Bonsai-making techniques and daily care methods for azaleas

Azalea, also known as yingshanhong, is an evergreen or deciduous shrub of the genus Rhododendron in the family Ericaceae. The plant is much branched, with slender, straight branches bearing brown or brownish rough hairs. The leaves are alternate, ovate-elliptic to needle-shaped, with acute or slightly blunt tips, and sparsely covered with brown stiff hairs on the surface. Several flowers cluster at the tips of the branches, with funnel-shaped corollas, single or double, in a rich range of colors including white, pink, red, purple and various bicolor combinations. There are many azalea cultivars, broadly divided into four major groups: spring azaleas, summer azaleas, spring-summer azaleas and Western azaleas. Using them to make bonsai offers such features as gnarled and ancient-looking roots and trunks, small and dense leaves, emerald-green foliage, tolerance of pruning, and a great variety of flower colors.

Azaleas can be propagated by layering, cuttings, division and grafting. Older azalea stumps that have grown for many years, with quaint and unusual roots and trunks, can also be used to make bonsai. They are mostly dug and transplanted in late autumn and early winter or in spring before the flowers fade. When transplanting, keep plenty of the original soil, prune the main trunk and main roots appropriately, cut off branches that interfere with the design, and retain more lateral roots and fibrous roots. For large branches and trunks, examine them carefully and remove them only after confirming they are not needed for the design. First plant them in clay pots or in the ground to grow the raw material. The soil should be well-drained sandy soil. For stumps dug in late autumn and early winter, after planting, bury them entirely with sandy soil, leaving only a little of the branches and trunk exposed. After watering thoroughly, cover them with a plastic bag to keep warm and moist; stumps dug in spring should also be buried 2/3 into the soil. After planting, keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. Once the plant has established and sprouted, gradually remove the sandy soil from the trunk area. During the raw-growing period, frequently spray water on the leaves and trunk to increase air humidity, but do not let the roots become too wet, and especially avoid waterlogging, otherwise root rot will occur. In summer, provide shade to prevent scorching by the hot sun.

Azaleas can be made into many forms of bonsai, such as straight-trunk, slanting-trunk, curved-trunk, double-trunk, multi-trunk, exposed-root, cascade, rock-clinging and water-and-land styles. For seedlings propagated by cuttings, layering and other methods, shaping can begin year by year after 3 to 4 years of growth. Shaping is mostly done before spring budding or during the summer and autumn growing seasons, mainly by pruning with wiring as a supplement. When shaping, follow the principle of working from thick to thin: wire the main trunk and main branches appropriately, and shape the other branches by pruning. Because azalea branches and trunks are relatively brittle and break easily, handle them carefully. During the growing season, if a branch cracks, apply yellow clay to the wound, wrap it with plastic film, and it will heal and recover quickly. Old azalea stumps, however, must be shaped mainly by pruning, though some branches can also be wired appropriately. To improve ornamental value, you can also use an old stump of Rhododendron mucronatum that has grown for many years, with thicker branches and an elegant form, as the rootstock, and use a superior azalea cultivar as the scion, grafting by approach grafting or cut grafting. Depending on the condition of the stump, part of the soil can also be gradually removed to raise the roots above the soil surface, exposing the roots and making them look gnarled and vigorous.

Azaleas prefer a warm, humid, semi-shaded environment and require good ventilation. At ordinary times they can be kept in bright light. In the high-temperature seasons of summer and early autumn, shade must be provided to avoid scorching by the hot sun, otherwise strong light will burn the leaves; but they must not be too shady either, lest the plant grow leggy and flowering be affected. They can be kept under a shade shed or in the shade of trees. Keep the soil moist during the growing season, but not waterlogged; pay attention to drainage in the rainy season. When the air is dry, sprinkle water on the plant and the surrounding ground to increase air humidity and prevent the leaves from drying up. You can also cover the surface of the potting soil with a layer of soft grass to prevent the hot sun from burning the fine fibrous roots on the soil surface. Apply a diluted, fully rotted liquid fertilizer about once every 15 days. To prevent chlorosis, add a small amount of black alum to the fertilizer liquid so the leaves become dark green and glossy. At the bud stage, apply 1 to 2 additional phosphorus fertilizers such as bone meal or superphosphate to promote larger flowers and richer color. In winter, move it indoors to a sunny place, keep the soil above 0°C so it does not freeze, and control watering so the potting soil is only slightly moist. Prune once every year after flowering, cutting off diseased and pest-damaged branches, dead branches, crossing branches, overlapping branches, weak slender branches and leggy branches. Also shorten overly long branches appropriately so the plant shape is graceful and the branches are well distributed, strengthening the growth of the inner branches and the plant. Repot once about every 2 years in spring or late autumn. The potting soil should be a fertile, loose, slightly acidic sandy soil rich in humus.

