How to make a Satsuki azalea bonsai? Detailed step-by-step explanation
Pruning and branch training
Pruning and branch training on a Satsuki azalea bonsai can regulate the plant's growth, making it grow more vigorously and giving the branches and leaves a more graceful form.
If you want to overhaul the overall shape of the Satsuki azalea and prune it heavily, do it in spring when the plant is growing vigorously. If it is growing weakly and still must be pruned, first apply fertilizer to build it up, and prune only after the Satsuki azalea has regained its vigor. In addition, you need to repot it and change the soil at the same time, removing old roots, to improve the Satsuki azalea's growing environment as a whole.
Pruning before flowering
Before the flowering period, prune the branches and leaves appropriately, removing leggy long branches and messy branches, so that when the flowering period arrives the whole bonsai will have a neat and natural crown.
Pruning after flowering
After the flowering period, tidy up the branches and trunk. If new branches are allowed to grow freely, they will disrupt the original balance, and the parts with many new branches will also thicken, looking very disharmonious. At this time, when pruning, keep one or two new branches with good growth direction, and for the side branches remove vertical and reverse-growing branches, keeping the new branches that grow horizontally. Of course, if you want to thicken the main trunk, the new branches can be left unpruned for the time being. Note that pruning after the flowering period must be completed by mid-June.
Routine pruning
For ordinary bonsai upkeep, simply cut off diseased, weak, messy and leggy branches. This kind of tidying can enhance the growth balance between the branches and the root system, and can also increase light penetration and ventilation, which benefits the overall development of the Satsuki azalea.
Wiring and bending
Like other bonsai, Satsuki azalea bonsai also emphasizes structure, layering and density. Generally speaking, a Satsuki azalea bonsai should first be pruned and then shaped more fully through techniques such as wiring and bending. Note that this flower's branches and trunk are rather fragile, so before wiring and bending, soften the branches slightly with water first, then use wire to shape the reserved branches by wiring and bending.
Points to note
No matter how you prune, the Satsuki azalea's size will always keep increasing, so every three years a large-scale overhaul should be carried out, cutting off excess flowering branches and reducing the bonsai's volume. At the same time, you should also change the soil and repot it for maintenance. Only in this way can the Satsuki azalea bonsai stay in good growing condition and maintain its charming and elegant shape.