Azalea Repair - What are the odds of healing

[Deep Sea Diver]

What do you predict will happen to this azalea?

Here’s its story:

Years ago my Father in law accidentally sat on this azalea bonsai, breaking off a branch. The result was a hollow area left on the trunk (see bad photo of hollow) which he painted with wound sealant. Years later (two and a half years ago) it was bequeathed to me with a number of other bonsai.

I was down with a severe injury until this spring, so about all I could do was water, fertilize, lightly trim and turn. This year, all healed up, I’ve been going through each tree one by one.

The first job was to get this particular tree healthy as the Feb repot showed little roots and possible root rot to boot. Now, I think this is well under control and I took a look at the hollow area. Lots of rot in the trunk.

Out came the fine chisels and I gouged and scraped until I got as much rot out as possible.

Next next step, I’m sure is a bit controversial, was to assure that the rot was totally gone.

Having asthma issues I left the lime sulfur on the shelf and instead used a micro torch to burn off the affected area.... sadly zinging a few leaves in the process. My bad!

Afterwards I scraped off the entire wound to good wood.

Finally I applied cut paste inside the wound.

So, besides being turned in to the American Association of Bonsai Enthusiasts against Azalea Torture, what would you all predict will happen to the tree overall and the wound specifically?

Cheers!
DSD sends

 

[bwaynef]

The tree will be fine. The wound will likely callus and may begin to roll over, but will likely be obvious for years. I'd suggest you take the putty all the way over the edge of what's been cut though.

 

[Shima]

Trying to imagine how one sits on a plant. Maybe I don't want to know?

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

He never explained that to us. We actually found out from the person that used to help him with his trees. Aside from the damage to the tree we couldn’t stop laughing when she described the look on Dads face when he realized that he’d actually sat on one of his own bonsai!
Cheers
DSD sends

 

[sorce]

I sat on an azalea last spring while dragging the lawnmower backwards and almost chopped my knees off in the process!

Sorce

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

INTO THE EMERGENCY WARD.... ICU BOUND!

This azalea is not looking good. Last February it was repotted into kanuma and chopped Sphagnum because its roots weren’t doing very well.... and hadn’t been repotted for many, many years. When repotting I noticed the roots were few and far between.

Yetit responded really well, multiple shoots and profuse backbudding in the next four months. Thus when I discovered the rot in the trunk, I felt it was safe to repair. That went well.

However one thing I really didn’t think a lot about was that we were having a goodly amount of rainstorms. So I had just put it up on an incline block with all the other plants, including the three satsukis I’d repotted in Feb all which were doing really well..

Last week I noticed that the azalea (I believe it’s a Kurume) was having a growing number of its leaves wilt. I put in a sheltered place, thinking it was getting too much sun. However the other azaleas right beside it were doing fine.

In the back of my mind I was thinking that sun couldn’t be the cause.... It took me a few days to think on this until I recalled that leaf wilt is often a sign of overwatering. Dumb bonsai rookie! It didn’t have many roots in February and I’d just assumed that because it responded well on the surface, all would be fine underground.... yet azaleas without a lot of roots shouldn’t be watered a lot...

I popped the lil guy out of the pot and discovered the roots were only holding their own and hadn't hardly grown at all! Here’s a couple crummy shots of the roots (dunked, but not sprayed).


It this point I figured that something drastic needed to be done. So I decided to go to the ground and put the lil guy in the ICU to see if it would be able to solve the problem. I pretty much agonized for a couple days about keeping it in its pot and seeing if it could tough out the weather.... or even put it in the garage and just dry it out some. But I figured that, it had its best chance of making it in the ground with a bunch of other Ericacae.

Clearing an area, I mixed in some compost, a little aged steer manure and a whole lot of fine pine bark and peat with the existing soil.

Then I premoistened the area, added more bark and peat where It was to be planted and popped the sick tree into the ground. This bed is covered with some substantial rhododendrons cultivated to create an open canopy over the beds below. I hoped this setting would increase the possibility of getting some good mychorrizae on scene. The area gets 3/4 morning sun and well filtered sun the rest of the day through the rhododendron canopy above.

Well, that’s it for now unless others have suggestions... thoughts and prayers?

At least it brought home the lesson to me that every tree is an individual and you really have to remember each’s history when you work with it.

