Alex Kennedy's "Floral Treasures Of Japan" says that plants should be
fed from March onward especially for plants expected to flower heavily.
This is in order to build up their strength.

It made sense to me so I have followed this advice for the past three
years with very good results. I use Miracid - the blue liquid acidic
fertiliser available here in the UK but will be amending my regime this
year, as I hear that the brittleness of trunk and branches may be
lessened by fertilising with organic pellets. I'll get back to you all
on the results.

Cheers

Kev Bailey


In the interim, should I fertilize the azalea's sometime this
spring to
strengthen them ?

No. Unless the soil is absolutely awful, once a shrub is
established it seldom needs fertilization.

Also, don't feed nitrogen based plant food to a flowering bonsai until
after
it has bloomed, as it will encourage leaf growth at the expense of
blossoms.
If the azalea looks hungry, let it bloom first, then feed it.



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