What Am I Doing Wrong with my Satsukis

[Glaucus]

If you see liverworts and algae growing, then you may be watering too much.
Personally, I am really confused by people that say they killed satsuki by overwatering.
That only happens if you put the pot in a tray of with standing/stale water. Or if the soil is that compacted that it creates the same effect in the bottom of the pot.

DSD did an experiment on trying to hurt satsuki and give them root rot. Maybe dig up that thread and compare to your experience to satsuki you believe you killed by overwatering.


For sun stress, you will see more reddish pigment in especially the older leaves. Or browning sun scald effects. So it is not too much sun.
What the pure heat does in the shade, I do not know. But they are definitely way too hot to be growing.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

I've only seen my Kikusui go limp once, about a week after I slip potted it into a larger clay pot. I gave it a good watering and it perked back up no problem. Nothing else has ever lost turgidity on me which makes me believe if anything these are getting too much water.

Maybe, especially in the ones slip potted

All our 400+ satsuki and other azaleas are soaked thoroughly at each watering. The little guys are in a peat/perlite 60/40 mix, all the rest are in kanuma/pumice+biochar 90/10+. No root rot

I had a few satsukis last year that I definitely killed by over watering them so I always try to be more cognizant of not giving them too much.

Hmm… what was the media?

Here’s a tale to read through about root rot…

The Green Glow was one of the few plants that got a relatively hard cut back, but it's also the one that has had the most new growth on it.

The Green Glow clearly is showing micronutrient deficiency. If this was a repot it could be roots, media nutrition, water, or all as the leaves are saying there is not enough nutrients getting to the growing plant.

In this case I’d wait awhile and see if it progresses. If it doesnt change or gets worse we use a dilute solution of miracid…say 1/5th strength every 4 days and observe closely in between. Water before fertilization…. But this almost never happens here

(Also the plan is definitely to call Nuccio's and see if they have any ideas, I'll just have to call them during the week when they are open.)

Good idea, both Jim and Tom know azalea issues well.

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Do they add sodium hydroxide to prevent water pipe corrosion?

A lot depends on where the OP lives, and where his water utility/district gets their water. Here's part of the challenge of SoCal water. In the early days, when they weren't bringing enough water in from other sources, the SoCal aquifer was exhausted. Too many sources were pumping too much water out of the ground... to the extent that sea water infiltrated the aquifer as far as 30 miles inland in some areas. Now, as they bring in water from the Sierra Nevadas and the Colorado river, in many areas they don't simply supply that water to the districts. They actually pump the water into the ground - in order to provide positive pressure to the aquifer to keep seawater from infiltrating further. The water districts, in turn, pump the water back out, filter it, treat it, and then provide it to their customers. Because of the prevalence of cheap Mexican copper piping, they treat the water so that it has a high pH - so that it minimizes pinhole leaks in piping due to acidic water. And the water is very hard - and high in salts like sodium, because they are more or less flushing it through salt water infiltrated aquifiers. So you might wonder "wait a minute - aren't I getting snow melt water from the Sierra Nevada?" Not exactly....

 

[shinmai]

An activated charcoal canister filter is less than $40, and it strips all the noxious crap out of city water. You’d be hard pressed to find a better investment in the success of your bonsai.

 

[shinmai]

I am also at a loss to understand why you wouldn’t put something other than a brand new cutting into kanuma.

 

[Russ1]

An activated charcoal canister filter is less than $40, and it strips all the noxious crap out of city water. You’d be hard pressed to find a better investment in the success of your bonsai.

Does that carbon filter remove Fluoride as well, I have heard that they won't but could be wrong.

 

[Gabler]

Does that carbon filter remove Fluoride as well, I have heard that they won't but could be wrong.

Why would you want to remove the fluoride? Don't you want your trees to have strong teeth?

 

[shinmai]

Unfortunately, no, it won’t remove fluorides, but I’ve not seen any research on whether it makes a difference for the trees. The bigger issue is chlorine and other additives, like the crap they put in to reduce corrosion in the water mains. Our water tests high for calcium, and if I don‘t use the filter I see white deposits around the base of the trees.

