Satsuki Azalea - Wintering Advice

Nadyr

Seed
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Western Pennsylvannia
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Hello all! I am fairly new to bonsai, having been entrusted with a Satsuki azalea after my grandmother's funeral in April. Winter is coming so I thought I ought to make an account and ask for wintering advice, as internet searching hasn't yielded a clear answer. Winters here can be very cold, typically in the 20's (F) January and February but sometimes getting as low -10 F during severe winters. My assumption is I'll need to take it inside during the coldest months, but I'm not sure what factors I need to take into account to keep the bonsai healthy.

I've read cultivar can be relevant to care, but I'm unfortunately not sure what cultivar I'm caring for (my mother purchased the bonsai but did not keep track of many details). I'll add a couple details and pictures in the hopes that will help with identification:
-Satsuki azalea, blooms with large pink flowers
-Began blooming the first week of August, still blooming today (Nov 7th)
-Shipping label indicates it was grown in Mississippi
-Some leaves are turning yellow/orange and falling off as of the beginning of November, most still appear deep green (seems to coincide with the temperature dropping)
 

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Bonsai Nut

Nuttier than your average Nut
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Welcome to the site!

If you could add your location to your profile, it will help people give you the best advice. USDA Zone 6a is pretty big... and there are friendlier 6a's and nastier 6a's :)
 

jandslegate

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Welcome to the site!

If you could add your location to your profile, it will help people give you the best advice. USDA Zone 6a is pretty big... and there are friendlier 6a's and nastier 6a's :)
I'm in 6b and I've struggled to keep Kurume alive through winter. I also had a Satsuki Kurume hybrid that didn't wake up after it's first winter either. Not saying it's impossible but it would require some extra pampering. Eisei-en is only a few hours away and Bjorn told me he basically just moves then to a cold frame if anything. So even what seems like a small difference in geography can literally mean life and death for some species.
 

brentwood

Chumono
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I'm 6a in Dayton, Ohio, and I have been keeping mine outside over winter. I have not lost any yet, but I've had them lose leaves, take a little punishment. This year I'm looking at a small cold frame greenhouse for my borderline plants, will probably include these. Still learning, sure these all have subtly different ability to deal with our weather here - guess I'm getting more attached to them each year they survive.


B
 

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IzzyG

Shohin
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You should pick up Rick Garcia’s book. It’s basically an in depth care guide for Azaleas. In short, from what I gathered is there are cold hardy cultivars but it’s almost always better to assume that they aren’t. According to Rick, they require 40 days of sub 40F weather for dormancy while staying above freezing, so taking them inside your home is likely not a solution. If you have a garage or perhaps a cold frame, that would be an option.
 

Deep Sea Diver

Masterpiece
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welcome Aboard BonsaiNut!

Thank you for adding your profile. This information helps us help you.

There are many satsuki cultivars, some much more cold hardy then others. The amount of chilling hours varies widely depending upon cultivar.

The issue imho is you have a young (likely 3-4 yoa) unknown satsuki cultivar in PennsylvanaI that originated in Mississippi. So find a wintering over place to ease the azalea into your climate the first year. It should experience cold (below 42F) temperatures, but no more then a light frost at night… something that doesn’t freeze the outer roots solid for at least the first winter.

Once the satsuki experiences cold temperatures, the inner spring leaves may turn yellow or red and die off, leaving only leaves on the outer tips. This is normal. The inner areas will bud back in spring given the plant is healthy.

If you are still looking for some practical ideas check out this resource (see download button on top of the page). While Rick Garcia’s book is very good on basic horticulture, and is something I’d very strongly recommend to a new satsuki owner, it doesn’t have the practical wintering over examples for hobbyists you are looking for.

Chers
DSD sends
 

JudyB

Queen of the Nuts
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There are some that can handle colder temps than others, trick is figuring out which one you have. I find that smaller leafed varieties have more cold hardiness than the larger leafed ones, but that may just be coincidence. I don't think it would hurt to be on the safer side and do some protection.
 
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