Kadebe Azalea 2020-2025 Contest Entry ***DROPPED OUT***

[Kadebe]

Been to a nursery today. Seeing some azaleas, I remembered the contest.
I'm a total newbie and been absorbing all the information about bonsai for two months now... but I thought to myself...what better way to learn bonsai than to participate in a contest
So I bought two azalea's
I hope they survive the winter.

Azalea Japonica "Blauwe Donau"



I hope it's not too late to participate

 

[Clorgan]

Been to a nursery today. Seeing some azaleas, I remembered the contest.
I'm a total newbie and been absorbing all the information about bonsai for two months now... but I thought to myself...what better way to learn bonsai than to participate in a contest
So I bought two azalea's
I hope they survive the winter.

Azalea Japonica "Blauwe Donau"

View attachment 318416

I hope it's not too late to participate

Nice!

Welcome! I'm pretty new too, so can't provide any helpful advice really...but if you haven't already, have a good look through all the azalea contest threads. Some amazing advice on there, for example on mine @Harunobu (azalea guru it seems!) helped me out a lot with a timeline of repotting and such. Might find some of the answers to questions you have without having to ask the questions yourself

 

[Kadebe]

Nice!

Welcome! I'm pretty new too, so can't provide any helpful advice really...but if you haven't already, have a good look through all the azalea contest threads. Some amazing advice on there, for example on mine @Harunobu (azalea guru it seems!) helped me out a lot with a timeline of repotting and such. Might find some of the answers to questions you have without having to ask the questions yourself

Thanks for the advice.
I've already read a few posts about azalea. Yup, I noticed that @Haronubo seems to be the guru
For now, I'll let it acclimatise to the new environment. Within about 10 days I plan to prune it and place it in a wooden training box.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Greetings! I like your blauwe.

I’d like to see more pictures of the base. I can see MOST of it, and am likin’ it.. would just like to see what’s ALL going on at the soil level.

I do not believe it will be too late, @Pitoon will be along shortly.. I just RECENTLY replaced my deceased original entry..

When are you planning your “prune”? (Whoops I see it now)

What direction are you thinking of taking it?

 

[Kadebe]

Greetings! I like your blauwe.

I’d like to see more pictures of the base. I can see MOST of it, and am likin’ it.. would just like to see what’s ALL going on at the soil level.

I do not believe it will be too late, @Pitoon will be along shortly.. I just RECENTLY replaced my deceased original entry..

When are you planning your “prune”? (Whoops I see it now)

What direction are you thinking of taking it?

Thanks... I will place more pictures when I repot in about 10 days, maybe by the end of the week. Don't have a clue what direction I'm going with this one. I guess I'll study it this week and see how it goes with the repotting .
BTW... can we enter a second tree in the contest? If yes, have to start another thread I guess?

 

[HorseloverFat]

Thanks... I will place more pictures when I repot in about 10 days, maybe by the end of the week. Don't have a clue what direction I'm going with this one. I guess I'll study it this week and see how it goes with the repotting .
BTW... can we enter a second tree in the contest? If yes, have to start another thread I guess?

Awesome.. can’t wait to see.

And I think it is 1 tree entry per participant. (But don’t quote me)

Also.. do you have any “tree bandaids”?

 

[Kadebe]

Awesome.. can’t wait to see.

And I think it is 1 tree entry per participant. (But don’t quote me)

Also.. do you have any “tree bandaids”?

Nope... it will be alive or dead

 

[HorseloverFat]

Nope... it will be alive or dead

Ok, friend.

I know wound paste normally is a “some use it, some don’t” philosophy... but i feel it necessary to mention the fact that azaleas do not scar or “heal over”... and exposed inner “wood” is like an INTRA-Veinous “port” for fungal problems and decay...

I, also, was GOING to proceed without paste at first..

Then Original Leo @Leo in N E Illinois , told me:


With azalea ALWAYS use cut paste. Cut flush, do not indent into the trunk, any "scoop out" into the trunk will never heal. Leave a stub if you are not experienced at cutting flush, then come back the following year and cut flush.

