Hi no maru & Suzu no homare

[baron]

Bought these two Satsuki a little while ago at The Trophy. I removed a few of the flower buds where there were two or more. As you can see, they certainly reacted to that
I planned on leaving them for the rest of the year, style them next winter and repot the spring after, but they are so vigorous... and my hands are itching to get to know them.
However as these weren't exactly cheap (not that expensive either) I just wanted to make sure my actions are correct.
I don't want to mess them up, so hopefully you guys can answer a few questions and help me out again.

I know it is too late to repot now, but wouldn't it make sense to make use of their vigor now and repot after flowering?
Or would it be better for the tree to style them first after flowering, let the recover and then repot next spring?

Also because of the bud removal there is a lot of new growth already. Should I trim it back already to free up the flowers?
Or would that be stupid if I do repot in about two months?

I do believe it is better to repot in spring before they flower so they recover better without the summer heat.


Hi no maru


Suzu no homare

 

[Doug J]

I believe that normally Satsuki are transplanted after flowering.

 

[0soyoung]

because of the bud removal there is a lot of new growth already.

This is the normal satsuki growth habit and not a consequence of removing flower buds. Satsuki normally produce a flush prior to flowering and then again afterward.

I do believe it is better to repot in spring before they flower so they recover better without the summer heat.

Your personal comfort has nothing to do with the life of plants. The rate of growth of most plants increases with increasing temperature up to about 95F/35C. Hotter than this, they actually release more carbon (as carbon dioxide from metabolic activity) than they fix because of the saturation of RuBisCo activity.

Personally, I prefer repotting and pruning after blooming. I also like Aug/Sep for digging/repotting all varieties of azalea far more than before blooming (but this is my 'personal problem').

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

In spring, Satsuki grow foliage for about 4 weeks, give or take a few weeks. Then vegetative growth pauses, usually sometime in May or June. Then they bloom. Then vegetative growth resumes.

Kurume type azalea, bloom as soon as they come out of dormancy. Then after blooming, vegetative growth begins, continuing through the summer.

There are many hybrids between the two groups, and various in between patterns of growth.

If vegetative growth is your main concern, and you are going to remove all the flower buds to keep the energy going into vegetative growth, for example in a young Satsuki that needs bulking up, or serious work on styling, repotting in early spring, after last frost, but before growth begins, this is an ideal time to repot. So early spring is good, but remove all flower buds.

After blooming is the most frequently recommend time to repot. This allows you to enjoy the blooms. I usually remove spent flowers and unopened buds after about half the blooms have past their prime, about half have started to wilt. If you wait, the azalea burns too much energy to risk repotting. So remove unopened flowers, fertilizer immediately. Wait about 2 weeks to let the tree switch to vegetative growth, then repot.

I also repot much later in summer, maybe a week before the autumnal equinox. Warning, late repotting is not for Satsuki that are going to experience prolonged cold. Only good for mild climates or Satsuki that are given winter protection.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

So the summary is you can repot just about any time, if your follow up care is good.

 

[baron]

This is the normal satsuki growth habit and not a consequence of removing flower buds. Satsuki normally produce a flush prior to flowering and then again afterward.

Your personal comfort has nothing to do with the life of plants.

I knew they grow/bloom/grow. But when looking at the new growth it seems to me they all emerge from where I removed the buds. Guess that's just coincidence.
I don't want to do it for my personal comfort.

I believe that normally Satsuki are transplanted after flowering.

I know that, but recently more and more people are advising to repot earlier (ie before bloom). For example Peter Warren on the Mirai live stream, hence why I asked.

So the summary is you can repot just about any time, if your follow up care is good.

I assumed as much.

 

[Doug J]

I knew they grow/bloom/grow. But when looking at the new growth it seems to me they all emerge from where I removed the buds. Guess that's just coincidence.
I don't want to do it for my personal comfort.



I know that, but recently more and more people are advising to repot earlier (ie before bloom). For example Peter Warren on the Mirai live stream, hence why I asked.



I assumed as much.

I guess my question is...if you knew, then why did you ask? Seems by your responses that you know everything already.

