AusBonsai

hey guys i've got a satsuki azalea that has a natural broom style look to it i would love to keep it that way.

i want to know how to get more twiggy type branches and and also how to get more foliage. if it's possible can someone help me do this step by step. books are very hard to get a good understanding from, you tube isn't much help either.

as you can already tell i'm very knew to all this, i've started bonsai classes but only once a month.

thanks guys.

Take it along to Bonsai northwest, there are some really great artists there.

One on one tutoring with the tree in front of an experienced member will do both you and the tree wonders.

otherwise put up some pics and we can have a go at helping you.

Scott.

cheers mate, yeah the guys are super nice up there.

i'll try and put some photos up later tonight. thanks mate.

I'm a little embarrassed about this tree because it hasn't got a good trunk system yet, but i want to train it so that lets say in 10 years it eventually can become a genuine bonsai.

Don't be embarrassed mate, I am still starting bonsai in the same way you will be working on yours.

I'm going to be doing the same thing for the next 50 years, but I'll also have some more good ones by then!

Eternal learner

Scott

I've got the photos let me know if they are good enough. keep in mind i know that isn't a broom style yet i would like to create a broom style out of it. and there is absolutely no trunk.

let me know what you think. cheers

G'day mate,
If you want a broom style, you will have to select one trunk and have that trunk very straight. Best thing for this azalea would be to do a multiple trunk style, you could create one canopy with the foliage, like a broom, or you could create a number of canopies for each trunk that work together to make a nice bonsai.
Good luck.

hey thanks for the help, you know what when i was taking photos i was actually thinking about doing the exact same thing. i thought to my self it has two trunks and i read in a few books that broom style is always one trunk and formal upright.

thanks for all your help.

Hi DL

You have a nice Azalea there, but I would not make it a broom style. As a traditionalist, and also technically, broom is a style for meant for deciduous trees and is at its prime display time when out of leaf. The contemporary style of 'Tropical Style' has been coined over the last few years to describe evergreen trees with a broad spreading nature.

I think that in photo 2 you have the makings of a very nice twin or triple trunk Bonsai with the trunks on the right that follow a similar line. I would remove the two branches on the left and develop the two trunks on the right and possibly keep what appears to be another trunk visible between them at the rear. Sorry I am not tech savvy yet and my descriptions are limited to words.



Best Regards

Tony

Nice stock, you have definitely got some choices to make.

I'd clean up the base with a soft toothbrush to get a bit of an idea about what's down there in the base of the trunk.

Then choose your front, and decide if you want to focus all the growth on one trunk (wire up some movement) or go for the 'clump' style.

You are probably not going to get too much more growth this year but id get some ferts on it to ready it for next spring.

thanks to everyone who replied. you can all probably tell that i'm a novice.

just a quick question if anyone can help me.

how do you create more foliage on these trees, do you have to cut back a little of the branch or is there another way. there isn't enough information on any of this kind of stuff. i'm starting to hate reading books on bonsai because every book is the exact same as the other very secretive and pretty much identical to the other which offers no help what so ever. my biggest problem is that i dont know how to prune and get shape. meetings are only monthly so i really struggle waiting for the next meeting to get some advice.

thanks again to all that posted and helped me.

Azaleas respond well to pruning. If you cut a branch you should get multiple buds breaking so one branch becomes many. This is how to get ramification and increased foliage I guess. Its best to leave a leaf or two on the end of a pruned branch to draw sap but if the tree is healthy and growing well you can prune into old wood (with no leaves). Its best then to only keep two or three branchlets from each point, if you leave more a swelling may develop. the exception to this is the crown or very end of a branch where you may leave more and wire then into shape. You will soon get a more dense foliaged plant with regular pruning, in time you will be looking to thin things out to allow air and light in and keep optimum health

nealweb you answered all my questions in the one paragraph thanks heaps mate your a legend.