The Beautiful Azalea Bush
The popular flowering Azaleas plant blossoms with bright spring bloom, making it bushy and attractive. Are you wondering when to prune Azaleas?
This beautiful decorative plant is mostly planted during fall and spring. During spring, the Azaleas blossom a lot. Therefore, if you buy the Azaleas during this time, you will be sure of getting the colours you desire.
This plant can bloom in different colours according to the other conditions surrounding it.
When to Prune Azaleas
Annual seasons are the ones that determine how and when to prune Azaleas.
During spring or early summer, the Azalea shrubs fully bloom. Such an occasion is usually the best time to prune Azaleas. At this time, you will notice some of the flowers begin to wither and discolour. Cutting these flowers will remove their buds, and in return, it will prevent them from blooming.
Our Top Tips for Pruning Azaleas
You can follow the below tips on the Azalea pruning process and simply be successful. Follow the tips on the Azalea pruning process below:
- Drastic pruning.
- Annual maintenance pruning.
When it comes to drastic pruning, the first thing you should do is to check your Azalea plant. You will need to do that because you will not need drastic pruning unless your Azalea is the Southern Indian type.
When pruning, make sure that you have a specific shape in mind before you start making the cuts. This move will prevent unnecessary trimming and thus prevent long-term harm to your plant.
On the other hand, native encore Azalea does not need pruning. Native Azalea grows in vines, and thus it may only need pruning once a year. Therefore, the annual maintenance pruning method works very well in this scenario.
There are other important tips to keep in mind when pruning your Azalea Shrubs. These tips include:
Disinfect Your Pruning Equipment
To keep diseases from spreading between the plants, you should properly wipe the shears to make them pest or germ-free.
To get the required results, you need to use either alcohol, bleach, or a disinfecting spray as a disinfectant to disinfect the tools. After using the right disinfectant on your pruning tool, make sure you dry it before starting to use it on your Azalea shrubs.
Clip Out Dead Stems in the Spring
During spring, you will notice dead stems and branches. However, in a different scenario, other limbs might not be dead but might seem sick.
You will have to remove the sickly stems at the ends (connected to the wood). To conduct this activity smoothly, use hand trimmers. If the dead or sick branches are thicker, you should use loppers.
During clipping, you should try to make as small and clean cuts as possible. This possible move prevents the healthy wood from being left with large injuries.
If the healthy Azalea wood is left with a large cut, diseases and fungus could use it as an entry point to the whole Azalea shrub.
Trim the Bush Carefully After the Flowers are Gone
Always make sure you conduct your annual light pruning. You should do this because when spring goes away. The bright flowers of your Azalea plant usually start to die at this time. When you notice this, know that the time for an annual pruning has arrived.
In this activity, you should put your hand trimmers to use by carefully trimming back its long stems. To improve the natural shape of the bush, make slow, careful cuts all around it. In the thinner parts of the plant, do not overdo the trimming. Trim back areas that seem crowded properly.
You should not use hedge clippers to shear the Azalea shrub into shape. Hedge clippers cannot make the precise, careful cuts in the plant’s bush. Therefore, you should stick to your hand trimmers for this process.
Do Not Prune Three Weeks After the Flowers Die
After July passes, you should not conduct any more pruning to your Azalea plant. When you prune, especially during fall, you will be removing the buds which are maturing at this time.
These buds are the ones that are supposed to form flowers during the next spring. If you forget to prune during the correct time, you will need to wait till the next pruning season to prevent damaging your Azalea buds.
If you prune after July, the plant will bloom with gaps in it. The openings will make the appearance not very attractive.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Pruning Different Azalea Types
There are usually quite a variety of Azalea shrub species. These different types of Azaleas require different pruning methods and techniques.
Below is a further guide to pruning different types of Azaleas:
The Northern Hi-Lights Azalea (Rhododendron Northern Hi-Lights)
- Wait until the flowers are dead; this happens during the spring.
- Carefully cut off the dead stems and branches from your Azalea shrub.
- Bring up your Azalea to your preferred shape by cutting off the live feeders.
Lemon Lights Azalea (Rhododendron Lemon Lights)
- Select the best time of the year to do the pruning. Just like the other Azalea shrubs, you should do this during spring. At this time, the Lemon Light Azalea flowers typically produce several flower buds.
