Question
Dying Azalea Bonsai
I received an indoor Azalea Bonsai as a Mother's Day gift, and I'm afraid I may have killed it. Everyday I check to make sure the soil isn't to dry, and water it accordingly. But now all of the leaves are extremely wilted. What if anything can I do to save this plant?!
AnswerHi Bernie,
I'm afraid your Azalea bonsai is in pretty bad shape and probably cannot be salvaged. Azaleas do not tolerate dryness at all. Even a single watering lapse - watering a day or two late - will cause many or most of the leaves to dry up and die. When planted in a shallow Bonsai planter, it tends to dry out sooner and there is even less margin for error. So you have been struggling with a very challenging and unforgiving plant.
The leaves that are already brown and discolored will not recover and that looks like just about all of them. If the stems are brittle (they snap when bent), then they are also dead and will not revive.
If you find some stems and branches that are still pliable, you can prune them back and new growth may emerge in a month or so. The brittle stems should be cut off altogether. When you are done removing all of the dead leaves and brittle stems, what remains will not look pretty. But if you have enough live stems, then there is a chance that eventually new growth will fill out the plant and help make the Azalea presentable again. But it will take lots of patience on your part.
Good luck and I am sorry I don't have better news for you.
I have written articles on Azalea and Bonsai care that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who sends a request to me at
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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC
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