Hi all help I got this two days ago they said it was azalea

[Angelique14]

Some ppl on her said it's not and if it is you beds different soil not like bonsai soil plz some input thanks

 

[barrosinc]

what language is that?

 

[Angelique14]

what language is that?

Sorry but it's error ok I was trying to type fast no need to be mean

 

[Angelique14]

Here it is hope yous can help looking forward to your input thanks

 

[GrimLore]

If that is an Azalea it will be hard to keep in course fast draining Bonsai Substrate. For Azaleas I recommend a good bagged Cactus mix if you are not used to the plant. It will allow you to keep it "damp" not wet and they seem to do well in it.

Grimmy

 

[bwaynef]

It does indeed look like an Azalea.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Grimmy has some beautiful blooming azaleas...I would say he would be on the right track.

 

[Poink88]

I only started recently on azalea and my "soil" for it is Turface + chopped sphagnum moss + decomposed bark (approximate ratio 4:1:1). The one I repotted last was going great on it.

Next time, I would add Napa Floor Dry (diatomaceous earth or DE) as:
Turface + DE + chopped sphagnum moss + decomposed bark (approximate ratio 2:2:1:1).

You can use lava and pumice in lieu of the Turface and DE.

 

[M. Frary]

Not trying to start another soil war or hijack someone's thread but aren't turface (of which I've never tried) and the D.E. in the soil for the same thing? Water retention? Or is one like akadama,pumice or lava and are used as a substitute?
I grow in diatomaceous earth(Napa floor dry) and grit with sometimes pine bark. The pine bark goes in evergreen trees. Am I missing something?

 

[Poink88]

Not trying to start another soil war or hijack someone's thread but aren't turface (of which I've never tried) and the D.E. in the soil for the same thing? Water retention? Or is one like akadama,pumice or lava and are used as a substitute?
I grow in diatomaceous earth(Napa floor dry) and grit with sometimes pine bark. The pine bark goes in evergreen trees. Am I missing something?

They are not the same...one is calcined clay, the other is diatomaceous earth (which is actually fossilized diatom shells). Together they work better for me and eradicate the turface drying problem while maintaining a high CEC.

EDIT: For me, the draw to Turface is it's water holding capacity...I need it given my weather and situation.

 

[Angelique14]

If that is an Azalea it will be hard to keep in course fast draining Bonsai Substrate. For Azaleas I recommend a good bagged Cactus mix if you are not used to the plant. It will allow you to keep it "damp" not wet and they seem to do well in it.

Grimmy

I bought it that way and I'm gonna get what you said cactus mix cause they have it in the same soil as bonsai thanks so much

 

[M. Frary]

Ahhh! I knew what they were made of. Why would you use the turface at all then when it's doing that weird drying out thing I've read about? I read on Adam ask why blog that D.E. is high in caution exchange capacity.
Living in Texas like you do wouldn't you want something that stays evenly moist? I really like what you do. You experiment and push the bonsai envelope so to say. So I'm not saying you're wrong at all. Just wondering.

 

[Poink88]

Ahhh! I knew what they were made of. Why would you use the turface at all then when it's doing that weird drying out thing I've read about? I read on Adam ask why blog that D.E. is high in caution exchange capacity.
Living in Texas like you do wouldn't you want something that stays evenly moist? I really like what you do. You experiment and push the bonsai envelope so to say. So I'm not saying you're wrong at all. Just wondering.

Exactly. Turface holds lots of water. Which may be the same thing others hate about it. Isn't it funny how that works?

 

[johng]

Here it is hope yous can help looking forward to your input thanks

It is certainly a satsuki azalea! The shiny leaf reminds me of Chinzan but the leaf shape is off just a little. I have about a hundred azaleas that I've been growing for a number of years... I use a high quality potting soil...peat, perlite, bark are the primary components...with great results.

John

 

[M. Frary]

Thank you much Dario. That clears that up.

 

[markyscott]

Exactly. Turface holds lots of water. Which may be the same thing others hate about it. Isn't it funny how that works?

Extending on Dario's point. Turface grains have excellent microporosity which means that it can absorb a lot of water. It is on par with akadama or seramis in terms of its water holding capacity which is an excellent characteristic for a bonsai substrate. Unfortunately, it is also quite fine grained. In a shallow container, this causes high water saturations, a low air-filled porosity, a thick water-saturated zone on the bottom of the pot, a high mechanical resistance to root growth, and channeling leading to dry spots in the soil. That is not optimal but the effects may be partially mitigated by planting in a deeper container, adding other soil components, etc. That said, many are satisfied with the growth of their trees in it while others don't use it for the reasons above. I used it for many years, but I believe I've had much better performance and healthier trees since I stopped about 7 or 8 years ago.

To the OP it certainly looks like an azalea to me. I love to grow them. I have a 1/2 dozen or so satsukis and I use kanuma. I'm quite happy with their growth. They strike from cuttings very easy.

Scott

 

[markyscott]

I read on Adam ask why blog that D.E. is high in caution exchange capacity.

I'm not sure where Adam got his numbers, but I'd be interested in a reference or link if you have it. This is what I have - calcined D.E. has a CEC of around 27 meq/100g, slightly less than calcined clay which has a CEC of 30-33 meq/100g. Both are quite low in comparison to sphagnum or pine bark, which have CEC's upwards of 100 meq/100g, or kanuma which has a CEC above 60, but higher than granite which is around 15. The CEC of DE and turface are a bit higher than granite or akadama or haydite, in part, because they tend to come in fine grain sizes which increases the CEC due to the high surface area. So if you sieve out the fines, expect the CEC to be lower, perhaps quite a bit lower, than that which is reported.

Refs:
http://www.axisplayball.com/home_htm_files/Definitions_HANDOUT.pdf
Journal of the American Bonsai Society 2009, 43, #4, pg 6

Scott

 

[Dalsom]

Kazan... Some incorrectly refer to it as Rukizon.

 

[jk_lewis]

what language is that?

Angelique, Bonsai is a slow, patient art. There's no need to type fast and make your text incomprehensible. And, when that happens, you can go back and "edit" your message to correct spelling mistakes so it is understandable.

It also helps if you use proper capitalization and punctuation to avoid run-on sentences. Neither is old fashioned. Both aid in comprehension. Just take your time.

That will let us help you without too much possibility of misunderstanding.

I'm sure most of us will thank you.

 

[Angelique14]

Kazan... Some incorrectly refer to it as Rukizon.

To be honest the plant is doing good but way to small it has some buds but not opening still don't know what it is but I'll keeping looking thxs all