My other Satsuki

[Just Duane]

Hmmm, I thought I had posted a thread with this tree before, but I can't find it?
Anyhoots, I worked my other satsuki today, wired about 75% of this tree & did some fall pruning.
This tree gets really weak when it flowers so I pulled most of the buds & left a couple just for a taste I'm trying to get good ramification with this tree. Hope you all like it!

I will use this thread to update this tree when things start looking better.

 

[bonhe]

Hi Just Duane,
It's really nice. However, it absolutely looks weak. I hate to say, but be careful, you might loss it! Did you let it expose to full sun? If you did, how many hour a day? Bonhe

 

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

hmmm.... I have to say it looks a lot like mine after I've pruned it. I don't know that I'd be overly alarmed. Giving it a rest from flowering, and removing next year's buds by pruning it now was probably the best thing you could do for it.

I LOVE the rootage by the way... very lovely.

I know kanuma (however that is spelled) is supposed to be magical for Satsuki, but I have to confess, I can't get myself to get past that yellow color. It just does nothing for me. At least Akadama has a nice brown color when wet. And I've only recently added that to my repertoire of soil components.

Nice work... I'll look forward to seeing it again.

Kindest regards,

Victrinia

 

[Just Duane]

Hi Just Duane,
It's really nice. However, it absolutely looks weak. I hate to say, but be careful, you might loss it! Did you let it expose to full sun? If you did, how many hour a day? Bonhe

Hi bonhe, thanks, the tree will be fine. I give my satsukis only morning sun & shade from afternoon sun. Like Victrinia said, this tree looks weak like that after pruning, however my tree looks weak also after flowering.

 

[Just Duane]

hmmm.... I have to say it looks a lot like mine after I've pruned it. I don't know that I'd be overly alarmed. Giving it a rest from flowering, and removing next year's buds by pruning it now was probably the best thing you could do for it.

I LOVE the rootage by the way... very lovely.

I know kanuma (however that is spelled) is supposed to be magical for Satsuki, but I have to confess, I can't get myself to get past that yellow color. It just does nothing for me. At least Akadama has a nice brown color when wet. And I've only recently added that to my repertoire of soil components.

Nice work... I'll look forward to seeing it again.

Kindest regards,

Victrinia

Thanks Victrinia, I hear you on the kanuma color. I usually mix small akadama & black cinder for top soil BUT I must confess I was too lazy to sift soil after wiring this tree (them twiggy branches & fine wiring drives me crazy!) I never was a big advocate of kanuma but my other satsuki has been doing well in it so I figured, what the hay!I will say that your satsuki looks awesome, so whatever you're using is definitely working for your climate.

 

[capnk]

An interesting fine point from my time with Master Nakayama: he says that while allowing a tree to flower may weaken it, removing the flower buds too soon will also weaken it. The optimum time to remove the buds is just when they start to open - when you see the first hint of color peaking out. Has anyone else heard this advice?

 

[R_F]

How do you keep satsukis in Zone 11?

I'm in Zone 9 and I have a hard time keeping them in pots.

 

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

An interesting fine point from my time with Master Nakayama: he says that while allowing a tree to flower may weaken it, removing the flower buds too soon will also weaken it. The optimum time to remove the buds is just when they start to open - when you see the first hint of color peaking out. Has anyone else heard this advice?

I haven't... and it's counter intuitive... but I am sure he has his reasons for saying so. I don't know that I would follow that advice.

Victrinia

 

[Shima]

I haven't... and it's counter intuitive... but I am sure he has his reasons for saying so. I don't know that I would follow that advice.

Victrinia

I would and do. According to Tatemori Gondo, who taught a 3 year course on Satsuki at El Dorado Bonsai, leaving the bud draws water to the tip. Intuition is not always good science.
Regarding the color of kanuma, yama-goke (mountain moss) is firmly pressed on top of kanuma from the trunk to the edge of the pot, this encourages fine roots to issue from the trunk and prevents the kanuma from drying out to quickly. Milled sphagnum works ok but happily, yama-goke grows at the base of Cryptomeria Japonica (tsugi) which are growing all over this rainforest.

 

[Just Duane]

An interesting fine point from my time with Master Nakayama: he says that while allowing a tree to flower may weaken it, removing the flower buds too soon will also weaken it. The optimum time to remove the buds is just when they start to open - when you see the first hint of color peaking out. Has anyone else heard this advice?

Interesting

 

[Just Duane]

How do you keep satsukis in Zone 11?

I'm in Zone 9 and I have a hard time keeping them in pots.

I protect from any hard freezes
All joking aside Ryan, I have been making sure they never dry out & shade from hot afternoon sun.

