SATSUKI AZALEAS (Stage 1;-How to Start Shaping Cuttings.)

As promised in the first Satsuki blog here is a follow-up article to cover the early stage of getting a young plant started on it way to being a great bonsai.

(Unsuitable material for training. See pics above.)

Firstly of course, you will need young satsuki cuttings that are suitable for training. You will want to choose plants that are not to bushy and not turning too woody already.

If they are too woody they will be difficult to bend without breaking.

If they are already bushy then cutting them back to just one stem will seriously interfere with its established sap flow and its possible it may die if you cut it back too much at such a young age.

Save the bushy plants to grow as mother plants to take future cuttings that will be suitable.

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(Cuttings that have been potted up.)

In mid spring you will have potted up the cuttings that were taken last year and have now made it through their first winter. I don't advise potting up cuttings before the winter of their first year because they don't really have enough roots to get through winter properly and it is possible to lose 50% or more from weakness during winter.

Alternatively you may have bought some young plants from me or another nursery to get to grips with.

At this early stage I think it's probably too early to snip off any extra shoots. Growth will be much faster if you just give the newly potted cuttings or four to six weeks of growing freely to build up their strength. More leaves equals = more photosynthesis = more food being made = more, faster growth. Be patient and resist the urge to pick shoots off too soon.

Start applying a controlled release fertiliser such as Sierrablen Flora or Miraclegro ericaceous for Azaleas, Camellia etc. Organic feed such as Bio-Gold can be used but it is not very high in nutrients and will work out very expensive to feed the plants sufficiently.

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(Suitable material for training. Removing the weaker shoots.) (Recommended fertiliser)

After a few weeks of growth the young plants will now be showing some strong shoots and some weak shoots.

You can start to selectively separate the more vigorous young plants that are growing strongly and label them or place them where you can pay them particular attention for training.

It will not be long before you will see the difference in the shoot growth.

Once the strongest new shoots are about two or three inches long you can begin taking off the other weaker shoots.

Where there is more than one good strong shoot its ok to wait a little longer before you choose which shoot to keep.

Remove smaller shoots around them so that all the strength goes into the strongly growing shoot that will form the trunk.

Once it is obvious which shoot is going to be "the chosen one" you can trim off the other weaker shoots. Occasionally side shoots will appear low down on the plant which will need to be removed. It is best to cut these off with scissor as breaking them off may result in a broken main shoot as well. It may also pull a strip of bark from the main shoot as you remove it.

Leave all of the leaves on the newly chosen shoot as they are now the only food factories the plant has.

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Now you have a single young shoot to work with you can put some wire on it. Most of the time I can use a 1.2mm or 1.5mm aluminium wire. Using thicker wire will run the risk of bruising the tender bark as you apply it.

Follow the usual procedure for applying wire by inserting the wire deeply into the soil near the base of the plant. The plant tissue will be soft and tender at this stage so again, be careful that you don't bruise it.

Gently wind the wire up the stem with a fairly open angle of about 30 degrees instead of the usual 45 degrees. Do not bend the stem as you wire. You will lose track of which bit was bent in what direction and its easy to over bend a spot.

I use quite a loose grip on the wire as I apply it so that it does not get twisted onto the stem, It's more of a laying onto the stem kind of action. Support the tender stem with your other hand as you make your way up the stem.

You may wish to put another wire on that will run halfway between the existing wires turns instead of being tight alongside it. This will give extra support to when you start to bend the stem and reduce the risk of breaking it. However, with practice you should be able to get the job done with just one wire.

Now the fun part. Don't try bending a freshly watered plant because the plants cells will be full of water making the stem quite stiff. It can be very helpful at this stage to allow your young plant to dry out a little bit so that the plant cells are not as turgid as they are when the plant is fully watered. It can reduce the chances of breaking the stem dramatically.

Gently twist slightly in the direction of the wire as you apply the bends making sure to keep the wire on the outside of the bends and not on the inside. If its on the inside it will act like a knee acts as a fulcrum point for breaking sticks.

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The bends will want to be somewhat exaggerated. This is because as the tree thickens and grows, the bends will straighten out a bit.

If you are not confident about bending you can do it in stages.

Once the bending is done and you have a shape you like be sure to apply a slow release fertiliser so the growth doesn't slow down.

Once the plants have been growing for a few weeks they will have extended beyond the wiring done so far.

Check to see if the wire is biting in at all and if its looking as if the wire is quite tight and marking the bark you can remove it and apply a fresh wire from the bottom to the top placing the wire in between the wire marks. Any wire marks will grow out in the next few months and won't be visible by the time the tree is finished.

Do not be tempted to apply the wire in the opposite direction. Sap flow direction is already being established within the tree at this stage and changing direction could be detrimental to that flow. A thicker gauge of wire may be needed, perhaps 1.5mm or even 2mm depending on the thickness of trunk that has been achieved.

If it is not biting at all then a short piece of extra wire can be added to shape the top end and the bending can be continued.

An alternative method for achieving the bends is to take a long piece of 4 or 5 mm aluminium wire and bend and shape it as desired. Insert the bottom end into the pot and as the young plant grows, gently tie the stem to the wire as needed.

Tying a sapling to wire.

Don't worry about achieving thickness at this stage. That will come later. Right now all you are concerned with is making those bends.

Apply a slow release fertiliser such as Sierrablen Flora (professional) or Miraclegro ericaceous for Azaleas, Camellia etc. and continue with adding or changing the wire and removing any side shoots that appear until the trunk is at the height you want.

In the UK, a length of 50-60cm should be achievable in one season. This lengthening and bending can continue into the next year if a taller tree is wanted.

A blog post about 'How to Thicken Azalea Trunks' is available to guide you through the next stage.