I must keep my hobby-hybridizing daylilies in shaded pots due to the high summer temps here, and I only have access to 1-gallon pots at the moment. The fans I planted in those 1-gallon post last year did fine over the winter, though not as vigorously as other fans of the same variety did in the ground. But, I'm okay with that as long as the pot-DLs still survive and thrive enough to flower and set pods in our 100-degree-temps.
So, I'm wondering, has anyone ever tried "bonsai-ing" their smaller-pot daylilies to keep them going strong and blooming?
I worry that even one winter in the pots may have led them to already be root bound. But, can I cut back the roots a few inches to allow for this next year's growth, and just keep doing that each year? Will they bloom the same season after having roots cut back? Any thoughts are welcome, even if you haven't done this exact thing ... I'm just hoping to get some idea of what I might do without compromising bloom and pod-setting on my small-pot DLs.
