Jimmy Pete’s Azalea 2020-2025 Entry

[Gabler]

Azaleas ain’t no Shrinking Violets! They got a strong will to survive.

best
DSD sends

Never understood that term. Violets are impossible to kill. Even RoundUp will hardly faze them.

 

[DanaWhicker]

Congratulations!

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Thats a nice white! Well done!

A couple ideas.

First It might be time to take all the base growth off. Basal growth is prioritized in azaleas when distributing energy resources, robbin* the apex and middle of the tree of energy.

Second It also looks like it’s time to rework the big prune area below.…. use a really sharp knife, chisels, or what ever is broad, flat and sharp. Then shave the cut back to mimic the trunk…. just a hair to the living tissue and put putty on it. I use the green capped product as it’s made for azaleas. Same thing with the stub up top and any other except the cutback branch with no growth.

Third….and final…For the cut back branch cut further back to about 1/4 inch from the trunk, putty if living tissue. Then see if it will bud for a season. If obviously dead go all the way to the trunk as in two above. Same if it doesn’t respond..

cheers
DSD sends

PS @Gabler a shrinking violet back in the day, a excessively shy, timid individual. Which, given a chance, the azalea is not

 

[Jimmy Pete]

Thats a nice white! Well done!

A couple ideas.

First It might be time to take all the base growth off. Basal growth is prioritized in azaleas when distributing energy resources, robbin* the apex and middle of the tree of energy.

Second It also looks like it’s time to rework the big prune area below.…. use a really sharp knife, chisels, or what ever is broad, flat and sharp. Then shave the cut back to mimic the trunk…. just a hair to the living tissue and put putty on it. I use the green capped product as it’s made for azaleas. Same thing with the stub up top and any other except the cutback branch with no growth.

Third….and final…For the cut back branch cut further back to about 1/4 inch from the trunk, putty if living tissue. Then see if it will bud for a season. If obviously dead go all the way to the trunk as in two above. Same if it doesn’t respond..

cheers
DSD sends

PS @Gabler a shrinking violet back in the day, a excessively shy, timid individual. Which, given a chance, the azalea is not

Thanks so much for this feedback. It’s very well timed as I’ve been at a loss for what to do next

will begin working on this and report back!

 

[Jimmy Pete]

Started the process with the bottom trunk. I was nervous to go too deep so did my best! It isn’t perfect but looks much better. Next up - the bottom stub & last whittling down the top. I need a better knife for that

also going to look at the branches I have and see which ones I want to keep, as you said. I like where the growth is, just need to think about their directions and how I want it to look.

once I get these things done, can I wire the newer branches or is it too late?

 

[rockm]

FWIW, next time, skip the black tar/bitumen-based wound sealer and use bonsai-specific putty or paste, or even wood glue. That black stuff is awful and doesn't wear off very well even over a decade and they're petroleum-based which can actually inhibit tissue growth underneath it.

 

[Jimmy Pete]

Yea I didn’t realize that’s what I had until it got on my hands. Had bought it when this first started, and was too eager to wait

hopefully it doesn’t mess it up!

 

[Jimmy Pete]

Well I made the mistake of trying wiring and broke off some branches that I liked. Oh well! I kept at it, and slowly starting to be less destructive.

Hopefully I can muster up the courage to transplant into a pot next year. Definitely the last place entry at this point, but that’s alright for my first one. My main goal is to just keep it alive, get it in a pot, and make it to the end!

 

[Jimmy Pete]

Embarrassed to even post but here it is

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Looks good! With care you should have at least 3-5 decent branches to work with. With luck this growth will energize the sap flow and you will be getting more back budding to build up the momentum by early August.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[Jimmy Pete]

Well we survived the winter but I did a terrible job pruning and wiring, so I think we took a step backwards. Heck of a late freeze / temp drop seems to have impacted spring growth too. Will post the sad pics soon.

Goal this year: get it into a pot and keep it alive. Haven’t been able to do that with any of my practice plants yet - fingers crossed!

I’m going to swing by Brussels Bonsai this week and look for a nice pot

 

[Jimmy Pete]

Ultimate goal: survive the competition!