The point was too many large wounds to heal all at once can result in either death of the trunk, or permanent open wounds that never heal. Deadwood and shari on azalea become the entry point for wood rots, often leading to the collapse & death of the tree. There are rare exceptions, but wide or large zones of deadwood on an azalea usually become a problem, often a terminal problem. One example of an exception is the shari in Brian van Fleet's "Ben Oki Kurume Azalea", that tree has a deadwood stripe up and down the trunk, and it seems long term stable. But the exception is just that, an exception. I lost several azaleas with "deadwood..

....

I just want success for you, and an trying to “arm you” with useful information.

 

[Kadebe]

With azalea ALWAYS use cut paste. Cut flush, do not indent into the trunk, any "scoop out" into the trunk will never heal. Leave a stub if you are not experienced at cutting flush, then come back the following year and cut flush.
....

I just want success for you, and an trying to “arm you” with useful information.

Well, I have wound paste.. and yes, I will use it

 

[HorseloverFat]

Well, I have wound paste.. and yes, I will use it

ok gotcha.. i think my numerous conversational “bounds lept” through quotation marks confused me!!!



Can’t wait to see how the “operation” goes.

(see, again! ...dang)

 

[Pitoon]

Been to a nursery today. Seeing some azaleas, I remembered the contest.
I'm a total newbie and been absorbing all the information about bonsai for two months now... but I thought to myself...what better way to learn bonsai than to participate in a contest
So I bought two azalea's
I hope they survive the winter.

Azalea Japonica "Blauwe Donau"

View attachment 318416

I hope it's not too late to participate

Welcome to the contest! You have until 2025 to create your masterpiece. Please ensure you read the rules entirely, and post progress pics of your plant.

 

[Kadebe]

Welcome to the contest! You have until 2025 to create your masterpiece. Please ensure you read the rules entirely, and post progress pics of your plant.

Thanks. I read the rules and have no questions

 

[Kadebe]

When I watered it yesterday, it didn't seem to absorb anything. The water stayed at the top of the pot for at least 2 minutes. So I decided to repot it.... I know... in fact not the right time to do it, but I risked it anyway

Separated the two trunks... So now I have two AJ Blauwe Donau

#1


#2


Hope they'll survive

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Hi @Kadebe , If you haven’t had a chance to yet, please to fill out the azalea media (substrate) poll.
My thanks and please disregard this note if you’ve already polled.
Cheers!
DSD sends

 

[Kadebe]

I was worried to play the lead role in next year's new movie "Honey, I shrunk and killed the azaleas".
But fortunately good news... they are still alive.



Next... the winter challenge

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Nice flowers!
Good going on getting your Blue Danube to back bud. Hopefully you’ll be able to multiply and harden these leaves off before the cooler fall weather kicks in. As a Japanica its not the hardiest azalea in the flock, whats your plan for this winter?
cheers
DSD sends

 

[Kadebe]

Nice flowers!
Good going on getting your Blue Danube to back bud. Hopefully you’ll be able to multiply and harden these leaves off before the cooler fall weather kicks in. As a Japanica its not the hardiest azalea in the flock, whats your plan for this winter?
cheers
DSD sends

No more plans this winter. Just let it survive . Fertilize until oktober.....take it inside when temps drop to 5C (41F)
Next spring I'll decide which one I'll keep for the contest (Guess can't have two trees in the contest). Then Clip and Grow.. not sure if I'll let it flower next year..
Currently #2 is my favorite

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Best roots always wins in a growing contest. I guess I should've asked "What's your location etc. for wintering over?"
cheers
DSD sends

 

[Harunobu]

Blue Danube is hardy to -18C according to Hachmann (in full ground). I'd leave it outside.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Blue Danube is hardy to -18C according to Hachmann (in full ground). I'd leave it outside.

Interesting... and I'm frankly confused about this..... cuz I got -5C off the Brit Royal Horticultural Site. Coastal areas only.
Then -27C on a US site and -20C on a growers site.... Interesting.
Could they be talking about a couple cultivars with the same name?
Best
DSD sends