I Couldnt Resist the Satsuki!!

[MaverickLancer]

I was walking through a nursery while my girlfriend was looking for a blueberry plant when I saw it... A single gigantic Satsuki. And it was about half of the price of all the other azaleas its size. It was fate. Destiny. Love at first sight.



The trunk was the largest I had seen on a nursery azalea, and I could feel some thick nebari just below the soil line. The cost of such a thick base trunk is the fact that there are about four trunks coming out of the main base trunk.



I'd like to do a drastic prune and repot a la JohnG, but I'm not entirely sure if I can now. @Eric Group shared a story about his successful late summer repot. Anyone else have experience with repotting this late?

It's a bit ambiguous when they say to "repot after flowering".

 

[discusmike]

They are usually repotted after flowering which is usually may, June,I have hanagasa in the ground that's still flowering.

 

[jk_lewis]

I see it has a label. Which Satsuki is it? How many trunks?

 

[MaverickLancer]

I see it has a label. Which Satsuki is it? How many trunks?

The label says Shukufuku. Ill post some better pictures of the trunks when I get home tonight.

 

[jk_lewis]

http://www.pbase.com/image/49498021

 

[Eric Group]

I do not know the weather in your area... If you winters are mild as I suspect they are, you should be fine repotting late in the year, but AJ might not do it RIGHT NOW. I also assume it is insanely hot right now? 100+? Might cause stress if you repot now.

 

[MaverickLancer]

The weather is hot, but its only been hitting high 80s lately. My balcony gets a couple hours of morning sun then shade the rest of the day, so its not as hot as you'd think. Winters are also pretty mild as expected of southern california.

I did a little bit of initial pruning so it wouldnt take up all of the standing room on my tiny balcony. There are some better images of the trunk structure. There look like two main trunks that each branch off quickly. There are quite a few crossing and vertical growing branches I'll be cutting away. The nebari is quite thick, but I probably won't dig much deeper until I commit to a repot.

Im going to take it to my local bonsai club meeting tomorrow to get more opinions before I do the hard prune.

 

[quietobserver]

Congrats on that acquisition!!... Nothing better than finding nursery material like THAT on the cheap. Quite a bit to work with there, maybe some basic pruning while you learn to live together?..Congrats and best of luck!!!

 

[sorce]

Nice Mav,

I just bought one 2 weeks ago, not a satsuki a in ok shape.

I pruned it mildly and it's budding an inch or 2 down the cuts already.

The one I bought with flowers. Which I pruned lighter in May, did not bud back, but is growing well.

I think the reserves should be good for you to get production.

Just notes, I am no expert!

Sorce

 

[Eric Group]

The weather is hot, but its only been hitting high 80s lately. My balcony gets a couple hours of morning sun then shade the rest of the day, so its not as hot as you'd think. Winters are also pretty mild as expected of southern california.

I did a little bit of initial pruning so it wouldnt take up all of the standing room on my tiny balcony. There are some better images of the trunk structure. There look like two main trunks that each branch off quickly. There are quite a few crossing and vertical growing branches I'll be cutting away. The nebari is quite thick, but I probably won't dig much deeper until I commit to a repot.

Im going to take it to my local bonsai club meeting tomorrow to get more opinions before I do the hard prune.

View attachment 76985View attachment 76986

Yeah, there are some branches that need to be removed there- like that straight one growing off one trunk and through the other two- I would remove it first... You have a decent base there and some potential for an interesting little tree... But, are you going FOR a "little" bonsai? Or looking to make something a little bigger? Interesting movement in some of those branches... I think you can keep some of them longer if you want.

 

[jk_lewis]

You could safely remove these and other fat interior branches we may not be able to see.