- Carefully remove some of the limbs to allow others to grow in their places.
- Cut off any stems touching neighboring plants or within 2 feet (0.61 m) of other shrubs and trees.
Korean Azalea (Rhododendron Yedoense var Poukhanense)
- Cut its long branches several times. Do this practice during winter.
- Shape your shrubs to your desired shape 2 to 3 times. Perform this practice during the growing season.
- Prune a little at a time. Korean Azalea requires patience in pruning. For the best results, take a break for a few days before pruning again until you are done.
Fireball Azalea (Rhododendron Fireball)
- Smoothly clip out the branches from the main Fireball Azalea wood.
- Use sharp hand clippers to remove low-lying stems attached to other plants and structures around it.
- In a Rhododendron Fireball, you may find dead or diseased wood. If you find any of these woods, simply remove them in the proper manner, slowly and carefully. Doing this procedure prevents the disease from spreading to the whole plant. Use hand clippers for this procedure.
The Snow Azalea (Rhododendron Snow)
- Remove the overgrown stems and branches during early spring before the new growth begins.
- Check for dead branches around the Snow Azalea shrubs.
- Cut each branch by about half its length to encourage new growth and help control the size of your plant.
How Often Should You Trim Azalea?
Trimming Azalea should be done once every year and only during the right season. This move will prevent the branches from overgrowing, preventing the flowers from becoming invisible due to too much bush.
When trimming Azalea, it is essential to let the plant rest for several weeks after pruning. You are recommended to give your Azalea bush at least three or four weeks of rest before you begin regular care again.
You should follow up on the above instructions during the early spring before new growth begins. This procedure will ensure the healthiest Azalea shrub with a strong root system.
In return, you will have an easier time maintaining your plant, while the long Azalea branches themselves would not take over your yard.
How Hard Can You Cut Back Azalea?
Azaleas can be cut back not shorter than twelve inches tall. However, the Azalea may weaken if you cut back against that required threshold.
Such a move may weaken the plant due to low nutrient intake, and in a worst-case scenario, the whole Azalea plant may die. If you cut back incorrectly and the plant survives, it may take three years or more to bring out flowers again.
How to Prune an Overgrown Azalea
Select the perfect time for trimming your Azalea bush. It is mainly during the late spring. This timing applies to all types of Azaleas, whether they are deciduous or evergreen.
To rejuvenate your Azalea, cut back all primary branches and cut the entire Azalea shrub less than one foot (30 centimeters) from the ground. After this step, check slowly and carefully to see if its primary branches are still forming new young shoots.
If you discover that new young shoots are still being formed, you should take the less drastic measures. Make sure that from your pruning, you have balanced the productivity of the Azalea plant in that it still produces the new wood.
You can also cut the branches that join to form the main network. Carefully trim them from the crown to achieve a great look, desired shape, and appearance. You may also choose to cut off the whole trunk of the shrub. When cutting off the Azalea crate, make sure to cut it not more than 15 to 30 centimeters from the ground.
After choosing the best way to rejuvenate your Azalea shrub, remember to keep it adequately watered to keep it healthy and strong.
Do Azaleas Grow Back After Being Cut Down?
Azalea shrub will grow back fully even after it’s cut down, but only if it was cut using the correct required method. If the pruning had been intense, it might take up to 3 years, but it would still rejuvenate in the end.
Cutting the Azalea shrub more than 15 centimeters above the soil can destroy it and leave no chances of ever returning to life again. Therefore, the Azalea shrub grows back to life after being cut down, but the cutting should not be so intense unless you want to start planning on how to grow Azalea from scratch again.
You can only make the cut severe if the Azalea gives out new growth from the tall branch, which is 15 centimeters tall. If this growth is not visible, don’t cut heavily since the plant may not grow back to life.
Key Highlights
Azalea shrubs come in different varieties, but the care and maintenance they require are not much different. This plant requires little attention but gives you back awesome results. All you need to do is look after its needs every spring.
Prune it carefully using the right tools. Ensure that those tools are properly disinfected before using them on your Azalea.
Following this guide will ensure that you have the best healthy Azalea plants. Thus, your home will remain beautifully bright from the blossoms of Azalea shrubs.