Azalea Style help

[mtarros]

Hi,

I was looking around at a local nursury and found this Azalea.

I have trimmed it back hard as it was getting very long branches and found an issue at the top of the tree with a reverse taper.

It's only a small issue and wanted some advise on style and what to cut off to try and fix the issues.

[shibui]

Thickened trunks are very common where several branches grow from one place on a trunk. Multuple shoots at nodes is very common for azaleas. Advice is try to reduce branching to only a few at one point and ultimately only one from each level. same applies for branches. This advice applies to all species.
As you already have it you have 2 choices:
1. cut off all but 1 shoot from that area, grow on the tree and hope it evens out.
2. cut back the trunk below the thickened area and grow the trunk again from an existing branch or from the shoots that will sprout after cutting the trunk. Azaleas shoot profusely when pruned back.

Your azalea has quite a nice trunk and nebari (for an azalea). Good luck with it.

[LLK]

Nice material, as far as the trunk and main branches go. Of course we can't see what the flowers are like, and it is to be hoped that they aren't too big in relation to the whole tree. If they are, well, you'll just have to grow a very tall azalea, which will bring the flowers into proportion.
Don't worry too much about that inverse taper, which is just the result of too many branches growing from one spot. When you take these back to just a single branch (new leader), the inverse taper will gradually be evened out with the rest of the trunk, as the tree grows.
Personally I would shorten still more the most vigorous new shoots. Also, I wouldn't keep that strong lowest branch on the right. But if you decide to cut it off, don't do it all in one go, reduce it gradually over a whole year. Next, after such a drastic pruning as you have just given this tree, I wouldn't repot it until it has regrown a decent head of foliage, say in 1 - 2 years. No hurry.
There is so much to be said about growing azalea bonsai that I can't write it all down here. Maybe other members with experience of growing azaleas in the Brisbane region can find more useful things to say.

Best wishes,

Lisa

[mtarros]

Yes the main trunk does look nice this was the main reason I got the tree, only issue is that the flowers and leaves are a bit big.
The leaves should reduce over time, might plant it in the ground once I get the main shape and just let it get bigger.

I was not too worried about the inverse taper just was not too sure what to cut off.
There are a couple of branches further up the tree that are thicker than the branches below should I reduce them to let the lower branches grow more?

What was your reason for wanting to remove the strongest lower branch?
I was thinking of keeping it but after your comment would it look nice with a bit of carving?

Also can you do carving on an Azalea?

Can someone please do a virtual design up, I have been playing around in Photoshop with the puppet warp function.
It lets you put points along the trunk and branches and it lets you bend them.

[LLK]

To shibui: your post hadn't appeared when I submitted mine, nor did it for a time afterwards. I wouldn't want to give the impression that I know more about azaleas and bonsai generaly than you do!!!

To mtarros:

What was your reason for wanting to remove the strongest lower branch?
I was thinking of keeping it but after your comment would it look nice with a bit of carving?

What is your reason for wanting to keep it? Just because it's nice and strong does not mean that it's automatically got a place in bonsai design. Imagine it completely leafed out, below a leafy crown, and you'll see that it spoils the clean ooutline you want a bonsai to have. "Less is more", surely applies here.
Carving? You can carve anything, but whether it is good for the tree or looks good in the design are different matters. Azaleas are very susceptible to fungus infections and you'd have to be very careful not to get rotting in the deadwood.
As to the design: that nice trunk is the eye catcher here, where structure is concerned. Don't spoil it with side branches, dead or alive. Again: less is more.

Further pruning: in your place I would follow shibui's advice.

By the way, that plant is pretty hefty for the pot it is in, which makes me suspect that it is pot bound. With Azaleas that can be a ticklish business when it comes to repotting and it would be wise to enlist the help of someone with a wider experience of Azaleas to help you with the pruning of the roots. I'd really be careful here! Also, in your place I'd give preference to a grow box rather than the open ground, so that it is easier to control the design of your azalea. They need too much pruning and pinching for free growth in the ground.
Read up about azaleas!! Ask the advice of Brisbane bonsai growers!! As I said earlier, there is too much to know about Azaleas to write it all down here. You've got a nice plant, go the distance for it, OK?!
And good luck.

Lisa

[mtarros]

I have trimmed it back a little bit more so that there is only one shoot at the problem points and have been thinking about the main lower branch and have tried doing my own virtual designs one with it and one without it.

I'm still new to bonsai so I just do what I think looks good.

[LLK]

Compliments on your virtuals. I'm sure you'll get a nice design in the end. Just read up on the pruning and pinching, and don't take risks with the roots.

Lisa

[mtarros]

Thanks it was fun messing around in Photoshop, it lets you cut things off to see how it's going to look.

I have done one bonsai class and they did show me some things on pruning and pinching.
Yea the roots is one thing I have not played around with will be doing another class in spring to repot some of my other bonsai.

This tree will be going into a grow box until it's strong enough and has a bit more to do the design.

Would it be ok to put into a grow box now and just not cut any roots?

[mtarros]

Hi,

I havent done anything to this tree and was thinking of entering it into the Shohin Competition.

I have taken some more images, what do you all think will I have enough time to get it ready?