Happy soon to be New Years Everyone!
Lets talk about your azalea response to cold a bit more and see if more information will help.
First off there are hundreds of different cultivars of satsuki azalea. Some have small leaves, some narrow, some are round, some are twisted in shape. So leaf difference in size is not a particular matter. Retailers often have different cultivars they sell. .
Second, different cultivars react differently to cold weather. Right now the Puget Sound region has been well below freezing for 5 days straight as low as 14F. As I took these photos I checked the greenhouse temperature and it’s 32.7F. The temperature/humidity sensor inside has shown readings that fluctuated between 30.9 and 41.8F for the last couple weeks. This means the plants are in dormancy, gathering chilling hours all that time.
Example One.. looking at this prebonsai, a Macrantha (Pink) Azalea, the leaves look a bit like yours does. Its lost lots of leaves, retaining only a few on the branch tips, a normal cold winter response in this cultivar. If I put it outside in the cold frame, which it was in the last two years, that gets below freezing it would lose even more leaves. Potted in Kanuma, the soil is really moist right now. This is normal as the plant can’t uptake water when it’s this cold.…. During summer this little guy would have many more leaves…. not today!
This next example is a Komo Kulshan with a little of another cultivar, Nuccios Voodoo, showing in the lower right corner.
The Komo Kulshan‘s leaves are similar to your tree, its lost a lot of leaves. Note the Nuccios Voodoo on the lower right has retained many of its leaves, even though it’s been in the same conditions as the Komo Kushan. The Komo Kushan is in a peat nursery mix that is almost as wet as the Macrantha Pink’s media. It’s losing a little moisture on the surface from evaporation.
Finally, here’s a last cultivar, Momo no Haru. This small leaf cultivar holds onto many of its leaves in the cold temperatures. It’s in a Kanuma mix which is also pretty wet.
Personally, I’d wait on a repot. It can only do damage to the roots without the tree being able to grow and rebound. Yet it is your tree, your call. If you do repot, please be sure there is a place to put the tree in that will not freeze from then on.
I noticed from your ten day weather forecast the weather is moderating soon. Also the Roseville climatology data shows you should be able to safely repot by the end of January/early February.
During this time you might prepare by gathering supplies. Also by getting in contact
with the Satsuki Club nearby and chat with them to see what Kanuma mix or other mix works best in your area. I use 90/10 Kanuma/pumice up here, I doubt this will work for you.
Good luck and please keep us advised how things progress.
I hope this helps.
Cheers
DSD sends
PS: Were those areas actually scale?
