How To Prune Bonsai Azalea

Satsuki azalea bonsai before and after pruning.
How to prune bonsai azalea. Cut off one third of the roots all the way around and up from the bottom. Try not to cut any one branch back by more than a third. The bottom of the old root ball must be cut out at each transplanting. Don t take hedge clippers and shear the bush into shape.
This technique ultimately leads to a reduction in leaf size and an increase in ramification. Remove spent flowers as soon as they wilt and any new shoots that develop. Every other spring march may your bonsai will need its roots pruned. This is done by cutting a cone shape into the root ball extending right up to the bottom of the trunk.
Another method of bonsai pruning is defoliation which involves removing leaves of deciduous trees during the summer to force the tree to grow new leaves. Once trained to a specific bonsai shape azaleas require only maintenance pruning and trimming. Pick out the branches on the plant that are outside of your mental shape for the plant and cut each one of those back. Make careful cuts in order to improve the shape of the bush.
Trim back areas that seem too crowded and don t overdo it in the thinner areas. The roots systems grow vigorously and will probably need transplant and root pruning ever two years. I had the pleasure of working on this stunning shohin satsuki azalea late last autumn. This video discusses several techniques for pruning azalea bonsai during their development.
When pruning azaleas you do not need to worry about cutting back to a connecting branch. For more information check the defoliation page.