Neagari Azalea - Exposed Root Style Azalea

Now this is something I've been wanting to try for some time. Neagari is where the bonsai's 'trunk' is actually made up of the bonsai's roots. The effect is of a tree that is up on high on stilts of roots. The advantage of this style is that you can achieve the appearance of an aged and interesting bonsai within a few short years. The main concern is allowing the roots to dry out, especially in the summer.  

A few points to remember - 

The roots ARE the trunk, so the branching can start at the bottom of what would have been the trunk.

Being that the roots are the trunk there should ideally be an Odd number of roots. 

Watering must be daily and very, very thoroughly.

List of things you will need: 

azalea stock or cutting

1.5mm aluminim wire

8 inch pot

a 2 liter bottle

bamboo stake or something else to secure the plants to the pot

Clay kitty litter (not the clumping style)

A tub of water or bucket. 

Some tape

a chopstick

Notes on this list of things you will need:

1. You don't have to use an azalea. You can use a trident maple (or other suitable tree) if you want. Heck, go crazy create a root over rock by including an interesting rock, if that's your thing. 

 

These are the azaleas I will be using. I bought two from Home Depot: 

 

2. You don't have to use aluminum wire. You could use cotton twine (for example) for wrapping the roots. You could even use that cheap nylon twine that Home Depot uses to secure your Xmas tree to the roof of your car. Be a rebel, make your own rules!

3. I'm going to be re-using the pots the azaleas came in... you can bigger or smaller.

4. Do you really need that 2 liter bottle? NAH! you can use a pvc pipe if that's your thing. Wrap that shit in aluminum foil and cling wrap if you want. Hey whatever man. I'm starting to get sick of all your damned questions, alright?!

5. Clay kitter litter - okay Mister Know-It-All, you don't have to use this. You can get all fancy-schmancy and use that imported Akadema clay shit straight from Japan. Wipe your ass with $20 bills while you're at it. You can also use sand, perlite, aquarium gravel, and the semi-ground up bones of that one guy that asked too many questions. 

6. I'm not gonna use a bamboo stake - I'm a rebel! Instead I'm gonna use some aluminum wire to secure the tree to the pot.

7. A tub of water or bucket - Fuck it all! Toss that shit in the river, Smarty McSmartfly, don't use a tub of water. You know what, you can just go jump in that river too, okay?

Now that I got those notes out of the way, let's begin!

Begin by preparing your 2 liter bottle. Cut off the top and bottom, creating a tube. Cut the tube lengthwise to create an adjustable tube.

 

Rinse your kitty litter to reduce the amount of dust. Don't be dumb. Use NEW kitty litter, not that 'slightly used' shit you scraped out of the cat box. Gross!

Remove tree from pot. This particular one I bought had TWO of them. SCORE!

 

 

While I was at it, I did a severe pruning on the tree. I saved the cuttings for propagation. Use a jet water spray to remove as much dirt as possible from the roots. Use a rake to comb out the roots, making them as straight as possible. Try not to remove any roots, as you will want the roots as long as possible. 

 

 That picture is part way into removing the dirt. I soaked the tree in a bucket of water and was able to get more dirt out.

 

Anchor wire around the base of the trunk, then firmly but gently wrap the wire around the roots to create a compact column. 

 

 

At this point, toss your tree in the bucket of plain water and allow it to soak. This will help reduce stress from repotting. Take a little break while you're at it. Go have a smoke man, chill out. 

Add a layer of rinsed kitty litter to the pot. If you have some gravel, add it to the bottom so your litter doesn't wash out. Fill it up about half way. If you're using one, add your bamboo stake to your little tree, then wrap your tube around your tree so that the stake is inside the tube and secure with some wire or tape or something... Situate your tree so that it sits at the top of your tube.

 

Turn the tube over and fill it with rinsed kitty litter. Use chopstick to make sure the litter goes into as many nooks and crannies as possible. Now you're going to put your hand over the bottom, so shit doesn't go flying everywhere and you're gonna flip the whole thing right side up, into the pot with kitty litter. Push down on the stake (if you're using one) so that it goes into the bottom of your pot. Continue filling the tube with kitty litter.

 

 

 Add some more kitty litter to your pot to help stabilize the tube. If you're using a stake, unwind the wire from the base of the trunk and wrap it around your bamboo stake. I didn't use a stake so I poked a hole in the rim of the pot and I used the unwound wire to secure it to the pot. How did I do it? See those bonsai scissors? I just poked them through the rim to make a small hole, then voila! I then wrapped another wire around the base of the trunk and secured both ends of that wire to the rim of the pot.

I didn't include a picture of the final wiring, but you get the idea.

Lastly, water water water! You can begin to fertilize after about 3 weeks.