Azaleas dying

[Cuzza]

I have recently started chopping back some of my azaleas that were sitting in their garden centre pots as here in New Zealand it's 3 days from spring and starting to warm up. They are all Kurumes because it's hard to find Satsukis here other than gumpos (If anymore from NZ does know how to source some please let me know).

The plants have had various amounts of work done to the trunks and roots and repotted in to mainly pumice with some peat moss. (Since akadama or kanuma aren't accessible here)

The problem now is the leaves are starting to turn brown at the tips and curl inwards.
What is killing It these plants? Too much sun? Too much water? Too little water?

Should they be in full shade for a while to recover? Or more sun to help grow? Should they be watered heavily each day (since it's mostly pumice rather than their original cancer center potting mix) or am I overdoing it?

If they can be saved, I would be forever grateful!

All of my trees survived our wet winter and azaleas and other trees are pushing growth (kirin is full bloom) but I'm at a loss on the aftercare of this work now required!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Welcome to the site!! Do you have a photo? Could you show us where you are currently keeping them?

 

[Cuzza]

Thanks. Plenty or sitting in the shadows reading, and finally posting when I have to admit to myself I need help!

I've add photos of two of them, with more left on them than I planned to because the trunks aren't too thick but the plants were too leggy etc. I've moved them to deep into the shade because I was concerned that they were getting too much sun from midday onwards after the work done to them....

 

[Kendo]

Azalea root if having problem will affect single branch its feeding. This problem look like one branch only, soon you will cut off. This would love wire now.

This soil not so good. Maybe you mail order from Japan. May seem ok, but not best achievable vitality from this soils. Hard solution for you.

60% of light filter is always best, or 40% ok.

Care and time now.

 

[Kendo]

Satsuki like fertilizer organic only. Chemical fertilizer make branch brittle. You have some other burn some.

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Thanks. Plenty or sitting in the shadows reading, and finally posting when I have to admit to myself I need help!

I've add photos of two of them, with more left on them than I planned to because the trunks aren't too thick but the plants were too leggy etc. I've moved them to deep into the shade because I was concerned that they were getting too much sun from midday onwards after the work done to them....

Hi Cuzza,
I have given you a description of my bonsai soil mix on your other thread. My guess is your mix is/maybe too wet and would replace the peat with bark. Both are acidic enough to help pH although azaleas can handle pH up to 6 etc.
Also if you haven’t already looked at www.wairere.co.nz (Hamilton based) as he has over a 20 karumes there I think.

My first attempt at azaleas in bonsai pots testing my bonsai soil mix etc.
Charles

 

[Cuzza]

Hi Cuzza,
I have given you a description of my bonsai soil mix on your other thread. My guess is your mix is/maybe too wet and would replace the peat with bark. Both are acidic enough to help pH although azaleas can handle pH up to 6 etc.
Also if you haven’t already looked at www.wairere.co.nz (Hamilton based) as he has over a 20 karumes there I think.
View attachment 207676
My first attempt at azaleas in bonsai pots testing my bonsai soil mix etc.
Charles

Thanks for the advice! When I water them the water pours out the holes! Definitely more so than the original soil they were in.

Picked up a couple from that site! Definitely a good resource and far more than I'll ever get from a garden centre. Still no Satsukis although I do have a couple of chinzans that I got from Kings Plant Barn up here.

 

[discusmike]

If they were mine I would find a area with morning sunlight only till they recover,they are definitely alive and are stressed due to root work

 

[discusmike]

Keep an eye out for insects,they seem to attract to weakened plants

 

[shinmai]

I have a couple of observations/thoughts...

I keep all of my trees--tropical, deciduous, and both satsuki and rhododendron azaleas, in completely inorganic mixes. The azaleas, rhodi's, and gardenias are in straight kanuma, which is readily available here but I don't know if you have access to it. The two wonderful things about kanuma is that it drains so well, and it provides an acid environment.

Harry Harrington [of bonsai4me.com] uses a type of unscented cat litter exclusively. He has an article on his website about it, and goes country-by-country identifying what brand name the product might be sold under. With regard to New Zealand, he mentions that one of his contacts, Greg Tuthill, has begun importing Turface, and can be contacted at gregt@inspire.net.nz.

Finally, I disagree with the assertion that satsuki need only organic fertilizer. Again per Mr. Harrington, Miracid is an excellent choice. Again, I don't know if you can get it under that name, but I was able to establish that gardngro.co.nz sells a very similar product branded as Redvale Garden Care Azalea, Camellia and Rhododendron Fertiliser. I use a half-strength solution of Miracid for one full daily watering every two weeks, and once a month supplement with a fish emulsion solution.

One final thought on feeding--many observations about proportions, etc. that are correct for landscape plants in the ground are not necessarily correct for bonsai in pots, especially when they are in inorganic material.
Best of luck.

