A little help -azalea reppoting

Recently I bought an Azalea karenko from Holland, and while I know that is not the best season for transplanting see the ground in poor condition.
I read that in the Netherlands using stonewool in nurseries and so the roots are very difficult to distinguish.
I ask your contribution.
Thanks

I have a couple of Karenko and they are a lovely variety.

If your tree looks to be in good condition, healthy shiny green leaves, in tight clusters at the end of every twig with a central flower bud, other than the last of the lower yellow ones that drop every winter, then I'd leave it alone. The feeder roots of Satsuki varieties are extremely fine and dense, almost like cotton wool. So a complete repot, as can be attempted with most other trees, is more of a shock to Satsuki's. Repotting into a new material is also risky. I usually just remove the outer 10% of the rootball, underneath and round the sides, and replace with fresh mix. You can also scrape a little of the surface soil away if it is weedy or compacted and top dress with fresh.

My preferred mix is peat, chipped bark and granite grit. If you are going to attempt to remove all of the "ground in poor condition", I'd certainly wait until the weather starts to warm a little.

I hope many others will have advice, as I am still learning.

Kev thanks a lot for your advise .


Best regards.
Lazaros

I agree with Kev about the timing. All other things being equal, wait until the weather is warmer -- though I know it is warmer in Greece than in The Netherlands. If you are worried about the current health of the plant, you might consider complete removal of all flower buds. That will let the plant redirect some energy and you will feel better about repotting earlier in the spring before Satsuki bloom time.

Kev's repotting process is fine. I'll just say what mine is. I take three wedge-shaped slices out of the rootball, perhaps totaling just under 1/3 of the root mass, and then cut a fraction off the entire bottom. I fill in the gaps with soil. I use about 1/3 Turface (fired clay) and 2/3 rotted pine bark.