Cleaning thin skin bark on specimen azalea

SantaFeBonsai

Shohin
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I don’t know what exactly the gray film on the bark is but I’ve tried everything to remove it including the last round with a textile spray gun. I can’t get to the red bark without exposing the green cambium. I’ve seen trees like this with solid red bark throughout the tree so I know it can be done but this one has super thin skin.

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Tidal Bonsai

Omono
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I know very little about Azaleas, but Rob Mahler of Kifu Bonsai may be able to help. He studied in Japan for years, and is a big azalea guy.
 

JudyB

Queen of the Nuts
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Would one of those pressure washers some use on trunks work? Don’t know how different from a textile sprayer it is. Beautiful tree!
 

SantaFeBonsai

Shohin
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Would one of those pressure washers some use on trunks work? Don’t know how different from a textile sprayer it is. Beautiful tree!
Same kind of sprayer.

I’m wondering if a light spray of vinegar left on to dry would kill whatever it actually is allowing it to be brushed off later?
 

Brian Van Fleet

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What I would NOT do is apply a pressure washer to a thin-skinned satsuki. That "gray film" is old bark...
Agreed, don’t use anything more abrasive than an old toothbrush on azaleas. That red color you’re referring to is one I only see on Kinsai in the wintertime. The leaves turn that color too, but in the summer, they’re bright green.
 

SantaFeBonsai

Shohin
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What I would NOT do is apply a pressure washer to a thin-skinned satsuki. That "gray film" is old bark...
Originally that’s what I thought, the gray was just part of the bark but a judge at our state exhibit said I needed to clean all the gray off to expose the red. ?. Now I know
 
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