It finally arrived...Neagari Satuski Azalea

Cadillactaste

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I can't speak highly enough of Scott Lee...his amazing fare prices and stunning material. So blessed with the contacts I have made in my journey with living so rural and out from everyone.

I had been worried of it acclimating and my leaving the country. So Scott was nice enough to hold it for me until my arrival back into the states. This arrived earlier this week. LOVE IT! Not for everyone...but meant for me.
13529107_1192799337407733_6887338963410432914_n.jpg
 

JudyB

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Nice pickup. There have been a lot of these popping up recently, I've seen several nice ones. Happy new tree.
 

Tieball

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I like it. Fabulous exposed tangled root mass....and it has a nicely balanced canopy ready for your touch.
 

Cadillactaste

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Thanks all...Yes, @JudyB its amazing at how frequently they have been popping up. To think in all my short time of doing bonsai...what...going on three years now. That this is the first time I really seen them being sold. Just glad that my experience allows me the opportunity to jump on one. And add it to my collection. If it weren't for having Don's Satuski Azalea for almost a year...and wintering it with no issues. Helped me leap at the opportunity of having this on my bench.
@barrosinc Hm-mmm possibly. :D I have one that is making me go Hm-mmm and one on consignment with Victor Harris which I recieved a photo of...that is also making me go Hm-mmm Fortuantely this was recently potted this year. So...I won't need to repot next year when it puts on a show...it will allow me time to see which of the two if either would work. Until its in bloom...I'm not really stressing it. Now that it's in my posession...I'm content in just admiring it as is.
 

Adair M

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Now that you have a couple azalea, you will want to buy a bag of kanuma to use for potting. You use it straight. Sifted.

Now...

Look carefully at each tip. Is there any evidence of the old flower? Like the ovary might still be there? If it is, cut it off. You don't want the tree spending energy trying to make seeds. It would be right at the base of where the new shoots start.

Look carefully at that junction. Often, azalea produce 3 shoots. Sometimes 4. Reduce them to 2. Remove the one(s) growing on the bottom or the top. Keep the side by sides. While you're in there, remove by either gently pulling, or cutting off the old dark green leaves from last year. Especially those on the bottom.

Still with me? Good. Now finish by removing any leaves growing downwards on the new shoots, and cutting back the new growth to two leaves on each new shoot.

Doing all this will probably remove 2/3 of all the foliage on your tree! Be brave! The tree will be better for it!

I don't want to take away from your tree, I'm posting a before and after of one of my azalea so you can get an idea of the process.

Before:

image.jpeg

After:

image.jpeg

Trust me, it will grow back!

Why is this necessary? (And it IS necessary!).

See how dense your canopy is? Sunlight cannot reach the interior. When that happens, the inner branches die out. You're left with foliage on the outside, and an hollow interior, with no foliage in close to the trunk. You don't want that. But it happens to most novice bonsai enthusiasts!

Look carefully at the "After" image of my tree. See the interior twigs? All those are now exposed to the sun and will thrive. If I had not cut back, the would likely have died off! Those interior twigs will grow, and I can make pads, and I'll have something to cut back to when the existing branches get too long. My tree is just beginning to build ramification.

Courage!

Now is when it needs to be done!
 

Smoke

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Nice score. Happy for you to have new tree. Like Christmas in July!
 

Adair M

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When it arrived this year at Scott's and he asked me if I wanted it...trust me. That before photo to now says a lot. Appreciate your advice @Adair M no doubt about the benefit of thinning.
View attachment 109072
That's winter foliage. That's what they do.

Now, look carefully at the picture of your tree in winter. Where is the foliage? All out at the tips. What's on the inside? Dead twigs. Or, at least, I don't see any foliage. Why is that?

Your tree was recently imported. Which means it's in in quarantine for two years. It was watered, but no training or pruning was done. So, what happened is the outside canopy grew and shaded out the interior branches. Which died.

Look again. It looks like it was recently cut back in that winter image. I bet that thing had whips six to nine inches long that were cut back just before that picture was taken. That's ok, it was the right thing to do! But now is the time to follow up with round two!