Sheephishly, I’ll keep you posted.
DSD sends

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Good news! - The azalea seems to have successfully settled into its new home. It’s pushing out new growth on two of the branches. However, the third branch is not responding yet. It took a beating with the long term rot and the subsequent carve out.

Next steps. Let it be until next spring and treat it kindly. Reassess its state then. Likely I’ll just let it grow until 2022 and lightly ground prune during 2021. If it survives, I’ll check its roots in early 2022 to see if it can handle a pot.

Next year I’ll also try to identify this little guy. It’s either a semi double or a double... didn’t have time to ID earlier.

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Spring Check April 2021

Catching up on ome documentation now that the major spring tasks are complete....

This little once sat upon azalea made it through the winter and is pushing bright green new growth! It budded well considering the shape it was in. When it blooms I’ll get some photos of the flowers in an attempt to identify it.

The plan for the year is to keep it in place and to let it grow in a productive manner for eventual return to a pot in a couple years, depending on its growth rate. If it turns out to be a Gumpo, that may end up being half a decade

cheers
DSD sends

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Kanuma? Ugh! Bleah!
Stick me in the dirt!

 

[Forsoothe!]

Exactly why are you retaining the unsightly dead leg?

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Good question. No reason except at this point I’m not planning on working on the tree at least until I get the cold frame down it’s planted in. Likely in a couple of weeks

I’ve got 9 other Satsuki planted inside too that need attention and it’s really awkward to maneuver with the frame around everything.

When I get the frame out of the way I’ll chop that section off and post it and maybe some of the other work.

Thanks for the interest!

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[leatherback]

Good to see it live!

Once you have this back into the fully healthy territory, go back and redress the wound. WIth the branch dead, you can cut flush with the trunk and in a decade have the bark close over the cut.
Nice. Bonsai is a verb, did someone mention that before?

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Nice. Bonsai is a verb, did someone mention that before?

Thanks, will do!
btw I thought bonsai was a verb, noun... and maybe a pejorative adjective too!

 

[leatherback]

btw I thought bonsai was a verb, noun... and maybe a pejorative adjective too!

Language jokes translate poorly

It works better in my native tongue.
Verb = werkwoord = "work word" => In other words, a word that indicates the need to work.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Language jokes translate poorly

It works better in my native tongue.
Verb = werkwoord = "work word" => In other words, a word that indicates the need to work.

Then my grandkids need some verb.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

The azalea is now in full bloom. it’s has a really nice small flower, nothing complicated.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

This little guy has been in the ground for two years now. Most of the flowering growth during the winter was trimmed back to help focus this years energy on leaf growth.

The decision was made to pull the tree up and see if there is enough progress to put the azalea back in a pot. I grabbed a fork and popped it out. A bit of chopsticking revealed some good root growth, enough to try a careful root wash. Pretty exciting, looks like the experiment was at least a partial success.



I usually don’t use a tub to rootwash, but the garden soil I planted this azalea in was highly friable and easy to wash out. In the wheelbarrow it went. After a short rinse it appears one side of the tree had some really great roots and the trunk branch to the right was finally starting to push out some roots after two years. There are little or no roots between the fork under the trunk.


The reverse side wasn’t as good. I took a knife and explored the areas with few roots by scraping the bark. The trunk was alive, showing green. Sphagnum was packed into these areas to help promote root growth after scoring the area. The second trunk was removed. It was dead. Oh yes @Forsoothe! the ugly black root went too!



90/10 Kanuma/pumice, was chopsticked in and leveled. A short ring was placed around the base of the trunk, ala negari technique, to raise the media in the area. This will also stimulate root growth in the area. Hopefully by next year this area will start pushing roots.



A bit of Biochar and compost was added to help promote growth. (I’m testing this combination out this year.) Here’s the tree after washing out the media, a bit disheveled. Still need to add moss.



At this point I’d say the tree is in good health! Hoping it will respond by pushing a lot of growth this year!

cheers
DSD sends

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Almost two month follow up. It’s doing well and getting perky. Got a very slight pruning. Will put a bit of wire on it soon to start to sort things out. Otherwise this survivor will be left to grow the rest of the year and we’ll reevaluate it next spring.


cheers
DSD sends

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Blooming time.




This year it’s about strengthening the tree and maybe work on some clip and grow technique if it gets strong enough.

In reflection sometimes I’ve been too quick to go to my scissors instead of taking time for the trees to grow generate energy before pruning.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[Clicio]

Very nice to see it alive and blooming, thanks for the progression.