Shohin satsuki azalea

Hello all.. This is a shohin azalea I have been training for about 6-7 years. It is a tedious task considering the tree is only around 4 inches tall. Also the main branches are probably less than 2 inches long and the rest around 1 inch.

I think it has been well worth the effort though. I am now going to concentrate on the back foliage and creating a flat, wider apex. However, I will see how the apex develops.

Rob

nice movement in the trunk all the way down into the nebari. Once you get the crown to fill out a little more to the right, you'll have a really nice shohin there.

Hello Rob.
Nice playing.
Is it on a rock?
Sunip

sunip wrote:Hello Rob.
Nice playing.
Is it on a rock?
Sunip

I thought the same thing, but finally decided those were roots. Great looking little satsuki Rob, I'm envious! I'd try to pot it a little lower, and protect those upper roots from drying out.

Russell

I'm guessing it is on a rock and also the reason it seems so high in the pot.
I think it is very nice and can appreciate how much you have had to do to keep it alive and styled. Great work.

I like it. Great little tree. What color flowers?

I am wondering why you think work on a shohin azalea is tedious. A couple of snips every so often. You want tedious grow a large Australian pine! Lots of snipping nearly every day!! Ugh.

Thanks everyone.. and no, that is all nebari. This tree is not on a rock. Actually, the reason for the tree looking high in the pot is that soil has eroded away over the winter and I have not filled it in yet. When filled in, it will look like normal, flatter nebari. Actually, the tree's root base is practically sitting on the bottom of the pot. So it cannot be lowered any more.

The flowers are pink. However, I have only let it flower minimally over the past 3-4 years due to that I am trying to create branch and foliage structure.

Hi Rob..maybe tedious was the wrong word... A little nerve racking maybe .. Trying to wire a 1 1/2 inch branch, in between other branches and not snap off the tiny leaves and buds can be stressful. It's like that old board game "Operation.. "don't touch the sides"

Here is a close up of the nebari. As you can see, the soil level is below the top of the pot. It usually has about another half an inch of soil. After the soil is replaced and the moss grows in a little bit, it all will look quite natural.

Rob

Russell nailed it on the roots call. Well done. I like the rootage showing, personally. Cant say I recall working the root system of an azalea that hard, so I cant comment on whether removing the lower half would work or not, but knowing how well the branching will take root in the wild makes me think that they just might be OK if done right. Very nice little tree.

The variety is 'kazan', also known 'kakuba chinzan'. It's often called 'rukizon' here in the States, but no one seems to know where that name came from. I've always blamed Brussel Martin

[quote="Rob C"]Hello all.. This is a shohin azalea I have been training for about 6-7 years. It is a tedious task considering the tree is only around 4 inches tall. Also the main branches are probably less than 2 inches long and the rest around 1 inch.

I think it has been well worth the effort though. I am now going to concentrate on the back foliage and creating a flat, wider apex. However, I will see how the apex develops.

Rob

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Very nice shohin, the nebari is very impressive.
Xuan

Russell Coker wrote:

The variety is 'kazan', also known 'kakuba chinzan'. It's often called 'rukizon' here in the States, but no one seems to know where that name came from. I've always blamed Brussel Martin

Hi Russell,
Is kakuba chinzan different than chinzan or are they the same? The reason I asked because I have a small Satsuki known as Chinzan with similar small leaves and pink flowers.
Xuan

Xuan, different animals. 'Chinzan' has a longer, narrower leaf as opposed to this stubby, fat leaf. The flowers are different shades of pink too, and 'chinzan's' are larger.

Russell Coker wrote:

Xuan, different animals. 'Chinzan' has a longer, narrower leaf a
s opposed to this stubby, fat leaf. The flowers are different shades of pink too, and 'chinzan's' are larger.

Thanks a million Russell.

Thank you xuan le

Hello tap pi lu..Actually, I am going to grow a flat, wider apex on this tree. Your virt is good. However, a point on a crown is more for a younger tree. A flatter crown usually indicates an older tree. I am trying to simulate a very old looking, large tree in a smaller size tree. This is what I have in mind.

Hello Rob,

Very nice tree!

I agree the flat top will work very well. I think this is one of the nicest Azaleas I have seen in quite awhile.
I also love the nebari. Judging by the size in your palm, it might even qualify as a Mame.

Thanks for the post.

Kind rgeards,
Speakergod (Dale)

Thanks Speakergod... This season, I have decided to let the tree grow untouched to get it very strong. The tree is very small and it takes a lot of attention to pruning to keep it like this. However, sometimes, the tree just needs to grow out completely and be left alone. You would not even recognize it now..

Rob