Azalea Carving?

[not_sponsored]

So I came across this azalea for sale on ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261010420049?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619

The owner writes:
"I have carved it to look like lightning has hit it, right now it has a tree bonsai sealer on the cut parts until the bark at the cut area has healed , probably around october all of the cut paste can be removed and the dead bark in between the cuts can be scraped or carved as deep as you wish. "

It looks like a nice large trunk, but will the tree survive all the carving work? I haven't really heard of anyone carving an azalea.

 

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

What an idiot... (the guy, not you of course)... Yes, of course they can be carved, and beautifully at that. The wood won't last as long as say a juniper, but it gets great character. However this person is either hiding that he killed half the tree at the base, or he knows very little about azalea.... because if it had been alive he did it no favors, and the base will be dead for sure. Also he didn't carve it... he just swiped off the bark. I don't normally rant, but I couldn't help it. Forgive me for sounding abrasive... it's just a pity and a shame that he borked the tree and then decided to make it worse. Who on earth thinks lighting runs around a tree in a swirl???????????? lol ugh.

Don't buy it... it is ruined at the very least.

Kindest regards,

Victrinia

 

[not_sponsored]

Thanks Victrinia, my thoughts exactly... I feel like it was a great specimen at one point, but with the spiraling carving and cut paste all over it....

 

[jkd2572]

What a waste. That could have been a great tree.

 

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

Without all that damage the tree would have fetched nearly three times what he's asking... as it stands, I'm not sure I'd take it as a rescue. Thank you for being tolerant of my somewhat visceral reaction to it....

Kindest regards,

Victrinia

 

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

One other strong indicator of "doesn't know what he's doing" is you wouldn't slather paste (if you use it in the first place) all over a dead face of that size... it protects nothing, and doesn't actually allow the dead face to dry out. If you used it, it would only be useful where the live edges are... and at this point there is a wide chasm of opinion on the need for it at all.

Just my two cents... I only mention this because people see a decent sized tree they think someone must have a clue... big trees and knowledge don't always go hand in hand. Sometimes it's just an accident.

V

 

[stacy allen muse]

??????????????

 

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

gotta say as a resident of the "Lightning Capital of the USA"...

I have never seen a lightning bolt hit a tree, then spiral around it I count 5 times, all the while somehow managing
to leave behind what looks like runny peanutbutter...

I think someone has been watching to many "Ghostbuster's" movies ???

By the way, I know the "runny peanutbutter" is cut paste...

Don't necessarily have a problem with a shari on an azalea... not sure about the corkscrew though ???
I think the problem with a "corkscrew shari" is that they all to often look very contrived.

Amen.... V

 

[Paulpash]

Hi Victrinia, I have an azalea (that I inherited, see this thread: http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?7664-Azalea-regeneration/page2) that has naturally accumulated the 'faults' you identify in this tree that I am trying to coax back to health. It has a dark spiral of die back and one can see the live vein bulging around it. I would appreciate if you have the time to take a look at my efforts to re-energise the tree back to health before addressing the die back. Any other suggestions or things I have not yet done would be welcome.