Azalea prune??

[Ramman]

Hello everybody. Yesterday I sent pictures of my new nursery chizen azalea,today I gave it a pruning. And now I will wait till end of summer to do anything else. I did not cut down to trunk because I lost 1 after doing that. I wil find a spot for it with some sun and some shade, fertilze,spray insecticide,and then water regularly and hope for the best. Any opinions or critiques would be appreciated for an old man ,trying very hard to do right things. Can’t wait till dec.or Jan. to put in new bonsai soil. Thanks for all your help.

 

[Gabler]

I would start by cutting back the sides, but not the top. I would do that for a few reasons:

1. Azaleas are basally dominant, so the strongest growth is toward the bottom and the sides, and the apex is weaker.
2. Leaving some foliage on the tree will give you a safety net, so to speak, if it's not as strong as it looks, compared to cutting the whole thing back to a stump.
3. The bottom branches look to be the most leggy.

 

[Gabler]

This is approximately the outline I would be aiming for in a few years, maybe smaller. You'll want to cut back the lower branches much harder and regrow them out to that silhouette. Azaleas are brittle, so bending with wire isn't really an option for thicker branches.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Whoa. This is a new tree and you are in St. Augustine Fl.

Proper post flowering pruning on a new to you azalea means to reduce the number of the new extensions at each flower site back to 2.

Then reduce the number of leaves on each extension back to only two leaves.

Finally remove any downward growth on each branch.

Use Top Jin or any sealer to seal all wounds

Save the big cuts for late winter. That way the tree will be ready to back bud easily.

That is all.

DSD sends

 

[Gabler]

Whoa. Do not do this. This is a new tree and you are in St. Augustine Fl.

Is that a response to my advice or to the work already done? If that's bad advice, I'd like to know.

Is Florida a difficult climate for azaleas?

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Is that a response to my advice or to the work already done? If that's bad advice, I'd like to know.

… Mostly to the work already completed to date. (Also recall OP has already lost one azalea.)

…However the general advice given would be ok in MD post flowering, yet it’s not applicable in St Augustine where the temperatures are in the mid to upper 80’s and the flowering was considerably earlier.

Is Florida a difficult climate for azaleas?
… Not so hard given one has proper set up, shade cloth etc.

… The main thing is a seasonal timing adjustment. For example in Houston they are at least 2 months ahead of my area for post flowering pruning.

… As far as a basic styling outine goes, these tend to be broader, for general designing. Although anyone can style any tree whatever

Here’s two Kazan satsuki (pre pruning) in a basic shohin style.

First is about proper height, but a bit too narrow at the base



Second is too flat…and maybe a bit too narrow. (Both are hopefully being corrected in the upcoming years)



Cheers
DSD sends