Hi everyone, I have a Kurume azalea that’s got some trunk scars from branch removal that aren’t healing over.
Some background:
Four years ago I found it in a shovelful of clay soil that had been lifted out of the ground and dropped on the doorstep of a bonsai nursery near me. I cleaned all the field soil off, since I thought it might die anyway, and put it in a soil mix that works in my yard and on my schedule. I babysat it that summer. Starting the following year, it sends copious amounts of new growth at least twice each year, flowers prolifically (sometimes twice) and doesn’t suffer from any diseases that I can see. The color is great, and the trunk is thickening each year. Basically, I’ve got a handle on the basic horticultural care. I live in central NJ and the soil is starting to resist water, so I think it needs a repotting this coming spring (2022).
Since it was growing so strongly, last year I began the process of removing some terrible branches. There hasn’t been any die-back below the cuts based on a fingernail scrape, but they also haven’t closed more than a millimeter or so in the past year. Is there a special trick or technique that helps close scars on thin-barked species in general or azalea specifically?
I’m not panicked, since the tree is rocking along, but I’d appreciate any insight. Thank you!
Jesse