SeanS’s 2020-2025 contest azalea entry

[SeanS]

That said, at this point you are doing some good things horticulturall. Well done!

cheers
DSD sends

Thank you! Everyday I get a bit better at pouring water on the soil

 

[Harunobu]

Great feedback @Harunobu, thank you!
I want a small tight dome of foliage and flowers, a classic dome shohin/mame azalea. That’s why I’m wondering about shortening or removing that second “trunk”. I could chop it just above that first set of buds and use those extensions to fill in the right side as a second pad above the main right branch. But I’ll let it grow for now and make a decision next season.
Or should I take it down now already?

I am not sure of the upsides or downsides of reducing it at this point. The upside could be that if you remove it, the vigor directed at all new buds will now go to just the buds closer in. And they will elongate quicker. The upside behind keeping it is that it allows for more buds, so more shoots, so more leaves. It is probably best to let this plant grow freely for a season. And then next year, cut it back to encourage better ramification to get a dome shape. Alternatively, you could already go in during mid summer and cut each shoot back to two leaves.

This is a 5 year competition. But yeah there could be a bit of a problem with the step splitting up into three equally strong trunks. The middle one ideally is the dominant one. And if grown that way, the fact that the two side-branches are so thick and both emerge at the same spot is a bit problematic.

If you take the picture where the roots are visible, you can see some slight reverse taper as the main trunk gets fatter, until the two side-branches split off.
If this was a long-term project, you would put it in the full ground, and grow out the central trunk a lot, while keeping the two side branches in check. And fatten up the central trunk. And at some point probably remove one or both of these two side-branches. Like DSD said, it is a bit of a wheel spoke, before it splits into 3 equal trunks at that point.

Probably for the competition it is worth it to keep it the way you styled, but remove the long straight up section discussed earlier. But the downside is that if you then go further with it long-term, it will take longer to fix the triple point/reserve taper section.

Are those fertilizer bags? Those scare me a bit, but that's me. I'd put them back on once it has lots of leaves.

 

[SeanS]

We’ve got leaves!

 

[Pitoon]

Spring is here and your azalea could be blooming (depending on your location) or starting to leaf out with this season’s flush……it’s time for updates!

I would also like to add at this time we have 3 prizes to award. Many thanks to @Forsoothe! and @Deep Sea Diver for donating. I am also donating a prize as well.

If you are no longer interested in continuing in the Azalea Contest, please let me know so we can close your thread, thanks.

 

[SeanS]

Spring is here and your azalea could be blooming (depending on your location) or starting to leaf out with this season’s flush……it’s time for updates!

I would also like to add at this time we have 3 prizes to award. Many thanks to @Forsoothe! and @Deep Sea Diver for donating. I am also donating a prize as well.

If you are no longer interested in continuing in the Azalea Contest, please let me know so we can close your thread, thanks.

@Pitoon I too can’t wait for our Southern Hemisphere spring! But a fall/autumn update this weekend will have to do! Can you hold out until then?

 

[Pitoon]

@Pitoon I too can’t wait for our Southern Hemisphere spring! But a fall/autumn update this weekend will have to do! Can you hold out until then?

Sure, post as soon as you can. Thanks!

 

[SeanS]

Here’s where I’m at going into spring 2021

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Nicely done!

That’s a really awesome red color you have there!

cheers
DSD sends

 

[SeanS]

Nicely done!

That’s a really awesome red color you have there!

cheers
DSD sends

Thanks @Deep Sea Diver
Besides pruning off a bit of the middle trunk and wiring shoots I don’t really know what I’m doing with azaleas. I’ve read and watched as much as I can, but I’m still a little in the dark regarding how to develop them. I’ll let it flower and then wire the next set of shoots this season. Do I prune the elongated shoots back once they’ve gained some thickness and the movement has set?
I’m a lot more familiar with deciduous development

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Ok, here’s my ideas.. anyone else with other ideas, please chime in.

Looks like you have an idea where you are going with the design, major movement right, smaller left creating a rough acute? triangle. Now I’d develop some height and separation between branches and continue the over all lopsided triangle shape … when viewed from the front.

Later on… Basically one continues to grow the primary and secondary structure with a decreasing undulating movement as each branch lengthens, encouraging branching off of the outside of the branch bends to eventually create a general leaf shape for each branching. Pull off any growth going up, down or inside bends and on the trunk

As each branch gets to your desired design length and style… and some will take longer then others, stop the tip growth. As each tertiary branch lengthens to desired length, stop the tip growth. The stopping action will force the growth backwards, increasing back budding. That’s how the branch will begin to fill out, producing more 3rd and 4th level etc growth.

Later…. next summer or maybe next later, because the growth will accelerate from here on out, you will reach your final dimensions. Then the type of pruning will become a bit more technical. Yet by then I figure you will have gained sufficient vision in your design that it will be just a matter of learning after flowering technique.

There’s some really great folks with threads here like @Brian Van Fleet, to name only one to get you started, that have some awesome photos coupled with information you might considering persuing In the interim.

Hope this helps.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[SeanS]

I HAVE FLOWERS!!!

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Really nice @SeanS!

I always look forward to seeing the folks south of the equator posting flower shots in the late summer early fall!

Those flowers look an awful lot like Gumpo.

Cheers
DSD sends