AusBonsai

I did a little trimming back the other day but I could not get the feeling out of the back of my head that I should put the question forward. So here it is.
Am I going about this the right way?

After reading up on as much info that I can find, (mostly from Robert Z Callaham's Satsuki Azalea book) to create a whip I should remove all foliage with the exception of that at the forward tip (red circle on left). Keeping in mind that I dont use wire, I am aiming for a similar outcome using a slightly different technique.

I am aiming to create a whip to fatten up later, the area inside the red circle is where I want forward growth to shoot, the area inside the second circle at the base of the plant is highlighting basal shoots which are there to thicken and develop the lower section of the trunk. The remaining foliage is left on for removal later in the year. I think I just get in there with the removal of foliage providing we dont have too early a winter.

I can't load any more pics, there seems to be a problem with attachments.

Some guidance from someone who has tried this with Azalea or any other plant is very welcome.

Why no wire Damian? You can put in lots of movemnt if you use it.

I do use wire but not often. I get most of the results by pruning and guy wires. I have lots on the go and not much time to wrap and remove wire hence its limited use.

Anyway, any pointers on growing whips?

The way they train azaleas in Japan is wire whip to desired shape- so in your case maye tie it to a couple of stakes making sure you give it side to side as well as back to front movement. Remember the lower trunk should move away from you slightly or at least to the side not toward you. Then when its set, plant in the ground or large pot and let grow away for 1-2 years. Then come back and cut off all resulting braches except initially shaped trunk. Seal all wounds and repeat until your patience runs out. It will take you about 6 years to get 30-40mm nebari. Remove all branches again and then select new buds to be your final banching. The styling is up to you but I think you must use wire to bring matchstick- diameter branches down to the horizontal. And you're away!

Thanks treeman.

Try to get a strong trunk line first before you grow thick sacrifical branches. And yes don't wire it up too late. Azalea are brittle and not easily wired. Also, they tend to want to revert to their original position.

Thanks Glaucus.

with my Azaleas, I always apply wire loolsely to set the branch / Trunkline into place and once lignified, it will not move. Then let them grow madly to lenghten and thicken freely. Once happy with the size, Cut back hard to promote back budding and select the next branches to develop the same way.

Ken

Thanks for the pointers guys, I can now start to apply some technique To my many Azalea, although I am likely to steer clear of the wire I will aim to get taper and direction with a single chop (or two or three or......)

Many Chops will work

Thats the great thing about the Rhodies.
You can chop them and they bounce right back, (as long as they dont have root rot).
I have one in a box out the back that next doors dog trampled some branches off but I know it will be back in a couple of years with more taper

Normally azalea bonsai are never chopped. Wire on the other hand is crucial and done early.

This Japanese azalea nursery site has some pictures of the 2 to 6 year old raw material they sell:
http://yamakaengei.com/index.php?main_p ... ex&cPath=1
Almost all azalea bonsai start out this way.

Azalea bonsai are 50% about bonsai qualities and 50% about flowers.
Also, since azalea in the wild are just flowering scrubs and not trees, when designing azalea bonsai, anything goes. This in stark contrast with most other bonsai subjects where there is limited artistic freedom because the bonsai must have the characteristics of the species in nature.

It all depends on what design you want of course. But wire is a difficult thing with azalea. They become brittle very quickly and will snap without warning. Also, the bark is easily damaged by the wire.
Before metal wire was available, azalea were not styled as bonsai. They are a flower oriented tradition that branched out into bonsai as plant styling became more advanced.

Cuttings are grown until they reach the apex of their imagined design. In the mean time all side branches are removed. Then they are wired.

I was mailed these pictures a few months ago by a satsuki garden owner from Japan. They are multitrunked designs.




They kinda look a bit similar to yours.
These aren't meant to be field grown into big trunks. These are just meant to be artistically wired and enjoyed when in flower.

If you go to the Japanese satsuki corporation website you can see pictures of many of the past winners.

http://www.japan-satsuki.com/satsukiten ... result.htm
At the bottom of the page there is an arrow left that lets you go to previous editions of the 'Koju-ten'. This is a competition held when azalea are not in flower and is purely traditional bonsai oriented. No meika designs or other flower oriented designs.

If you want something that looks remotely like this in 40 years, then that is quite a bit different from the pictures I just posted. But still they start off with these thin plants that are wired. Then they are field grown. Sacrificial branches will bud without pruning and these are grown and removed until the trunks are fat enough. Normally no trunk chops are used.

The site of this satsuki bonsai nursery has some nice pictures of field grown trunks:
http://satsukimania.net/index.php/map/s ... arden.html



So yes you can cut back hard and they will backbud. You can chop nursery plants and they will back bud very strongly.
This is a video of someone who did exactly that on a large number of ordinary nursery plants.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQCYRlkcEb0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oEB7OjlBl4
But as you saw the raw material styled to bonsai enthusaists on the first site I linked, the Japanese don't do this unless they want a super short mame design.

I realised that Azalea branches are extremely brittle especially during winter. Is this the right time to wire azalea branches? What can I do to ensure that the wiring does not end up breaking the branch? I am quite hesitant to break another branch...