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Why does my plant not flower?
This is like the question, why is the sky blue? Theres a reason, but were just not sure which one it is.
Heres a few options for you:
Why does my plant not flower - Annuals
These guys flower pretty regularly so if they didnt bloom for you, the answer is likely one of three things:
**You didnt give them the sunlight they need.
**You didnt give them enough water.
**You didnt feed them enough.
**Or any combination of the above.
Sometimes the soil acidity is a problem but most of the time, one of the above three reasons fits the case.
Why does my plant not flower - Perennials
Now it starts to get complicated.
Most of the time, a non-flowering perennial falls into the case of too-young a plant.
Many of the cheap seed-started perennials are sold as first-year plants and they simply wont flower until the second year. Even perennials that are divided often require a year in the ground before theyll give a reasonable flower show.
Sometimes a plant such as a peony will sulk for several years before it re-establishes its root system and begins to flower again (peonies do not like to be transplanted in the spring; they flower again much faster if transplanted in the fall).
The Rule Is...
Dont ask me why some individual plants sulk and others dont. Ive been growing perennials commercially for over 25 years and the rule is there isnt a rule. :-)
Why does my plant not flower - Shrubs
I get folks asking why does my plant not flower a lot with shrubs.
Shrubs often take a few years to make the transition from pot or field grown to garden-living. Ive seen lilacs take five years from planting before theyll throw another bloom.
The thing to check here is if the plant is in the right sunlight conditions. If it needs sun, (like lilac) then giving it shade will ensure it wont bloom.
Did you prune it? If the plant blooms in the spring, then it requires pruning immediately after flowering. The buds develop approximately six to eight weeks after the bloom has finished and if you prune after that time, (like in the fall) then youre cutting off the new blooms.
Did you feed it? Heres an interesting problem for gardeners. A little plant food like several shovels of compost will bring a shrub along nicely. A shrub planted next to a lawn will absorb extra nitrogen from the lawn and will grow like crazy. It will set land speed records for its growth but it will not produce flowers. It is so busy growing (Nitrogen is the gasoline for plant growth) under a foot-to-the-floorboards level of nitrogen that it cant set flowers. We see this problem all the time in the gardening world.
Did you water it? Plants need water to grow properly and a lack of water will stop plants from setting flowers
Is the plant rated for the gardening zone youre living in? For example, Hydrangea macrophylla is a wonderful plant that produces marvelously coloured (blue and red tones and bicoloured) blossoms on second-year wood. This means the stems grow up and produce a bud in year one. The bud overwinters on the plant and opens up in a glorious flower in year two. In my zone 4 garden, the plants themselves grow like stink and make huge shrubs. The only problem is that the buds get totally winter killed every year. Folks purchase these plants and cant understand why they never produce a flower. The buds die. Are the buds on your plant dying because it is too tender to grow in your area?
You Need Patience
Do you have patience? This is a plant. It will take its time growing up into a mature bush.
If the bush is supposed to be an eight to twelve foot tall plant, why would it start flowering when it is only two feet tall?
Yes, I know it flowered in the pot when you bought it but it was so stressed in the pot that it had to flower. Stressed shrubs and trees flower madly in the belief that they are about to die and they had better set seed.
Ive seen this more than once where shrubs/trees flowered heavily and set amazing amounts of seed after a particularly hard and droughty summer. If the plant is happily growing and not producing thin stalks under the influence of too much nitrogen, then relax. The plant is growing and working on its own timetable.
Coddling
This is the one last point that drives many gardeners nuts. If youve been coddling a plant and it hasnt flowered. Stop coddling the plant. Youre creating too rich a growing zone (too much water, too much plant food, too much pruning) and the plant is growing madly off in all directions but cant seem to figure out that it is supposed to flower (or at least thats what you think.) By withdrawing some of the food and water, the plant will begin to move to a hormonal production for flowering instead of a growing new leaves and stems production mode.
Why does my plant not flower - Vines and Trees
In answer to the question, "why does my plant not flower?" See the above about shrubs. The same thing applies to trees and vines (particularly fruit trees).
In short, you want to give the plant what it needs in the way of food and water but not excessive amounts of nitrogen. And you have to have patience and some restraint with the pruning shears.
That's the fast and easy answer to the question, "Why does my plant not flower?" and I hope it helps.
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