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[IBC] Azaleas Shedding Bark
I overwintered some container azaleas by burying them in the ground
(still in their 3 gal nursery pots) and then mulching them up to a few inches around their trunk. They are Glenn Dale Festive azaleas and are supposed to be evergreen. Well, I noticed them dying out and shedding leaves from the inside about a month ago, and was a little concerned, but they stayed very green at their tips so I left them undisturbed. Now, it's a beautiful day today, sunny and 70's, so I decided to dig them out and clean them up even though they still seem to be dormant. But, when I removed the mulch from their trunk base, I noticed that the bark seems to be shedding back for that portion of the trunk that was under the mulch. I scratched the fresh exposed surface to see if it was heartwood or fresh bark and it appears that there is a very thin membrane, very smooth, with a nice green cambium on the underside of that, then a nice whitish heartwood under the green cambium layer. Is there anything to be worried about here? It seems that a new bark is forming and the old is shedding away, I just didn't know that azaleas would do that. These are exceptionally nice azaleas that I have had in training for two years now, trunk diameters are almost two inches, and this is the year I want to downsize them to bonsai pots. Any advise you can offer is appreciated. Thanks, Mike Peck Kansas City, MO Zone 5 ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
#2
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[IBC] Azaleas Shedding Bark
I overwintered some container azaleas by burying them in the
ground (still in their 3 gal nursery pots) and then mulching them up to a few inches around their trunk. snip I noticed that the bark seems to be shedding back for that portion of the trunk that was under the mulch. I scratched the fresh exposed surface to see if it was heartwood or fresh bark and it appears that there is a very thin membrane, very smooth, with a nice green cambium on the underside of that, then a nice whitish heartwood under the green cambium layer. Is there anything to be worried about here? It seems that a new bark is forming and the old is shedding away, I just didn't know that azaleas would do that. Well, I was well into an answer for you when Outlook Express pulled a Microsoft on me and performed an "Illegal Operation," shutting me down and losing what I'd written. Grrr! Anyway, the gist of it was that azaleas should never be muched up over their bark like that. They cannot take moisture against the bark -- it rots away the old bark. This is the cause of some of the wasp-waisted azalea bonsai you see on occasion. There are very few after-the-fact solutions. You can cut the top way back and hope to force some new growth in the damaged area, then use those as sasrifice branches to try to fatten up the trunk. Or, you can do as a friend did and air layer a new base just above the damage. Or you can disguise the damage somehow -- perhaps by making a windswept or steeply slanting bonsai. Or you can disguise the damage with soil (planting it a bit deep) or a rock. None of these is particularly successful. I have one of those narrower-at-the-soil-line azaleas (it was that way when I got it at a very good price) and I've use the slanting-tree-with-an-old-rock trick. It's OK, but _I_ know, and so does anyone who looks hard. Wish I had better news. But at least they're not dead as some winter-mulched trees get from being nibbled upon by rodents. I use mulch for VERY temporary protection from cold snaps, but then I don't like in Kansas, either. I'd suggest a greenhouse or cold frame next year. Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry David Thoreau - Walden ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
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