ted has but never has a label on - a very choice plain white variety. The leaves are probably quite tidy aren't they?
As far as working on it. You are quite safe from mid May to mid December as long as you keep the frost off it. In Japan they do all major work from Autumn through to the end of flowering and they are a lot colder than us in Winter.
It is a nice plant and looks really healthy it will do well but keep all the flowers and flower buds off it till you have it quite well developed as a bonsai. Makes a magic difference.
As i only repotted it a month ago i will do as you suggested Arthur and leave it as is until next season and then i will trin right back to get the basic broom structure (early spring 2011?).
I got the Azalea here in Canberra from one of the Nurseries we have here. I am not unhappy with the way it looks but i know it has potential and can look good given the right care which hopefully i can give with the help of everyone on here
As i only repotted it a month ago i will do as you suggested Arthur and leave it as is until next season and then i will trin right back to get the basic broom structure (early spring 2011?).
I got the Azalea here in Canberra from one of the Nurseries we have here. I am not unhappy with the way it looks but i know it has potential and can look good given the right care which hopefully i can give with the help of everyone on here
Yes any time after your coldest spell in Canberra should be fine for the next stage of development.
I am going to get to Canberra in very early Dec, I hope, to do some work on the NBPCA Satsuki. We could meet up then?
And I could have a closer look at your satsuki. As soon as you can bear it I would take all the flowers and flower buds off it, then you will get some good strong growth happening which in turn will prepare it for your work in 2011.
taking the top half of trees of since 2005! 
