Azalea Damage

[Zaelthus]

Hello, I have an Azalea in a grow box that is about 6 inches in diameter at Nebari base. It's planted in all turface (with a top layer of cedar mulch) and earlier this year I did some significant pruning and branch removal. I used cut paste (Japanese green stuff) on the branch stubs and all was fine including prolific back budding. Until now, I made the mistake of not putting the tree under cover and after the last snow melted I found major cold damage, basically the bark has split and flaked off in multiple spots.

I can't post pictures until Friday. Does anybody have experience with this? Are there steps I can take to prevent the cracking from spreading or am I fighting a lost cause? Ugh deadwood (or dead tree for that matter) was not a part of the plan but nothing I can do now

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Lets see some photos before a stream of panic ensues...some flaking/cracking bark is one thing, cracking wood is very much another. Keep it cool but not freezing in the meantime, and post some photos when you can so we can get a look at the patient...Shoot it dry, then get it wet if you can and get some closer photos of the wet trunk...if you have dieback, often it's easier to tell while the trunk is wet, especially with thin barked trees like azaleas.

 

[Ang3lfir3]

not much you can do now... except protect the tree ... hope for the best....

is this a Satsuki or some other variety??? If you know Roger Loe you should contact him .... he is a member of the north Vancouver club, he knows azaleas like the back of his hand.

 

[Harunobu]

Bark split is a common cold injury with azalea. Sadly there is not much you can do besides hoping it will wake up and grow with no problem in spring. If you can see more injury than just bark flaking you can try to seal or cover it I guess like others suggest.

This can be avoided by not fertilizing after late summer and by protecting the azalea from early harsh frost. Mild frost will generally tell them to go dormant while it won't cause damage. If it freezes solid when there is still a sap flow going on, this is what you can get.

Knowing how cold hardy the cultivar you are growing is will help.

Hopefully your azalea will be ok. But it sounds like it is. Bark split is more of a problem for smaller diameter trunks.

 

[Zaelthus]

Here is the damage, I realize now I made a huge mistake when removing branches in the summer. I used concave cutters and cut flush hoping the gaps would fill, however I should have left branch stubs. Notice how the damage originates around where branches used to be What I'm wondering now is should i be cleaning the wounds up and applying cut paste? I guess the tree is ruined so maybe I'll just put it in the garden if it survives *sigh*



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[Ang3lfir3]

Yup its ruined ... you need me to send you my address for shipping??? wouldn't want you to have to look at it over the coming years....

that damage ... as long as it doesn't continue is nothing a few minutes with some power tools can't fix... a little carving and bing bang you got ur self an ancient looking azalea....

I would this spring/summer cut those large branches back harder and get some back budding going on.... but wait till the growing season starts and fertilize like crazy....

no worries you have NOT ruined the tree.... its all styling opportunities and this tree is one worthy of being worked on.... if you seriously don't want it let me know... I bet we can arrange to come pick it up...

 

[Dav4]

Yup its ruined ... you need me to send you my address for shipping??? wouldn't want you to have to look at it over the coming years....

that damage ... as long as it doesn't continue is nothing a few minutes with some power tools can't fix... a little carving and bing bang you got ur self an ancient looking azalea....

I would this spring/summer cut those large branches back harder and get some back budding going on.... but wait till the growing season starts and fertilize like crazy....

no worries you have NOT ruined the tree.... its all styling opportunities and this tree is one worthy of being worked on.... if you seriously don't want it let me know... I bet we can arrange to come pick it up...

What he said...that is an awesome base on that azalea and it won't be ruined by a few small areas of deadwood. This will be a good one in time.

 

[Attila Soos]

You should be glad.
The damage is a great way to add some "weathered look" to your azalea.
Gorgeous nebari, what a beauty!

By the way, those stubs on the nebari, where large cuts are made....you should carve them to look just like the frost damage. It would greatly improve the image, since those cuts don't look very natural.

Go Canucks (Kesler rules)!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Agreed...appears to be no problem. Carve it out, or seal it off with cut paste. Nice base!

 

[Zaelthus]

no worries you have NOT ruined the tree.... its all styling opportunities and this tree is one worthy of being worked on.... if you seriously don't want it let me know... I bet we can arrange to come pick it up...

I would this spring/summer cut those large branches back harder and get some back budding going on.... but wait till the growing season starts and fertilize like crazy....

Well now you've convinced me to keep it . I suppose even the best plans need to take some detours along the way. Last Summer this tree was literally a large round shrub full of flowers in an elderly Japanese fellow's azalea garden. He pretty much only grew Azaleas and was selling them all (probably had a 100 of them), I removed at least 90% of the foliage and branches, almost all of the leafs in the picture are from this past season. I know i need to cut back even more but the final design hasn't come to me yet.

By the way, those stubs on the nebari, where large cuts are made....you should carve them to look just like the frost damage. It would greatly improve the image, since those cuts don't look very natural.

Go Canucks (Kesler rules)!

Good plan (especially now), will do so at the end of this growing season. Kesler's the man! Hey LA is going to finish strong, Daryl Sutter knows how to coach. The playoffs in the west are going to be a tough one this year.