Japanese Azaleas

[Beaumatsu]

Hey guys

I have madly fallen in love with azaleas and have noticed some species that we have hear don't seem to grow trunks like the japanese azaleas.

So i was wondering if you could tell me or give me a list of any japanese azaleas that can grow here and if you live in the gold coast region and have some seedlings of any japanese varity of azaleas or some slightly more mature trees i would be happy to buy some of them.

Thank you

Beaumatsu

[nealweb]

G'day Beaumatsu. While its true that satsuki (the Japanese) azalea's have been bred for bonsai and selected to grow big trunks I think the main difference between those that you see in the japanese magazines and websites is the way that they have been grown. Most azalea's you see around here are nursey or garden grown. Azaleas are naturally basally dominant. That means they tend to grow strongly from the base, sending up multiple trunks. So ones you buy from a nursery or dig from a garden will tend to have many skinny trunks. The Japanese ones are grown specifically for bonsai so they are pruned to a single trunk and all their growth energy goes into that one trunk so they can get quite massive with time. Many of them are quite old and they have been grown deliberately to form a great trunk.
I don't know your area so I can't suggest where to get satsuki azalea's or better still azalea bonsai but there must be some about. Local bonsai nurseries or clubs would be a good place to look. One variety that is commonly available in ordinary garden nurseries here is 'Blue Moon' and it is a very strong, quick growing variety that would be great to start with.
When you find one, if you want to thicken up the trunk then don't think about a bonsai pot for a while. Firstly try to establish a good radial nebari, the roots should be distributed all around the tree and they should not come straight out flat (as with some bonsai) but come down and outwards on an angle. This will give good basal flare as the tree grows. Prune of all the basal growths but one (or two, three for twin or multiple trunk styles). Its safest to leave a stub of 1-2cm's and seal it well. This stub is then allowed to grow a few sprouts for a season, these are kept short and then the whole thing can be removed flush with the trunk a year later. This allows time for the sap flow to redirect and avoids the possibility of root death below the removed branch. Try to put some bends into your single trunk with wire and pruning. It will be alot more difficult to bend later when it has thickened. Then put it either into the ground or into a large growing pot. You want to grow it strongly and concentrate all the growth into the trunk so don't let it have any flowers (I know, maybe buy a second one to grow some flowers on ) give it some fertiliser and LOTS of water. Remove any basal shoot straight away as these will quickly become strong and take energy away from your trunk. Then every year or two you prune all the side growth back hard, this will cause it to shoot back strongly with vigorous 'watershoots'. You can keep doing this for as many years as your patience allows, always concentrating the growth into the trunk. When you have a trunk of a size you are happy with then you can start work on the branches and getting it into a bonsai pot, and start to enjoy the flowers.

Hope this helps, good luck, they are easy to fall for and very addictive. I hope you can find some good stock.

Here's some websites for inspiration...

http://www.satsukisociety.com/

http://satsukimania.net/

Have fun...