I need HELP with my satsuki azalea

[Slmr38]

Hi everyone,

I am relatively new to the bonsai world (since Sept) and I have a satsuki azalea that was purchased in remembrance of a friends family member so it has tons of sentimental value. It had been doing really well until recently. I bought bonsai fertilizer (probably part of my mistake) and applied that a week or so ago, I don't think the plant responded well and a lot of the tiny new growth wilted and had to be removed. I also picked as many tiny beads of fertilizer out of the plant as I could.

I'm also having problems with tiny bugs in the soil (I'm thinking soil aphids?) That I can't get rid of. I've been treating them with a homemade mixture of dish soap, water, and oil but that isn't helping. I then tried store bought insecticidal soap but panicked after I read that azaleas can be sensitive to that so i rinsed it off (and am currently still panicking haha). One half of the plant looks more healthy than the other. Any feedback or recommendations for treatment options that won't hurt my plant would be greatly appreciated! I've attached pictures for reference!

- Stephanie

 

[0soyoung]

I cannot tell anything about your substrate/soil, but the symptoms are those of a broken down, over-watered, organic (potting) soil. I think it highly unlikely those bugs coming out of the soil are the prestigius root aphids that attack JBP roots. But, maybe they are, if your satsuki came from California.

Unless you know it is in a fresh inorganic substrate, I would be repotting it into such (Turface MVP from Ewing Irrigation or John Deere Landscape OR Diatomaceous Earth as NAPA 8822 or O'Reiley's Optisorb or Down to Earth's DE Rock) will do well for now. Lift the azalea out of its pot and literally wash out the dirt. If you look closely at the roots, you will probably see the ones under the no-so-good parts are different from the others (in which case they are likely dead). Gently comb through these mostly dead roots until they are looking like the rest (barring density). Now repot it using your good inorganic substrate. Make sure there is a thin layer of substrate atop the root pad. Water and water again, probably daily. You should note that the water rapidly runs through the pot = good. Cut back on watering if it isn't perking up. Water immediately if you see the nice leaves begin to sag - they should perk up within an hour or two.

Lastly, satsukis do well in full shade outdoors which is about 10X brighter than high-level indoor lighting = not good enough. Keep it outside if/when your climate permits. Else you will be investing in grow lights to keep it.

Lastly, if my conjectures don't match up with the reality of what you have, disregard my 'advice'.

 

[Slmr38]

Ok, so, I had no idea that bonsai don't do well in typical soil. I'm almost positive that is what all 3 of my bonsai are potted in. Do i need to make a mixture of those inorganic materials or just pick one? Are there any premade bonsai soils you recommend or should I stick with the above recommendation? I had no idea bonsai or any plant really could live not in what we think of as regular soil.
I have never repotted a bonsai before, I know they are wired in the pot, will it be self explanatory how to wire it back in once I get it out?

Also, my azalea gets a few hours of direct sun on my patio every day is that bad? Should it be in full shade always? It seems to like the sun.


Thank you so much for your help @Mellow Mullet , I feel so much better.

 

[0soyoung]

Ok, so, I had no idea that bonsai don't do well in typical soil. I'm almost positive that is what all 3 of my bonsai are potted in.

They will be fine for a time. The problem is that organic soils break down into finer and finer particles, eventually 'clodding' up into a dense sticky glob, at which point the roots no longer get any vital oxygen from the air and die. Likewise, if the soil is kept too wet, the roots literally drown. Good inorganic substrates, don't have this problem.

Do i need to make a mixture of those inorganic materials or just pick one? Are there any premade bonsai soils you recommend or should I stick with the above recommendation?

Just pick one. I grow everything in Turface MVP (some others will tell you it is heresy). Many BNutters grow in DE. Just buy a bag of whatever you can get. No mix is necessary though you may later choose to mix stuff to tailor the substrate's characteristics to meet your convenience. NAPA and O'Reiley are autoparts stores. They sell DE to sop up oil spills. Turface is marketed to sop up water on athletic fields. One of them should available 'just down the street' from you. Likewise, you may find Down to Earth's stuff ar a nearby garden center. You could even use some fresh potting soil, but you will be fighting this same problem again in a year or so. So, I encourage you to make the switch, but you don't have to if you don't want to.

I have never repotted a bonsai before, I know they are wired in the pot, will it be self explanatory how to wire it back in once I get it out?

It would be self-explanatory, but now you have me concerned. The pot does indeed have a drain hole - right? You see wire ends on the underside? If no hole, get a pot with one. If no wire ends, it probably isn't wired into the pot now. In any case, run something like a knife or hacksaw blade around the perimeter of the pot, between the soil and the pot wall. Then the roots and soil should just pop right out. Likely it will all be in one piece, so you can simply stick it back in the pot (knowing what you now know from this inspection) and continue making preparations for your first repotting of this azalea.

The particles of inorganic substrates don't stick together like dirt does, so there will be nothing to prevent the roots from being damaged by wiggling or even to keep the plant from being just bumped right out of the pot. So the plant must be wired into the pot. The Bonsai Tonight and Nebari Bonsai blogs have posted pseudo-tutorials/reviews of the authors repotting their bonsai that you may want to read before you dive in.

Also, my azalea gets a few hours of direct sun on my patio every day is that bad? Should it be in full shade always? It seems to like the sun.

Okay, I thought you might be trying to keep it indoors because of the foliage color. In my experience, it should be a rich ,deep green.

 

[0soyoung]

Thank you so much for your help @Mellow Mullet , I feel so much better.

