Too good to pass? Azalea

[shinmai]

Just got this (im in the UK, for £3.50) what a steal. Not sure about the nebari & trunk/trunks but anyway, ill find out later once I repot. It had a lot of weeds too. Do azaleas prefer a particular soil ph or would a normal bonsai soil mix be fine for it? And should I be spraying it with a fungicide?
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They need acidic soil, and fertilizer for acid-loving plants. If ‘twere me, I’d put it in straight Kanuma, and use Miracid [or whatever equivalent you have over there]. Kanuma is almost impossible to over-water, BTW.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Azalea 'Elsie Lee's with the lavender blooms is a good one. Growth habit is medium size, very winter hardy for an azalea, usually able to survive a Chicago winter.

I had an 'Elsie Lee' for a number of years, it was coming along nicely. Lost it during one of my health episodes.

Satsuki azaleas will have smaller leaves, finer branching, but they are not fully hardy in the Chicago area.

 

[Danny Tuckey]

They need acidic soil, and fertilizer for acid-loving plants. If ‘twere me, I’d put it in straight Kanuma, and use Miracid [or whatever equivalent you have over there]. Kanuma is almost impossible to over-water, BTW.

Thanks. I've ordered a bag of kanuma, will get here in a week. You reckon I should repot it asap or wait till late winter/early spring while feeding it to get stronger.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Woah, a Grant note!
I thought Home Depot in Columbia was expensive!
Over here 50 will get you 2-3 that size....and 5-6 that size if you wait till the end of season sales!
Nice color though, it's a beautiful one!

I could have gotten ten for that at the flea market, maybe more. The price was very high for that one, but the important this is that you are happy with the purchase. We have all bought tree for too much at one time or another.

 

[just.wing.it]

I could have gotten ten for that at the flea market, maybe more. The price was very high for that one, but the important this is that you are happy with the purchase. We have all bought tree for too much at one time or another.

No, dude youre right... Definitely done that ...
I thought Maryland was expensive until I saw this ....then I put 2 and 2 together...
Of course, what can you expect...

I just moved into my new place today, and it's a bit more on the rural side than before...
I have a nearby garden center to check out soon...and there's a BBQ hut in the parking lot!
Jackpot!

 

[sorce]

For the Chirecord....

The plants at the depot are generally shit compared to these...

The difference between planting a garden for this year...(new construction) with these..

And whenever you get the shrub healthy enough to be full and pretty, if it lives...with the depot plants.

The $ is different for good reason. IMO.

But.....

We're not talking landscaping....

For near any tree.. BUT ESPECIALLY for Azalea....

It is crucial to find the "ugly duckling".
The trunk that lacks branching.
The trunk that is not a "full plantable garden shrub".

And After flowering when they are 50% off.

It is rare rare rare that you will ever find an azalea by seeing a bunch of well bloomed flowers....
It's almost always a sign of a shitty tree for bonsai.
After some thousand peeks under the hood...
I don't even waste time with it anymore.

Note....
Azalea is on the list of plants that WILL NOT MAKE IT THRU A CHICAGO SEASON CHANGE IN A BLACK POT.

I think it has something to do with the mixture of wet nursery soil...green Fert balls and the multiple freeze thaw cycles....

And if you have to dig to find the Nebari...
You might as well skip it cuz its near impossible to reveal it without damaging the bark/roots.

The fat trunks tend to be already exposed anyway....with a need to recover the roots.
I don't know why this is...
But I assure you it is.

Azalea in Chicago is like lowered taxes...
A Fucking pipedream.

Elaeagnus species....these are our Azalea.
We must find flower and berry interest elsewhere...
Ribes works for me too, they grow thru winter!

What do you call our weather yesterday?

Did you peep the fog on the lake?

It was like "winter" again...
Or was that our one day of spring?
After 3 weeks of mid summer in "spring".
I'm checking the forecast for snow.

Sorce

 

[shinmai]

Thanks. I've ordered a bag of kanuma, will get here in a week. You reckon I should repot it asap or wait till late winter/early spring while feeding it to get stronger.

Now. You can cut the root mass down by two thirds or more. Wash away as much nursery soil as you can, but it need not be surgically clean. If your pot isn’t amply big, you can cut triangular wedges from the edge of the root mass toward the center to make space for more soil—try to have a half-inch perimeter or more of Kanuma, and a thin layer underneath. You can cut a chopstick and lay two pieces on the root mass unde the wire if need be to keep it from cutting into the roots. Make sure to mound the Kanuma up a bit if there’s a hollow under the base, but usually mine are flat on the bottom because I cut the mass straight across with an old serrated kitchen knife.
Good luck. I’ll send pics of mine as promised. Can’t wait to see how yours looks in a year. Cheers.