Look inside and see if any of the old dead twigs are still there. Remove them. If they haven't popped out by now, they're not going to. Cut flush. Don't leave a stub, and don't gouge into the branch. Cut flat, snd use sealant. I like TopJin for azalea.

Azalea will backbud, if they're exposed to light.

You have a nice tree. It was set back by the two years it sat in quarantine, and you have to take remedial action to undo the harm it suffered in quarantine.
 

Eric Group

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I can't speak highly enough of Scott Lee...his amazing fare prices and stunning material. So blessed with the contacts I have made in my journey with living so rural and out from everyone.

I had been worried of it acclimating and my leaving the country. So Scott was nice enough to hold it for me until my arrival back into the states. This arrived earlier this week. LOVE IT! Not for everyone...but meant for me.
View attachment 109058
It seems Scott has some of the best imported Azaleas available! This one is beautiful!
Great pick up!
I have heard this exposed root style is easier to find here now because more are being exported as it has somewhat fallen out of favor in Japanese Bonsai circles... Pfft who cares right? They look cool! That is what I care about!
 

Adair M

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It seems Scott has some of the best imported Azaleas available! This one is beautiful!
Great pick up!
I have heard this exposed root style is easier to find here now because more are being exported as it has somewhat fallen out of favor in Japanese Bonsai circles... Pfft who cares right? They look cool! That is what I care about!
Eric, I don't know if they have fallen out of favor so much as there is an over supply.

Fads in bonsai occur. A year or so ago it was chochubai.

I wonder what's next?

Oh, Darlene, if you think my posts above are critical of your tree, please forgive me. All the imported azalea have the same issues. We all have to rehab them when we get them. I was just letting you know what you need to do. I had to do the same thing with my trees.
 

Eric Group

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Chochubai? Is that how it is spelled? I thought it had a j in it? LOL
As far as I can tell the LACK of supply of Chojubai in the US Has kept that fad going strong! I could sell as many as I can post every week on FB! People eat them up... Damn things are frustrating if you ask me... Take so long to grow into anything. I found that Bat Guano has caused mine to pretty much double their growth rate this year though, so I have some hope for future development! That stuff is my new jam... Maybe I should get some pet bats to make ferts for me, cuz their poop is really pumping up the growth in most of my trees!
 

Eric Group

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Yeah, my iPhone likes to dis-correct my spelling sometimes.
I know! I hate that! I can type an actual CORRECT word on mine, and it will change it to something slightly more common that makes no sense at all sometimes! Super annoying!
I wasn't cracking on you BTW... These Japanese words and names are so screwed up in America so often, I thought seriously maybe I had been spelling it wrong all this time and you had it right! LOL
 

Tieball

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That's winter foliage. That's what they do.

Now, look carefully at the picture of your tree in winter. Where is the foliage? All out at the tips. What's on the inside? Dead twigs. Or, at least, I don't see any foliage. Why is that?

Your tree was recently imported. Which means it's in in quarantine for two years. It was watered, but no training or pruning was done. So, what happened is the outside canopy grew and shaded out the interior branches. Which died.

Look again. It looks like it was recently cut back in that winter image. I bet that thing had whips six to nine inches long that were cut back just before that picture was taken. That's ok, it was the right thing to do! But now is the time to follow up with round two!

Look inside and see if any of the old dead twigs are still there. Remove them. If they haven't popped out by now, they're not going to. Cut flush. Don't leave a stub, and don't gouge into the branch. Cut flat, snd use sealant. I like TopJin for azalea.

Azalea will backbud, if they're exposed to light.

You have a nice tree. It was set back by the two years it sat in quarantine, and you have to take remedial action to undo the harm it suffered in quarantine.
Excellent explanation. Clear and easy to understand.
 

Adair M

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Then it will be too late. It won't have enough growing season to put on new growth and set flower buds.

Darlene,

Truely... I don't post this stuff for my own amusement. I'm telling you good information, how to improve your trees, your skills.

You always have some lame excuse why you think you know better.

You need to step OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE!

It's the only way you'll grow.

You know that Bible story where Jesus was walking on the water and he wanted one of his apostles to join him? But they were afraid?

Think about it.
 
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