Questions to the experienced Satsuki bonsai artists

[Kenitai]

Good day everyone,

I have a small, pink Satsuki Azalea, sitting in a baby-blue round shohin pot, with kanuma soil. Last year, it has been heavily pruned back to a single 15 cm stump. I scrapped the surface of the top and bottom part of the stump just slightly, and it’s pretty much green. So this tree is still doing just fine. I only owned this tree since spring of last year, so it'll be my first time seeing it grow from a single stump.

The weather here in the south of Holland has been good for nearly two weeks, with an average temperature of 17 degrees Celsius, real nice spring weather, although spring is just starting. So, I’ve just been wondering when those little buds would appear during spring.

The question I have, what conditions does it take for an azalea to grow little buds from a single stump? What are the minimum temperature conditions required? Does direct spring sunlight onto the stump stimulate this growth?

Just a little curiosity, just to shake off my little doubts I feel I have.

 

[Harunobu]

You pruned it back in autumn with no foliage remaining?

I am not a bonsai artist or an experience azalea grower but I am a azalea grower with a lot of enthusiasm too short in the hobby to be experienced. Also, I live near Doetinchem.
I have several small satsuki azalea plants. They are out of dormancy. They started showing the first signs on about the 10th or so. You will normally see virgin green bits in the axil of the leaves that are at the base of the flower buds. Right now they have grown into leaves.

Of course temperature is the main parameter used. I have them in a south facing garden so many that speeds up things. Of course them being in small pots will warm up the roots earlier.

We have had a really cold winter. Did you protect it from frost? Also, I would never prune it back hard after midsummer. It needs enough time to regrow and harden off after pruning. But I don't know if doing that anyway would kill it.

Last year I had an azalea that just didn't come out of dormancy that had no real sign of either frost damage or something else. It very slowly started to look worse until it did look dead. I assume it was frost anyway. In our climate you need to give satsuki azalea additional time to go into dormancy before you can allow them to be frozen. And then move inside an unheated shed during real frost periods.

Picture will help.

 

[jk_lewis]

Ouch! Not a great idea to cut it back so hard. Generally, we always leave some green below the cut.

Do not overwater! Give it a bit of a high N fertilizer.

And hope.

 

[JudyB]

And maybe some bottom heat?? I've found this to be a real pick-me-up for ailing trees...

 

[Harunobu]

Cutting back to no foliage isn't the problem. The time and the following winter are.

It is in kanuma soil so cannot possibly overwatered. Also fertilizing a tree that doesnt' seem to emerge from dormancy doesn't make sense.

 

[Smoke]

Cutting back to no foliage isn't the problem. The time and the following winter are.

It is in kanuma soil so cannot possibly overwatered. Also fertilizing a tree that doesnt' seem to emerge from dormancy doesn't make sense.

I concur also.