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Hey guys,
I have been looking up info on azalea bonsai, because I have been thinking about going to one of home improvement stores(home depot, or lowes)that is by my house and just pick an azalea up... Once it gets a little warmer around here and the roads aren't so bad..I was wondering if you guys had any advice for me. I haven't ever grown a flowering tree before, and I was wondering if they need a specific soil or if I could just use regular bonsai soil, and any basic care that I should know. Eventually I want to give azalea bonsai to my grandma, I know she would love it. Thanks in advance for all your advice and help, it very much appreciated

The main thing with Azaleas are that they require acid soil. They will not survive if the soil is alkaline. Second do not think that you can keep them indoors. They are hardy trees. They may need some protection in winter depending on your winters.
Try to find one with smaller flowers, which will be more useful within the size
When the plant finishes flowering they are pruned hard. Re potting is done after flowering.
It would be helpful to know what country you are in and where.

what country you are in matters quite a lot. but because azalea plants are used for common gardening, its pretty easy to find out things about them on the internet or on a book. but because you are using it for a bonsai, they might need a bit of different care.

There is not much difference to the way the azalea is treated in pots. Depending on the winters it may be that the plant needs a little protection from frost, as they are hardy in the ground but less so in pots. The soil needs to be acidic, and in Japan the soil used is Kanuma. Pruning is the same, and repotting also is done after flowering. I also use sequestered iron every few weeks as my water is very hard. There are several good books take a look on Amazon This is a link to the best Satsuki Azalea grower in Japan my friend Mack
. http://www7.ocn.ne.jp./~macknisi/index-1.html

Hey guys thanks for your responses . I live in North America, in Michigan. The winters here get pretty cold. Sometime it can get into the negative degrees Fahrenheit. I live in the southern part of the state. Detroit is about a 45 minute drive from my house, if you don't take the freeway.

According to other enthusiasts on another message-board it is not best to repot and trim branches at the same time as apparently the bloom (the flowers) use a lot of energy. I did but I seem to have largely gotten away with it on account of the fact I have retained so much of the feeder roots and I really only took away 3-4 branches which overhung the pot and I couldn't see to fill in with my ericaceous compost.

This is mine.

ok.. now plant it in your garden and let it grow for 10 years?

what exactly do you see in this tree, future wise? where do you want to go with it? what are your plans?

after blooming, you can prune and repot, no problem.. repot in kanuma with some sphagnum mixed into it

I have always re potted and pruned at the same time. That is the way they are treated. Planting in the garden is normally what I would say but the soil must be low pH that is below 7 preferably below 6.5. If it above 7 then they will not survive many years. That is the only reason I go into a larger pot and not ground.