my survivor azalea (not satsuki)

[barrosinc]

Well... azaleas are my favorite, but I had a bad time keeping them alive.

I followed JohnG tutorial but left too much root mass.

So here is one that has been with me for a couple of years.



first chop, a lot of the roots were lower down on the root mass:




a lot of clipping and growing for the next years:















so finally I put it in a bonsai pot:

 

[just.wing.it]

Oh yeah!
Well done!
It looks great, I love the gnarly look to the base.
Blooms are awesome to see in late Sept!

 

[barrosinc]

Oh yeah!
Well done!
It looks great, I love the gnarly look to the base.
Blooms are awesome to see in late Sept!

well I do live in the southern hemisphere... so it is kinda normal, bloomed early in the season but took ages to get all flowers open. Not all ever opened but I wanted to gt some more ramification.

 

[just.wing.it]

well I do live in the southern hemisphere... so it is kinda normal, bloomed early in the season but took ages to get all flowers open. Not all ever opened but I wanted to gt some more ramification.

Haha!, I know...I rely on you guys to brighten up my off seasons!

I have 3 now, one satsuki that I'm building ramification on and chasing back, and the other is a gumpo pink with the same treatment, and I have a Girard's crimson which I want to grow for blooms...only had a few this year though...

I use John G's method on them as well.
Can't wait to do more next year...gotta find a nice one!

 

[Carol 83]

Really nice job. It's beautiful.

 

[barrosinc]

It really needs more of a shape to the tree... but it still has a couple of years on work on that side.
It leans to the left, too much.

I would really like some constructive criticism on shape, pot, etc...
I cannot shove it lower in the pot sadly... the top part has a lot of dead roots, like an exposed root azalea.

 

[sorce]

I love the left lean, the many small roots on the right have a purpose holding that lean.

A few years separation of the branches and flowers and this image is lovely.
How the young branches come through the flowers so green is beautiful.

After ramification, if you use BVFs "leave one flower per" technique...
We will be looking at a similair ratio of pink and green, which is perfect right now, only with thicker branches and a bit more peek in...

It will be lovely!

Max...I will reword this a thousand times if necessary for you to understand!

I know you as a photographer. So that's kind of where I gather you get this attention to detail.

I would simply look at it thru a lens, and envision the pot you would like to photograph.

It's crazy Cuz following Barrosinc, you will find 50% of the posts about crazy dying new projects where Max is like, "hello, does anyone hear me"..

And 50% just wicked crazy beautiful ass awesomeness!

Very impressive!

Over time....
If you can get about 1inch off the roots, and get it into a pot about 1/2in shorter, I think you'll be good.

I'm seeing a white pot.
Mostly inside the "bonsai aquarium " where the lighting will shine a bright white glaze where it reaches thru the canopy.

Pics!

Sorce

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Marvelous recovery. Nice save. As wonderful as it looks now, if it were mine I'd ground layer to improve the nebari. If not this year, sometime in the future, maybe 2 years from now In the meantime, enjoy the lovely flowers.

I would layer only a little above the current soil line. Keep as much root flare as you can.

 

[Giga]

Looks good!

 

[barrosinc]

Marvelous recovery. Nice save. As wonderful as it looks now, if it were mine I'd ground layer to improve the nebari. If not this year, sometime in the future, maybe 2 years from now In the meantime, enjoy the lovely flowers.

I would layer only a little above the current soil line. Keep as much root flare as you can.

I am so bad at layering that just thinking about trying it on this tree spooks me out.

I love the left lean, the many small roots on the right have a purpose holding that lean.

A few years separation of the branches and flowers and this image is lovely.
How the young branches come through the flowers so green is beautiful.

After ramification, if you use BVFs "leave one flower per" technique...
We will be looking at a similair ratio of pink and green, which is perfect right now, only with thicker branches and a bit more peek in...

It will be lovely!

Max...I will reword this a thousand times if necessary for you to understand!

I know you as a photographer. So that's kind of where I gather you get this attention to detail.

I would simply look at it thru a lens, and envision the pot you would like to photograph.

It's crazy Cuz following Barrosinc, you will find 50% of the posts about crazy dying new projects where Max is like, "hello, does anyone hear me"..

And 50% just wicked crazy beautiful ass awesomeness!

Very impressive!

Over time....
If you can get about 1inch off the roots, and get it into a pot about 1/2in shorter, I think you'll be good.

I'm seeing a white pot.
Mostly inside the "bonsai aquarium " where the lighting will shine a bright white glaze where it reaches thru the canopy.

Pics!

Sorce

I have always liked azaleas in unglazed pots I don't know why...
It is still in its first steps as a bonsai
But thanks for your words! I hope I don't come out as an attention seeker hahahha

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Would the azaleas simply root from having soil touching the trunk? Either way, I think this one could benefit from having the soil line raised.

 

[sorce]

I hope I don't come out as an attention seeker hahahha

Hell nah!

You do dope shit and are cool as hell!

Sorce

 

[barrosinc]

I cut the flowers of shortly after the pic, it came back off like if nothing had happened.

 

[Bonsai toto]

love this kind of thread. progress pic.
thanks for sharing.
cheers

 

[barrosinc]

Almost there for this year!

 

[queenofsheba52]

It's going to be an astounding show of beauty!

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I love big floofy double flowers, nice

 

[barrosinc]

Its like 10 days away of being worthy of a real photograph

 

[0soyoung]

I love big floofy double flowers, nice

I was trying to think of words, then I saw yours. Leo. Over your possible objections,
@barrosinc, ditto.

Its like 10 days away of being worthy of a real photograph

I'm not going to hold my breath, but I'm eager for it to be Wednesday, 12 Sep!!

 

[barrosinc]

Here is 2018...
I went on holidays for too long and the flowers are past prime time.

Help me choose the front.