How To Prune A Bonsai Azalea

Try not to cut any one branch back by more than a third.
How to prune a bonsai azalea. This video discusses several techniques for pruning azalea bonsai during their development. Perform major pruning between early spring and early summer. Once trained to a specific bonsai shape azaleas require only maintenance pruning and trimming. When pruning azaleas you do not need to worry about cutting back to a connecting branch.
I had the pleasure of working on this stunning shohin satsuki azalea late last autumn. Trimming them at this time will ensure they continue to blossom. Satsuki azalea bonsai before and after pruning. Pick out the branches on the plant that are outside of your mental shape for the plant and cut each one of those back.
Every other spring march may your bonsai will need its roots pruned. Cut off one third of the roots all the way around and up from the bottom. Remove any dead flowers and reduce the number of new shoots growing out of the branches. If you re cutting them at other times you can cut the flower buds which will stop the plant from blooming.
Gently remove the plant from the pot and carefully remove some of the soil around the sides and bottom of the root ball. Remove spent flowers as soon as they wilt and any new shoots that develop after blooming ends. Prune the bonsai azalea immediately after flowering in the late summer. Shoots grow in clumps of five.
Therefore prune the branches at the base harder than the top. Prune them down to two shoots with two sets of leaves each. The best time to prune is as the flowers discolor and shrivel. The azalea withstands strong pruning very well and even produces new shoots from branches on which no leaves are left.