Serissa pruning

digger714

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I have some serissa cuttings i have been growing out for a little over a year now, and have been told a couple different things about pruning them. I am wanting to get larger, but have to bring them indoors for the winters. Should i let them just grow all out with no pruning to gain size? Or, should i prune the long shoots back. I have been told to cut the long whips back. Any experts that can help would sure be appreciated. Heres a pic of one of them. It was about 1/8" thick when i took the cutting in october of 09'. Now its almost 3/4" at the soil, so they seem to grow pretty quick.
 

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Bill S

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You will get some growth if you bring them in for the winter, but it will be course, if all you are looking for is trunk girth just leave them as is.

Ok here is the part that will make everyone go :eek: what is he saying :eek: blasphemy :eek:

Don't bring them in. Keep them out untill they get a couple of light frosts, then store/overwinter in a place where they will stay around 34 to 38 degrees F. They will show you why in the spring, revamped vigor, smaller leaves, and the knowledge that these are not subtropical plants.

If you are one of the :eek:ers :D read this thread at Bonsai Vault -http://bonsaivaultforum.freeforums.org/overwintering-serissa-t787.html- where Carl Rosner, myself and another that has relatives in China where these grow where it snows. They are MUCH more than the tempremental plants they have been made out to be the last ten years or so at least.
 

digger714

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Thanks alot Bill. Ive always heard that alot of people grow these as hedges, so ive always thought of them as semi tropical, and if planted in the ground, might be ok. I planted a few cuttings this past summer, so ill let you know how they do. Seems like they get more flowers when it started getting cooler. So maybe here in nc, only bring the potted ones in when it gets real cold, like below freezing, then the rest of the time, leave them out? or Should i treat them as the other trees, and put mulch around the pots?

What about pruning them. Do i treat them as other trees, and leave all branches except for any place that has more than two branches to prevent future bulges, or prune the whips off to 2 internodes when they get 7 or 8 internodes?
 
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Bill S

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Digger you could probably leave them out where you are, the last 2 years after leaving them all out for a few frosts, they came in to a closed breezeway, I worked the windows so they stayed between 28 and 38 degrees for most of the winter. They all came out fine. Still working on what areas these will do well in the ground, another in N.J. has some planted as well, I think your winter is going to be milder than mine here, but the occasional long cold week of winter, so we will be interested in how yours turn out.

As to the pruning, I think you have it right, as to which to prune, guess that will depend on where you take it, they respond as most diciduous will.

Which type are you using, thousand star, veriagated, or the trumpet shaped flower?
 
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digger714

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Hi Bill, sorry i missed this. Ive been so worried about the azalea, ive been lost, lol. Im just getting back into the winter growing again. Hope your doing good. I started with the the flora plena, double snow rose, and a pink mountain, variegated, i guess they are kinda trumpet shaped. I thought they were called thousand stars. I took about a dozen cutting off them, and did some RoverR, a forest of each, and a couple twisted trunks. I just got in a Kyoto, and a Mt Fuji, a super variegated variety. I think they are really cool trees. especially when you get the hang of them, and get them blooming. The exposed roots are going to turn out awesome. I look forward to working with them more. Mine just got through loosing their outdoor leaves from the move indoors. They finally stopped turning yellow, and falling off. Now i can see new growth starting again, especially with the dbl snow rose. What type are you growing?
 

Bill S

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I have the Double Snow Rose/Thousand star, and the one with the pinkish/purpleish trumpet shaped flowered varieties, the Kyoto I want, they are really smaller leafed, as well as the flowers being quite nice, the variagated ones I have skipped on.

I put a sample both varieties I have in the ground to see what would happen, hopefully in a few years they will be MUCH larger, rather than dead, we'll see. If they live this year out it will be telling, it's been in the low 20's nearly every night since at least mid November. The last and next few nights we are looking a low single numbers for temps and NOAA has a La Nina forcast for a colder than normal winter for our area. If I can get these to grow in the grouns here, thier stock in life will surely improve.
 

digger714

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I got a variegated one, the pink mountain, because the leaves were so small, and compact. I guess they didnt have the kyoto at the time. They have the smallest leaves of all, i think. They are very compact, and nice little flowers. I wonder if they grow as fast as the flora plenas. Ill put up some pics tonight when i get in.
 
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