Ahhhh. I get it.
You started two different threads with slightly different titles. John responded on the other thread.

 

[Slmr38]

Haha, the pot definitely has drainage holes, and the tree is wired in. Everything I have read/watched says to cut the wire to get the tree out, what type of wire should i use to wire it back in or does it matter?

 

[Slmr38]

Ahhhh. I get it.
You started two different threads with slightly different titles. John responded on the other thread.

Yeah I'm sorry about that. I am totally new to the site and was panicking when I saw my azalea lastnight after work so I wasn't sure where to post/ the likelihood of anyone responding but thank you so much to everyone, all the advice has been so helpful and I am no longer freaking out (as much haha)

 

[0soyoung]

Haha, the pot definitely has drainage holes, and the tree is wired in. Everything I have read/watched says to cut the wire to get the tree out, what type of wire should i use to wire it back in or does it matter?

Yes, cut the wire before trying to pop it out.
Aluminum or copper. I most often use 2 mm Al but sometimes some Cu I pulled off a tree. It doesn't need to be annealed.
Exactly what you use isn't terribly important, though I will say I didn't care for using steel wire for this purpose.

 

[Slmr38]

Yes, cut the wire before trying to pop it out.
Aluminum or copper. I most often use 2 mm Al but sometimes some Cu I pulled off a tree. It doesn't need to be annealed.
Exactly what you use isn't terribly important, though I will say I didn't care for using steel wire for this purpose.

Maybe this is a silly question but I'm going to ask it anyway, I don't have a little bonsai tool kit, a) do I need one? And b) is it ok to trim the roots if I need to with a nice pair of regular scissors or do I need anything special? I think the roots are suffering on the side of the plant that isn't doing well, do I just trim those back so they can start growing again?

 

[0soyoung]

The only bonsai official tool I have is a concave cutter. Otherwise I use standard garden stuff: a grafting knife, a Felco pruner, a small saw, plain ole household pliers, a small needle nose plier, a common blunt nose wire cutter. a steel root hook (chop sticks work very well for this purpose), and 'disposable' garden scissors. I've even use hedge shears from time to time.

Sure, ordinary household scissors should work. I use the cheapies because often I wind up cutting some substrate particles as well as root, which, of course, quickly dulls them. I just get another cheapie scissor and toss the old one instead of fussing over resharpening (that will quickly become necessary with more prestigious ones).

Azaleas make a hairy mat of fine roots - these are the ones that do the work, the bigger, more 'rooty' ones are just pipelines. It is a better practice to only cut out wedges of the mat, though satsukis are generally more forgiving of aggressive root work than other azalea varieties. Likewise, if you try to comb them, don't be ripping away at them; just gently comb/brush. I suggest that you first gently comb through the (suspected) bad area.. Dead stuff will readily break off, so it will give you a better idea of how much trouble you've got (diagnostic). Then cut away given this knowledge. But if it is obvious, it is obvious - no need for rituals.

You might also get some 3% hydrogen peroxide from your grocery/pharmacy. Make a solution of 2 tablespoons peroxide in a quart of water and dip your azalea roots in it before you start potting it back up. This will nix any root rot fungi/spores as well as soil-borne bacteria. This also works well as a general purpose antifungal spay - won't harm anything your are trying to grow. As a root drench, you can make the solution as strong as a quarter cup to a quart (any stronger and it may damaging good stuff). Very eco-friendly, though, because peroxide releases reactive oxygen (to kill the bad guys) and becomes just water.

btw, not stupid

 

[Adair M]

I have found that azalea roots are too “solid” to comb out at all. “Solid”, like a loofa that you bathe with. So, I don’t even try to separate them, just cut the rootball flat across the bottom with sharp scissors.

Azalea are strange little plants. In some ways they are really tough, and some ways they are really sensitive! First of all, be aware they really are not trees! They are shrubs that are trained to look like trees. Trees typically try to grow tall. Azalea would rather grow wide. Tress typically grow a single trunk. Azalea tend to grow dozens of small trunks right at the soil line.

They are typically evergreen. Yet, you can them back to where they have hardly any leaves, and they will respond by backbudding everywhere!

The bark is very thin. If you remove a branch, cut it off flush to the trunk, but don’t leave a knob, nor leave a concave cut neither will “heal” over. but a flush cut will! If it’s sealed.

So, there’s a lot of differences between keeping azalea as bonsai and other trees like Maples as bonsai

 

[JudyB]

Good tip Adair! Didn’t know about the flush cut.

 

[Adair M]

Good tip Adair! Didn’t know about the flush cut.

Yeah, it’s true.

Seal it first with TopJin. The orange stuff. It has some antibacterial and antifungal properties. It’s has the consistency of Elmer’s glue. It takes 24 hours to dry. Make sure to completely cover all the cut, and especially the green cambium line.

It’s great stuff, but it’s orange, and somewhat water soluable, so rain and watering can loosen it.

So, after the 24 hours are up, cover the TopJin with the grey putty cut paste. That will cover over the orange and make it look better, and will also protect the TopJin, so it can continue to help the azalea callous over.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Ahhhh. I get it.
You started two different threads with slightly different titles. John responded on the other thread.

I am glad you figured it out, I was reading through the thread again and was wondering if I had lost my mind, I did not remember seeing a lot of the content and what I thought I had posted was missing. Funny.

 

[Fonz]

Around here people swear by using 100% kanuma as soil for azaleas. Something with ph values. What's the deal with that?

Edit: nevermind, I just read the other thread