Azaleas acquired, tips tricks and general info about them appreciated!!

[outdoormarky]

A native that I'm excited to try eventually is Silverberry (Elaeagnus commutata). They are very similar to Russian Olive. In the same family. They'll do great, and I've heard they have a lot of potential. I'm actually just wrapping up traipsing through the low edges of the Oquir Mountains looking at Rocky Mountain and Utah Juniper. Only ran into a few pockets of snow.

 

[dr.tenebris]

A native that I'm excited to try eventually is Silverberry (Elaeagnus commutata). They are very similar to Russian Olive. In the same family. They'll do great, and I've heard they have a lot of potential. I'm actually just wrapping up traipsing through the low edges of the Oquir Mountains looking at Rocky Mountain and Utah Juniper. Only ran into a few pockets of snow.

Ah I see!

Yeah we have quite a few juniper up on the mountain by Ben Lomond (bl on the mountain hard to miss) but most are far too grown For me to even consider touching.

I might ask my friend what she plans on doing with the Russian olives that have been driving her nuts.. might go in do a hard cut back and see about moving them.

 

[Pitoon]

Rhododendrom x obtusum, I understand these first ones where probably a mistake. This hybrid is rated well for my climate and isn't too expensive, the arbor day foundation sells them so that'll probably be what ends up in the ground.

The little fellas might get a tiny green house, I'll have to see how much it would be to build but given all the wasted wood around here I should be able to build one on the cheap.

Don't complicate it, put it in a suitable clear plastic storage container that has a lid you can snap on. Keep it in indirect sunlight until the temps are good to take it out. Don't let the roots dry out.

 

[gooeytek]

Try a ginkgo

 

[rockm]

Funny, between shelter for overwintering, soils (There is no great replacement for Kanuma) and acquiring good material, Azaleas are probably the most expensive-to-keep bonsai there are, jus' sayin'.

FWIW, I have a couple of satsukis. One is kept outside all winter under a mulch bed. It has seen temps as low as 0F. Hasn't been a problem, The other is overwintered in a cold greenhouse. The hardiness of Satsuki depends on their origin. Cultivars from more Northerly locations tend to be more winter hardy that Southerly.

Also FWIW. Satsuki azaleas are a world of their own requiring a similar, but different approach than "regular" bonsai like conifers and deciduous trees.

You don't have to use Satsuki cultivars of course, but they tend to be the most satisfying (and responsive) as bonsai.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Actually the azaleas we grow are awfully cheap to grow and style and keep. Especially consideiring my last order for copper wire ran $442 and our aluminum bill was short of $75. ….and 80% of our azaleas we grew ourselves or got for very cheap, less than $10 apiece.

But back on the main topic. First things before buying anymore trees it is best to check your water pH and water hardness.

These data are going to determine two things, what plants you can grow without a water treatment system. Also what type of treatment/chemicals you’ll need if a system is preferred.

A quick look shows at this link, which not sure is correct for the potable water in your house. It shows very hard water which indicates high pH. But the water treatment plant may alter this.

​

Layton Zip 84040 | 84041

352 PPM (mg/L) or 21 gpg

Maybe better to get a decent water test kit and test at the faucet yourself, or call the Layton Public works 801 336 3700 and ask them to talk it out with you… as neither calcium carbonate, magnesium, nor pH seems to appear on their AWQ Report.

Also some nice olives would be lovely!

Anyways, just my recommendation.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[dr.tenebris]

Actually the azaleas we grow are awfully cheap to grow and style and keep. Especially consideiring my last order for copper wire ran $442 and our aluminum bill was short of $75. ….and 80% of our azaleas we grew ourselves or got for very cheap, less than $10 apiece.

But back on the main topic. First things before buying anymore trees it is best to check your water pH and water hardness.

These data are going to determine two things, what plants you can grow without a water treatment system. Also what type of treatment/chemicals you’ll need if a system is preferred.

A quick look shows at this link, which not sure is correct for the potable water in your house. It shows very hard water which indicates high pH. But the water treatment plant may alter this.

​

Layton Zip 84040 | 84041

352 PPM (mg/L) or 21 gpg

Maybe better to get a decent water test kit and test at the faucet yourself, or call the Layton Public works 801 336 3700 and ask them to talk it out with you… as neither calcium carbonate, magnesium, nor pH seems to appear on their AWQ Report.

Also some nice olives would be lovely!

Anyways, just my recommendation.

cheers
DSD sends

Yeah our hardness in this house is pretty high, leaves calcium deposits in Anything that boils the water, we do use britta water filters to help reduce it but a test kit wouldn't hurt... I'm also not in any rush to buy a new tree atm, especially not with all my cherry cuttings pushing leaves

 

[Glaucus]

You can just put these in your house and enjoy the blooms. It is likely too chilly outside right now anyway.

Then when it is warmer but also a bit overcast and rainy, you can decide to either split these up, or prune out all but one. And then you just see how it grows in your climate. And see if you can overwinter it.
And if it is doing well past spring next year, you can make some actual bonsai plants. Belgian indica always make for flower-focused azalea bonsai.