 

[baron]

Guess I just wanted some confirmation..
Which I got in another thread https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/trunk-chopping-azalea.38033/post-642030

 

[JudyB]

So early spring is good, but remove all flower buds.

Problem is with Satsuki, there are no flower buds in early spring. So this means as soon as the first veg buds are open and the flower buds show up right? That for me has not happened yet, so it seems more like late spring. Just making sure I'm understanding correctly.

 

[baron]

Problem is with Satsuki, there are no flower buds in early spring. So this means as soon as the first veg buds are open and the flower buds show up right? That for me has not happened yet, so it seems more like late spring. Just making sure I'm understanding correctly.

There should be flower buds tho. They get set during the summer.
Hence why @Mellow Mullet said "Regular pruning for shape can be done all year, except you need to stop after June if you want flowers, this may vary based on climate (the flowers deadline)." Else you prune the flower buds for next year off.

 

[baron]

Flower buds early March.


It's pushing new growth now, but will stop and flower soon I think.

 

[JudyB]

the first buds I see on my Kozan when they open are leaf buds. Then they set the flowers. hm.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

the first buds I see on my Kozan when they open are leaf buds. Then they set the flowers. hm.

Really? That’s new to me. All the azaleas I’ve worked with sets flower buds this year to open next year. Satsuki just start the season by growing first, then flowering; Kurume flower first, then grow.

 

[0soyoung]

the first buds I see on my Kozan when they open are leaf buds. Then they set the flowers. hm.

Look closely. I think you will see that the growth comes from axillary buds behind the tip (which doesn't push because it is a flower bud --> any tip that pushes will not have flowers).

 

[Potawatomi13]

Itching hands are the Devils tools. Patience the essence of wisdom. Bonsai is not a sprint but a marathon.

 

[JudyB]

Really? That’s new to me. All the azaleas I’ve worked with sets flower buds this year to open next year. Satsuki just start the season by growing first, then flowering; Kurume flower first, then grow.

Look closely. I think you will see that the growth comes from axillary buds behind the tip (which doesn't push because it is a flower bud --> any tip that pushes will not have flowers).

I am obviously not looking closely enough.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I usually am so busy in spring, I am thankful for the trees that will survive late summer repotting. I also am thankful, being close to Lake Michigan, it is rare, that I get Temperatures over 90 F, or rare over 32 C. At my Illinois home, we average less than 10 days over 90 F. Where the farm is in Michigan, 2018 we had zero days over 90 F. So summer heat and heat induced dormancy is not the an issue I encounter very often, making repotting of many species easier at off season times of year than one might expect. Of course, in my climate Satsuki are protected all winter, so the recommendation to protect summer repotted trees from extreme cold is followed automatically, because a Chicago winter is so cold it would kill a Satsuki dead.

 

[JudyB]

This is the normal satsuki growth habit and not a consequence of removing flower buds. Satsuki normally produce a flush prior to flowering and then again afterward

So since they produce a flush before and after, is it ok to do a reasonable pruning prior to flowering, knowing that it will flush again? I have a tree that is very vigorous and the first flush is too long and will obscure flowers in addition to being too long. I plan to get it repotted after flowering.

 

[0soyoung]

So since they produce a flush before and after, is it ok to do a reasonable pruning prior to flowering, knowing that it will flush again? I have a tree that is very vigorous and the first flush is too long and will obscure flowers in addition to being too long. I plan to get it repotted after flowering.

Sure, though it is a bit tedious just snipping one shoot at a time. Mine also put out a last little burst in fall, well after flower bud set that tends to make it look quite shaggy. So I do this tedious bit then. Spring, before blooming is not so bad in my climate.

 

[JudyB]

Sure, though it is a bit tedious just snipping one shoot at a time. Mine also put out a last little burst in fall, well after flower bud set that tends to make it look quite shaggy. So I do this tedious bit then. Spring, before blooming is not so bad in my climate.

It's just this one tree, it's a double lavender flower, and for some reason it's just extremely happy right now. Thanks for the answer!