 

[shinmai]

Sorry, I missed your earlier observation that akadama and kanuma aren't available to you.

 

[AlainK]

I have problems keeping azaleas/rhodos here when in shallow pots.

The problems comes mainly from the fact that the water here is very hard, and since I (still) don't have a rainwater tank, I use tap-water (from the fawcet if you prefer), so the pH of the soil is very high, and they resent it all the more when it's hot and dry like it's been for several weeks here.

I've got Azaleas in big pots (30 cm/1foot high) that I planted in essentially pozzolane, composted pine bark and heather earth. I add some chelated iron twice/three times a year and thy're fine.

 

[Harunobu]

It looks like for some reason one branch is diseased. And it happened to two plants. Surely something is wrong. This doesn't look like lack of water, so I wouldn't water heavily. I think you want shade now, but too much sun also is not the cause. Root rot or fertilizer burn are candidates. For some reason, branches just die suddenly.

Yeah, kanuma is nice. But not essential. The best azaleas I have are those in full ground, muddy soil made out of finely milled peat particles with low drainage soil, with no fertilizer.
Just because some azalea are from Japan and kanuma soil is from Kanuma, Japan, doesn't mean it is the best thing to use. Kanuma isn't magical. Yes, it is excellent and probably wordth the money for your expensive bonsai. But there is nothing special about it. They use it in Japan because it is a local dirt cheap product.

I send some azalae seeds to NZ in the past. The person growing them send me the pictures and they didn't turn out as flashy shibori satsuki. Growing from seed may be necessary for more NZ based satsuki, as smuggling cuttings is just too hard (and maybe dangerous?).

This year I have some open pollinated seed pods on purebred satsuki.

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Thanks for the advice! When I water them the water pours out the holes! Definitely more so than the original soil they were in.

Picked up a couple from that site! Definitely a good resource and far more than I'll ever get from a garden centre. Still no Satsukis although I do have a couple of chinzans that I got from Kings Plant Barn up here.

Hi Cuzza,
Thank you for the reference of Kings - I am keen to get Azaleas from anywhere,especially those good for bonsai, and one more website worth checking out too.
www.greenleafnurseries.co.nz
Charles

 

[Cuzza]

Hi Cuzza,
Thank you for the reference of Kings - I am keen to get Azaleas from anywhere,especially those good for bonsai, and one more website worth checking out too.
www.greenleafnurseries.co.nz
Charles

They were quite good, asked them which ones I could get and they showed me a list. Not much different to the Wairere site. But you still face the problem of hoping for single trunk ones rather than bunches.. If I was able to contact the supplier in advance and advise them that I'd want single trunk azaleas everything would be wonderful

When you are chopping down trunks or doing heavy pruning, are you then putting your trees into shade for a while to recover first or just as they were and more sun to promote growth?

Did you manage to look for DE soil on trademe?

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

They were quite good, asked them which ones I could get and they showed me a list. Not much different to the Wairere site. But you still face the problem of hoping for single trunk ones rather than bunches.. If I was able to contact the supplier in advance and advise them that I'd want single trunk azaleas everything would be wonderful

When you are chopping down trunks or doing heavy pruning, are you then putting your trees into shade for a while to recover first or just as they were and more sun to promote growth?

Did you manage to look for DE soil on trademe?

Hi Cuzza,
Haven’t looked into trade me re DE. There is an organic place in Tauranga that sells DE in 25kg (maybe 25 litre) bags for $75. I believe the DE would be a superior product but Quite steep, as Budget cat litter (Zeolite at Supermarket) is $6 per 15 litre bag and when sifted you get about 12-13 litres etc.
Re chopping back, um so many opinions here, but my experience has only been with pencil thick sticks. Chopping mid season would be my thoughts as actively growing you get a better response. As I tried on late April (Autumn) and it has sulked ever since and I am wondering if it will pull through!
Shade for chops - Not really, mine are in morning sun and grow like rabbits breed.
I will pm you re Chinzan as I have had no luck searching so far etc.
Charles

 

[fredman]

@Cuzza I just bought some kanuma off Trade me for my Satzukis. Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it.

 

[Cuzza]

@fredman nice let me know how you find it. I'm struggling to keep azaleas alive no matter what I do now

 

[fredman]

@fredman nice let me know how you find it. I'm struggling to keep azaleas alive no matter what I do now

Yeah I did to mate. I got high hopes on the Kanuma for sure. It'll give them the Ph they need.
A mix of 1:1:1 pumice (3-5mm), bark and chopped spagnum moss works for me so far. With other mixes I lost a few....mostly because they weren't constantly moist in the root ball. They just don't handle even the slightest drought well.

 

[fredman]

@fredman nice let me know how you find it. I'm struggling to keep azaleas alive no matter what I do now

There you go mate...you can get up to 16L from them
https://www.minigarden.co.nz/search-results/q-kanuma/qc-products