If a plant needs an indoor-outdoor-indoor dance during winter and/or early spring, needs you to adjust your tap water, and is hard to work into a bonsai as a beginner, then yeah probably there's other species of you out there that give you better bonsai learning experience for bucks. Azalea are great for people in costal regions of plenty of rain.

 

[TrevorLarsen]

Yeah our hardness in this house is pretty high, leaves calcium deposits in Anything that boils the water, we do use britta water filters to help reduce it but a test kit wouldn't hurt... I'm also not in any rush to buy a new tree atm, especially not with all my cherry cuttings pushing leaves

Do you not have pressurized irrigation in Layton? In Alpine we have it, so it’s unfiltered untreated snowmelt. I haven’t tested it but it has worked well for me. It’s just annoying it is turned off during the winter so I have to use tap water a little bit.

 

[dr.tenebris]

Do you not have pressurized irrigation in Layton? In Alpine we have it, so it’s unfiltered untreated snowmelt. I haven’t tested it but it has worked well for me. It’s just annoying it is turned off during the winter so I have to use tap water a little bit.

Not in Layton, foot hills off of 12th in Ogden. (after 12th shifts up) across the street is a park that's fairly popular for sledding in the winter.

Pretty sure my water comes straight from pine view reservoir (at least our secondary does.) then goes through our Culligan water softener (which is aweful) then most filter the water again before consumption. I'm not that picky about it....

You can just put these in your house and enjoy the blooms. It is likely too chilly outside right now anyway.

Then when it is warmer but also a bit overcast and rainy, you can decide to either split these up, or prune out all but one. And then you just see how it grows in your climate. And see if you can overwinter it.
And if it is doing well past spring next year, you can make some actual bonsai plants. Belgian indica always make for flower-focused azalea bonsai.

If a plant needs an indoor-outdoor-indoor dance during winter and/or early spring, needs you to adjust your tap water, and is hard to work into a bonsai as a beginner, then yeah probably there's other species of you out there that give you better bonsai learning experience for bucks. Azalea are great for people in costal regions of plenty of rain.

I'll probably plant one or two outside, we have a very large planter box that has nothing in it... Well will have nothing... I'm gonna move the metric ton of Cherries over to an overgrown piece of land that the church doesn't care for, I'll mow down some of the grass give the (should be rooted) cuttings probably 18 inches of bare soil, might plant in clusters of three? Off topic for this thread...

But the point is that planter box will inherit the least interesting of three azaleas.. I'll see if the poor thing can survive the winter. Snow tends to be a decent insulator so as long as these ones aren't evergreen I should be fine but I'll see. Assuming the little fellas live that long

Landlord did not like all of my trees inside and warned me not to get another one Soo I have what I have and I'll just have to be cleaver about what I'm doing ... And hope none of my roommates recklessly water the azaleas...

 

[Gabler]

Landlord did not like all of my trees inside and warned me not to get another one

Why would a landlord care about bonsai trees? Is it not normal for people to keep houseplants?

 

[TrevorLarsen]

Why would a landlord care about bonsai trees? Is it not normal for people to keep houseplants?

I agree it’s odd, but this is Utah so employers and landlords seem to have a lot more power than in other states.

 

[Gabler]

I agree it’s odd, but this is Utah so employers and landlords seem to have a lot more power than in other states.

I find it odd that a landlord would ever enter your apartment. If there's a problem, a plumber or electrician might show up, but never the landlord.

Come to think of it, I've never had a human landlord. When I was renting, it was always an LLC that owned half the town.

 

[dr.tenebris]

I find it odd that a landlord would ever enter your apartment. If there's a problem, a plumber or electrician might show up, but never the landlord.

Come to think of it, I've never had a human landlord. When I was renting, it was always an LLC that owned half the town.

Utah is a very strange place, I truly consider it the twilight zone of the US.... From a super nosy church (cult) to overly nosey neighbors and super uptight landlords... The housing market is insane so landlords think they have the right to control our lives, even if it's the LLC's these companies hire lazy upper management who hires insanely over committed psychos for the building management >.>

Again a bit of a rant as far as the thread goes (I love this place )

 

[TrevorLarsen]

Utah is a very strange place, I truly consider it the twilight zone of the US.... From a super nosy church (cult) to overly nosey neighbors and super uptight landlords... The housing market is insane so landlords think they have the right to control our lives, even if it's the LLC's these companies hire lazy upper management who hires insanely over committed psychos for the building management >.>


Again a bit of a rant as far as the thread goes (I love this place )

I have lived in Utah my whole life, but I have traveled a lot. I used to be part of the cult you mentioned, and all my family still is. I love it here though, but I don’t mind being different and people gossiping about me. It is for sure a unique place and not for everyone.

 

[dr.tenebris]

I have lived in Utah my whole life, but I have traveled a lot. I used to be part of the cult you mentioned, and all my family still is. I love it here though, but I don’t mind being different and people gossiping about me. It is for sure a unique place and not for everyone.

I think I just really miss the other places I've lived I love the mountains here and enjoy outside, I've also met some really cool people here.