sao to me azalia

[nealweb]

I don't know where Berkeley is but its very hot here (WA) at the moment, I cut one of my azaleas back recently and all the newly exposed growth got burn't to a crisp so shade afterwards if you do decide to cut it. If it were mine i would just leave it be until say september/october (they aren't really doing much in this heat anyway) then cut it to a single trunk line, cutting to create movement and taper, leaving one cm stubs on the branches you cut and sealing them with cutpaste. Trim the roots back at the same time to create a good nebari and pot it into some good free draining mix then let it grow back for a year and see what you get to choose branches from. And I'd go work on my figs for now

[dragon]

g'day nealweb
it is kind of moderate temp here around 23---29 somedays so it isnt to bad and thankyou for your response
this azalia was very ill 2 months ago it lost every one of its leaves and i thought it was dead so i left it
in one corner of the yard and had look at it one day last week and saw it was all green again and alive
so i was also wondering can i turn it into a minsai or something small i will plant in a grow pot for a while
then trim all new growth off as it goes just to try and get a better root span (neribri) that that sound
ok to do and i will also place a wide rock under the roots to spread them as they go straight down at moment
dean

[Tony Bebb]

Hi Dean

Sao-To-Me's are hardy azaleas and can be cut back to bare trunk up here with great results. The problem, especially with the second one, is the fact all the growth eminates from one point. To cut everything off at once will most likely create ugly scarring that will not heal so nicely. You would probably be better to have a good look at the tree/s and pick the trunk that most appeals to you, then remove all the smaller branches from the junction point, and then one or two of the thicker ones for know and seal the wounds. When they are healing nicely you can then remove others and seal. Pick ones that are on opposite side first, not next to each other. The tree will grow new branches off the selected trunk that can be used for styling. You should thin out any clusters as soon as possible.

To get technical, Broom style is a style for deciduous trees and would not be used for evergreens.

When my dad first brought back Sao-To-Me from Japan he could not find out much about it, but got it anyway because it was such a beautiful little tree. They nearly died in quarantine, but eventually thrived and we took many cuttings, but got no flowers. When he went back to Japan 2 years later he asked more about it and was told " Oh, no no, Sao-To-Me no flower." Some get sporadic flowers, and I new of one that got about a dozen flowers every year. I had one that got three flowers on the same branch every year for 3 years and then nothing. Great tree for mini's and saikei.

Enjoy

Tony

[nealweb]

Well, I wanna move to where you are sounds very pleasant. Thats good growing weather so maybe you can have at it then If Tony lives near you then i would go with whatever he has to say!

Have fun

neal.

[dragon]

thankyou tony i will take a look and see what i can cut today and will do it slowly so that way the scaring has time to heal i dont care how long it takes but i will try to turn it into a mini i got a few small pots here which fit in the palm soi will root sread and then repot into a small grow pot and trim as i go
by the way neal it is a nice area quite ,peacefull,not many kids but still got our share of buttheads running the streets but overall nice area and moderate temp's
cheers dean

[awkbabs]

Hi Dean,

This is my azalea sao-to-me. I had the same issue with the branching all close together. I decided to wire the trunk and twist it vigorously to spread the foliage. I thinned out some of it to create a double-canopy look.

The 'before' shows a bushy mess. I let it grow out and then did some intense pruning. I like the trunk shape so have chosen that as the front (viewing angle...although technically as a bonsai it should allow viewing from all angles).

Hope this gives you a bit of help.

[akaruhi]

Hello all,
I've been working hard at my craft so hadn't picked up on this one. Sorry.

Yes, Sao to me is basically a non flowering Satsuki which may throw out the odd pinkish bloom every 20 yrs or so!!

It is usually best practice, with healthy plants as yours are, to do the major remodelling at the time of repotting.
If you have done a repot and removed a lot of root, leave alone till next year or the year after. If it was a light potting then by all means cut some but not heavily.
On the second one I would tilt the tree slightly to the left so that the trunk was non vertical ( that large L/H root could afford to be covered up a bit more without destroying the system ) and cut away all but the left larger branch. This way you will get a good basic line. If the lower part of the trunk is left vertical it will look most uncomfortable.
Here you must make a judgement as to root condition as cutting of a whole side of the tree may cause a "water pipe" to stop flowing and you could loose the roots on that side of the tree - we have all done that by being over enthusiastic.
My advice is to make your design decision and cut off all but a couple of R/H branches and reduce them year by year till the desired design is achieved. These will help the flow of sap to continue on that side of the tree. You may find that there is a small twig that you can keep and train as a low R/H branch which will help maintain health.

Can't see enough of the structure on tree no. 1 to offer styling advice.

Sao to me is used a lot as an understory plant in groups in Japan. It makes a very good Shohin because of the size of leaf that can be achieved.

As you work take plenty of cuttings as others can then benefit.

There is a 30cm Informal Upright one here in Perth and it is magnificent - not mine unfortunately - but I have plenty of young ones from it and often give them to prople creating groups.

All the best,

Arthur

[akaruhi]

A PS.

Don't forget that all azaleas are strong at the base and weak in the apex so don't cut much of the top!!

Arthur