 

[Ruddigger]

I only know one guy in SoCal that keeps satsukis. He uses shade cloth year round, but the main thing he does is treat his water. He fills huge tanks with RO water, then treats with a pH down to get it to 6.5ish, then adds back in select nutrients. He gave a talk about it for our club, but I tunes most of it because I knew I’d never invest that much money into it.

 

[Time Wizard]

I only know one guy in SoCal that keeps satsukis. He uses shade cloth year round, but the main thing he does is treat his water. He fills huge tanks with RO water, then treats with a pH down to get it to 6.5ish, then adds back in select nutrients. He gave a talk about it for our club, but I tunes most of it because I knew I’d never invest that much money into it.

That definitely seems like it might be overkill.

I do seem to have at least somewhat dialed in how to keep my satsukis alive. A few of the ones that weren't doing too well have died, but the ones that survived have stopped dying back and pushing new growth. I've been more attentive of the moisture in the peat/perlite planted satsukis and have been watering them a bit more frequently; I've been watering all the kanuma planted satsukis twice a day regardless of how wet they seem, though. It seems the kanuma is completely saturated at all times now, but the plants don't seem to mind. I've also been trying to mist everything a few times a day when I can. I haven't added any fertilizer to anything, but left everything that was already on the soil. Now that the temperatures are starting to cool off a bit (i.e., under 100F lol) I added some soil acidifier to combat the chlorosis I was seeing on some of the plants.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

That definitely seems like it might be overkill.

I do seem to have at least somewhat dialed in how to keep my satsukis alive. A few of the ones that weren't doing too well have died, but the ones that survived have stopped dying back and pushing new growth. I've been more attentive of the moisture in the peat/perlite planted satsukis and have been watering them a bit more frequently; I've been watering all the kanuma planted satsukis twice a day regardless of how wet they seem, though. It seems the kanuma is completely saturated at all times now, but the plants don't seem to mind. I've also been trying to mist everything a few times a day when I can. I haven't added any fertilizer to anything, but left everything that was already on the soil. Now that the temperatures are starting to cool off a bit (i.e., under 100F lol) I added some soil acidifier to combat the chlorosis I was seeing on some of the plants.

Now that’s really great news. Your persistence has yielded some awesome results! Looks like you have addressed most of the key variable.

Adding chopped Sphagnum moss to the Kanuma will help keep the Kanuma more moist longer.

What will really help is getting moss to grow on the surface. This is a good time to hunt up so Yamagoke, soak it well, then use tweezers to tuck it in the sides, nebari, then in the middle. Use more rather then less. It will not affect water absorption, but will cut down evaporation.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[Time Wizard]

Now that’s really great news. Your persistence has yielded some awesome results! Looks like you have addressed most of the key variable.

Adding chopped Sphagnum moss to the Kanuma will help keep the Kanuma more moist longer.

What will really help is getting moss to grow on the surface. This is a good time to hunt up so Yamagoke, soak it well, then use tweezers to tuck it in the sides, nebari, then in the middle. Use more rather then less. It will not affect water absorption, but will cut down evaporation.

cheers
DSD sends

I did actually go through and add some sphagnum to a few of them. Maybe tomorrow I'll use up the small amount I have left on one or two more pots.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

There’s guy in the UK that uses 20-30% Sphagnum,wets it and sticks it in the blender before mixing it in the media.

England, I think, go figure.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[JackHammer]

For the leaf tips browning, I had that when mine were in direct sun for the afternoon hours. I moved mine to full shade and it cleared up this past summer. It might be a different issue but i am inclined to vote too much sun.

 

[Time Wizard]

For the leaf tips browning, I had that when mine were in direct sun for the afternoon hours. I moved mine to full shade and it cleared up this past summer. It might be a different issue but i am inclined to vote too much sun.

I agree. I think the main issue is too much sun. I've had a 50% shade cloth over my satsukis (as well as my Japanese maples) since May or so. Maybe I'll get a 70% cloth for next year.