Anybody have tried an Azalea Fusion ?

[onlyrey]

Has anybody tried here to fuse azaleas ? Maybe two with different flower colors (instead of grafting), and also to get a larger trunk faster ?

I found two instances in the internets:

1. Redit (2 years ago, unknown where it went).
2. Mangetsu azalea from bonsai fusion (4 years ago, not sure where it is at now).

Thanks

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I have heard vague mention that it can be done. I do not recall any actual examples beyond the 'Mangetsu' you linked to above. I've seen no recent updates on that 'Mangetsu'

I forget Greg Wentzel's user name on BNut, I believe he occasionally lurks here, and occasionally posts on BNut. But I don't recall seeing anything by him recently.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Gosh, you have to love the idea of an experiment! I don't see why this wouldn't work. However there are a multiple potentially complex issues to be concerned about.... and some further thoughts...

1. All azaleas trunk bark textures are not alike. Thus unless one was going for a "special effect" then you'd have to match the trunk characteristics closely. Otherwise one would likely end up with "clown's pants" trunks
2. All azalea cultivar trunks grow at different rates. You'd have to match two similar growing trunks or you'd get a Hi-Lo effect. Even so, you might want to test trunk growth rates in your area, in a specific medium for a match... say an Eikan with an Minato (given all else is the same - which it isn't.)
3. All flower size, shape, blooming times and colors do not match, thus you'd want to be really careful to get a match there too. Otherwise the results would likely end up to be "clowns shirt"
4. Then there are the leaf types and sizes.... the list goes on.
5. Finally there's the fact that multicolored azaleas like satsuki are already created to exhibit different colors with leaf, flower etc matches... and it might just be better to try to attempt to fuse a fast growing satsuki cultivar with its own kind to see if you could pull off the increased trunk size and pruning for effect afterwards.

Otherwise you could just get creative with multiple trunk fusion in a different plane. Professor Mel Goldstein picked this group below in Japan during a trip many years ago with Dave Kreutz and really styled it into something special. Really cool double clump... or something. Its in the group of satsuki he donated to U Mich recently. (photo with permission by M. Goldstein)

Cheers
DSD sends