An introduction to the care methods and daily management precautions for azalea bonsai

Azalea is a common plant often used to decorate studies, living rooms and offices. Its ornamental value is extremely high, and it is deeply loved by many flower enthusiasts. So, do you know what methods and precautions there are for planting and daily care of azalea bonsai? Today, the editor will introduce the relevant knowledge to you in detail.

Pot selection: Azaleas generally use slightly deep oval, rectangular or round pots, made of purple clay pottery or glazed pottery. The color of the pot should be darker, to create contrast with the flower color, and it is best not to have floral decorations on the pot. For cascade-style azaleas, a deep cylindrical pot can be used; for exposed-root azaleas, a slightly shallow oval pot can be used.

Soil: Azaleas are best grown in fertile, loose leaf mold or mountain soil from pine forests. For pot culture, sun-dried, freeze-loosened pond mud or paddy field soil is also commonly used, mixed with an appropriate amount of sandy soil.

Planting: They can be potted in early spring or after the flowers fall. If digging up wild stumps from mountain areas, because the roots have mycorrhizae, they must be planted with the original soil. When planting, the taproot can be shortened, and chicken manure or soybean cake can be placed at the bottom of the pot as base fertilizer. The branches and leaves should also be pruned as appropriate.

After azalea seedlings are potted, pruning and shaping can generally begin in 3 to 4 years. Azalea branches are relatively brittle, so excessive wiring is not suitable; only the main trunk and main branches should be shaped appropriately, and wiring with palm fiber is better. Other branches should be shaped by pruning. When pruning, pay attention to balancing strong and weak branches: prune strong branches heavily and weak branches lightly. Wiring is generally done in spring, when the branches and trunks are softer during the growing season and easier to bend. When shaping, follow the principle of working from thick to thin: wire the main trunk and main branches appropriately, and shape the other branches by pruning.

Common azalea tree forms include straight-trunk, curved-trunk and slanting-trunk styles, and they can also be trained into exposed-root, cascade, rock-clinging and connected-root styles. Through artistic shaping, a beautiful bonsai is achieved that combines all four qualities: flowers to view, trunk to appreciate, roots to admire and form to discuss.

That is all the content I have learned about azaleas today. I hope flower enthusiasts will find this article helpful. If you want to learn more about azaleas, please continue to follow Duorou Huapu, and we will provide you with more relevant knowledge!

Making and caring for azalea bonsai

  Azalea (scientific name: Rhododendron simsii Planch.): also known as yingshanhong and shanshiliu, it is an evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub. Legend says that in ancient times there was a cuckoo bird that cried day and night until it coughed blood, dyeing the flowers all over the mountains red, and thus it got its name. Azaleas generally bloom in spring, with 2-6 flowers per cluster and funnel-shaped corollas, in red, light red, apricot red, snow blue, white and other colors, with abundant and gorgeous flower colors. They grow in mountain open thickets or under pine forests at altitudes of 500-1200 (-2500) m, and are a typical indicator plant of acidic soil in central-southern and southwestern China.

  The whole plant of this species is used medicinally: it promotes the flow of qi and blood circulation, tonifies deficiency, and treats internal injury cough, kidney-deficiency deafness, irregular menstruation, rheumatism and other diseases. Because its corolla is bright red, it is a famous flowering plant with high ornamental value and is cultivated in parks all over the world. In China, Jiangxi, Anhui and Guizhou use the azalea as their provincial flower, and among cities such as Changsha, Wuxi, Jiujiang, Zhenjiang, Dali, Jiaxing and Ganzhou, as many as seven or eight have designated it as their city flower. In May 1985, the azalea was rated sixth among China's ten famous flowers.