 

[Just Duane]

I would and do. According to Tatemori Gondo, who taught a 3 year course on Satsuki at El Dorado Bonsai, leaving the bud draws water to the tip. Intuition is not always good science.
Regarding the color of kanuma, yama-goke (mountain moss) is firmly pressed on top of kanuma from the trunk to the edge of the pot, this encourages fine roots to issue from the trunk and prevents the kanuma from drying out to quickly. Milled sphagnum works ok but happily, yama-goke grows at the base of Cryptomeria Japonica (tsugi) which are growing all over this rainforest.

I have heard & seen mountain moss used in this manner, thanks Shima

 

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

I would and do. According to Tatemori Gondo, who taught a 3 year course on Satsuki at El Dorado Bonsai, leaving the bud draws water to the tip. Intuition is not always good science.
Regarding the color of kanuma, yama-goke (mountain moss) is firmly pressed on top of kanuma from the trunk to the edge of the pot, this encourages fine roots to issue from the trunk and prevents the kanuma from drying out to quickly. Milled sphagnum works ok but happily, yama-goke grows at the base of Cryptomeria Japonica (tsugi) which are growing all over this rainforest.

I wonder if this may be a regional thing... I have not had enough years with satsukis to be emphatic about this position, but in a wet climate like mine, I don't think that's an issue. Somewhere drier (and any place named El Dorado Bonsai sounds dry to me... ) may have to treat them differently. Regional differences is something I try to keep in mind, but what you are proposing is outside of my personal experiance with them. Knowing that there is a different school of thought is always interesting to me, so I thank you for enlightening me.

Moss covered kanuma would be the only way I could live with it...lol

**edit.. I just noted that you live in Hawaii...lol so now I am stumped. lol

Kindest regards,

Victrinia

 

[R_F]

I protect from any hard freezes
All joking aside Ryan, I have been making sure they never dry out & shade from hot afternoon sun.

Thanks Duane. How Long have you had satsukis?

 

[Just Duane]

Thanks Duane. How Long have you had satsukis?

Hi Ryan, I myself have only had satsukis for a couple years. I have a friend who has had satsukis for 20-25 yrs. This very tree was made from a cutting 15 yrs ago. My friend still has the parent tree in his yard.
Ryan, you say that you have a hard time keeping satsukis in pots? What kind of problems are you experiencing?

Heres a top view I shot today

 

[Smoke]

Nice shape on the tree. Not a common shape for an azalea. I like it.

 

[Shima]

I wonder if this may be a regional thing... I have not had enough years with satsukis to be emphatic about this position, but in a wet climate like mine, I don't think that's an issue. Somewhere drier (and any place named El Dorado Bonsai sounds dry to me... ) may have to treat them differently. Regional differences is something I try to keep in mind, but what you are proposing is outside of my personal experiance with them. Knowing that there is a different school of thought is always interesting to me, so I thank you for enlightening me.

Moss covered kanuma would be the only way I could live with it...lol

**edit.. I just noted that you live in Hawaii...lol so now I am stumped. lol

Kindest regards,

Victrinia

Hardly regional Ms Vic, it's SOP in Japan and other hot-beds of Satsuki-krafters like Belgium. My climate is much like yours, even cooler and wetter, but on a warm day kanuma dries quickly.

 

[R_F]

Hi Ryan, I myself have only had satsukis for a couple years. I have a friend who has had satsukis for 20-25 yrs. This very tree was made from a cutting 15 yrs ago. My friend still has the parent tree in his yard.
Ryan, you say that you have a hard time keeping satsukis in pots? What kind of problems are you experiencing?

It really is a beautiful tree. Do you have any pics of the parent tree? I bet it's impressive.

Well...I think I may be working the roots at the wrong time for my zone. Couple that with the fact that when I had them I was probably giving them too much sun too soon and months later they were gone...When do you do your root work?

 

[Just Duane]

Nice shape on the tree. Not a common shape for an azalea. I like it.

Thank you Al, I appreciate it

 

[Just Duane]

It really is a beautiful tree. Do you have any pics of the parent tree? I bet it's impressive.

Well...I think I may be working the roots at the wrong time for my zone. Couple that with the fact that when I had them I was probably giving them too much sun too soon and months later they were gone...When do you do your root work?

Ryan, I don't have any pics of the parent tree. Not much to look at, its just a big bush.
Here in Hawaii, we can get away with doing root work most anytime of the year, after flowering is preferred though. One of the best advice that i've gotten & you've probably been told this too, is to check with your local expert. Different climates makes a huge difference.