After the blooms have died on a Pieris, does it matter if you remove them from the plant? I've done this to one of mine that is about four feet high. Now I am wondering if I did a "No-No" as I don't seem to see any new leaves appearing. Could this be why? I also have that black sooty film on the old leaves, which I just today read about in your forum and will try washing it with dish soap and water. Hope my plant will still be okay after removing the old blooms! Pearlshirl
You will get more bloom the next year if you deadhead (remove spent flowers, to prevent fruit formation), same as with rhododendrons. Picking off capsules that have already formed won't affect future flowering, but it will make the shrub look better. You have to clip these out carefully, without removing the nearby new shoots, to maximize flower production. The sooty mold fungus is growing on the secretions of sucking pests, such as aphids or lacebugs. These can be on the pieris itself, or dripping onto it from a taller plant. To get rid of the dripping (and sootiness), control the pests.
