Pieris 'passion' blooming

canoeguide

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This (and several others that I have) are blooming already... which is interesting, considering my landscape Pieris 3 feet from where these were overwintered haven't started yet.

I'd like to bare-root and root-prune some and get them into training pots or the ground, but I was surprised by the early flowering... is it too late? There isn't much info out there for Pieris as bonsai... should I treat these as azalea?

IMG_20200321_181325.jpg
 
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canoeguide

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I'd wait till new foliar growth begins, repot then....just a guess.

I think these bloom and then push buds. I know that structural pruning or chops are best done after blooms start to fade. My guess is that repotting is best done prior to flowering or just after, but I'm not sure. I would love to hear from someone who knows!

I nabbed a few of these for $3 apiece at the end of the season and am thrilled with the bloom color!
 

just.wing.it

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I think these bloom and then push buds. I know that structural pruning or chops are best done after blooms start to fade. My guess is that repotting is best done prior to flowering or just after, but I'm not sure. I would love to hear from someone who knows!

I nabbed a few of these for $3 apiece at the end of the season!
Well....in my experience, azaleas usually push out new shoots, then bloom....then continue with the the shoots.

Pruning after blooming is a good way to make sure that you get blooms next year....but not a necessity.

Some may say that pruning in a way that eliminates the blooms is best for structural development.....and tend to I agree.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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I was going to write a bunch about Pieris, and just realized, every Pieris I've ever owned died in less than one year. So I will not say anything about Pieris.

As to @just.wing.it comment about Azalea, your exactly right for Satsuki azaleas, but the world of azaleas is larger than that.

Kurume azalea, keep some leaves over the winter, in spring bloom first then push foliage.

Satsuki azalea, push new growth first, then in May, pause growth, push flowers, then after blooming have a second flush of growth.

Deciduous azalea, totally leafless for winter, New buds contain both leaves and flowers,, as buds push leaves unfurl, buds develop some bloom while leaves are still quite small, some bloom after leaves are fully expanded and developed.

Hybrids, for example hybrids between Kurume and Satsuki types, the behavior is in-between or intermediate between the two patterns. Similar for Exbury azaleas, which are a hybrid between R. indica type azaleas and Deciduous azalea.
 

canoeguide

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I was going to write a bunch about Pieris, and just realized, every Pieris I've ever owned died in less than one year. So I will not say anything about Pieris.

This does not instill me with confidence in my chances. 🙃 I've gotten them through winter, at least. I may pot up one for fun, and put another in the ground to thicken up as a temporary landscape plant.
 

Wilson

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One of these was repotted into an oversized pot today into pumice/fir bark. May do some hard pruning after the flowers fade, or just let it go and see if it will live. This one has a decent root flare under the soil level.
View attachment 293950

I cut mine back to their first leaves when I first pruned. I have found them to be tough enough. Screenshot_20200312-090745_Samsung Internet.jpg
 

Wilson

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@Hartinez I do still have it, and it still seems to be an easy one to care for. I have it potted similar to what I remember John G. using for his azaleas in development. I have it in a peat and perlite mix, and I prune after the blooms. I don't think I have ever cut it back as hard as an azalea, but do always cut back to some green.
 

Hartinez

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@Hartinez I do still have it, and it still seems to be an easy one to care for. I have it potted similar to what I remember John G. using for his azaleas in development. I have it in a peat and perlite mix, and I prune after the blooms. I don't think I have ever cut it back as hard as an azalea, but do always cut back to some green.
Thanks for getting back to me. I found a variegated one at my local nursery with an excellent trunk for $40. Thinking of picking it up for the flowers alone.
 

canoeguide

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Here's a not-great picture of one of mine that was repotted this year and is setting a ton of flowers for next spring. It should be beautiful and then it's getting a pretty hard prune.
PXL_20210808_124256635.jpg
I've got them growing in a 50/50 mix of pumice and fir bark, and I've been fertilizing with Miracid.
 

Hartinez

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Here's a not-great picture of one of mine that was repotted this year and is setting a ton of flowers for next spring. It should be beautiful and then it's getting a pretty hard prune.
View attachment 392250
I've got them growing in a 50/50 mix of pumice and fir bark, and I've been fertilizing with Miracid.
How aggressive were you with repot and root work?
 

canoeguide

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How aggressive were you with repot and root work?
I don't have pictures of the process, but from memory, I didn't have to be super aggressive because most of the roots were rather fine. I don't believe there were a lot of big weird roots growing straight down or twisting around, so I mostly just removed the bottom ones to get a flat plane and trimmed around a few inches out from the trunk. They definitely were bare-rooted, and probably hosed. Both that are shown in this thread are just on their first repot from nursery cans.

For the purposes of this thread, here's another that I have (also shown above) when it bloomed this past spring. It lost the "main" trunk and has a zillion flaws as any kind of bonsai, but can be charming enough from precisely this view when it blooms.
PXL_20210403_212519327_2.jpg
@Hartinez did you brush the trunk on yours? It looks rather smooth!
 

Hartinez

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I don't have pictures of the process, but from memory, I didn't have to be super aggressive because most of the roots were rather fine. I don't believe there were a lot of big weird roots growing straight down or twisting around, so I mostly just removed the bottom ones to get a flat plane and trimmed around a few inches out from the trunk. They definitely were bare-rooted, and probably hosed. Both that are shown in this thread are just on their first repot from nursery cans.

For the purposes of this thread, here's another that I have (also shown above) when it bloomed this past spring. It lost the "main" trunk and has a zillion flaws as any kind of bonsai, but can be charming enough from precisely this view when it blooms.
View attachment 392253
@Hartinez did you brush the trunk on yours? It looks rather smooth!
That one belongs to Wilson. The ones I’m eyeing are very rough textured bark. It’s the bark texture, trunk caliper, and flowers I’m after. The ones I found are all variegated which is not typically sought after for bonsai but it works with it I think. I’ll post pics when I go back for one.
 
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