Why Isn’t Your Tree Blooming?
Having trees on your property ensures that you’ll have shade in the summer, vibrant color changes in the fall, beautiful blooms in the spring, and wildlife to watch all year round.
Unhealthy or damaged trees won’t give you the benefits above, but what’s worse, they’ll pose a huge risk to your home if they are damaged enough to fall or drop branches on your roof.
The first sign that something might be wrong is that your tree doesn’t bloom.
This could simply mean that the conditions aren’t perfect yet, but a non-blooming tree could also indicate a bigger problem.
Let’s look at a few reasons why a new tree might not be blooming.
It isn’t time yet.
Trees don’t automatically bloom on the first day of spring. Just because we break out the flip flops, that doesn’t flip a switch for plants and trees. And the larger the plant or tree, the longer it will take to recognize the seasonal shift.
Trees take several things into account before blooming out:
- Amount of daylight – They naturally know when the days start getting longer. This indicates that spring is on the way, and their process of leafing out begins within the tree, long before you actually see any signs.
- Temperature – Daily temperatures are another indicator that spring blooms are on the way. But plants know better than people that a string of warm, sunny days does not mean winter is over.
- The individual tree’s genetics – Some trees and plants bloom early in spring, while some get a later start. Pay attention to this detail when you are purchasing trees for landscaping so you won’t be disappointed later on.
These things together signal to the trees that it’s time to bloom. If there are inconsistencies, they won’t bloom until conditions are perfect.
If it is early in the spring, don’t worry. This is the trees’ way of protecting themselves from frost damage. So even if it is warm and beautiful for days on end, your trees will wait until the danger of frost is completely passed.
As spring progresses and your trees still aren’t blooming, try these things:
- Watch weather trends to know if more cold weather is on its way. It also helps to know the difference between weather, which describes how it feels outside at the moment, and climate, which dictates what usually happens in your region at certain time annually.
- Research your tree species, especially if it is a new tree. Some trees simply leaf out and bloom later than others.
3 Reasons Your Trees May Not Be Blooming
So you are well into spring (or summer) and your tree never bloomed or produced fruit. Even if they are leafing out and looking healthy, it’s time to look at some other reasons this could be happening.
Damage
Tree damage can come from disease or from severe weather. In either case, your tree could have trauma that has prevented it from continuing its annual cycle.
This is another way trees protect themselves. In most cases, the tree will recover and bloom normally the following year.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot you can do this season. Just make sure you mitigate the damage and look forward to next year’s beautiful blooms.
Lack of nutrients
Trees reserve nutrients and water whenever there is a shortage, as in a drought or if they are planted in poor soil. New trees are especially susceptible to these types of issues.
You can test the soil to determine what needs to be added. You can purchase a do-it-yourself soil test kit, or you can hire an arborist to do the test for you.
Once testing is done, you can add fertilizer to supplement the soil and mulch, which will help hold in moisture and necessary nutrients.
Overgrowth
This isn’t going to be the case for a new tree, but it’s important to remember as your trees age.
An overgrown tree is one that has too many branches to nourish. Chances are, the needs to be thinned, removing lower branches as well as smaller limbs that may be pulling too much water and food from the larger branches.
This will be an ongoing job if you want consistent flower or fruit production from your trees.
Hire a Professional Arborist
Calling a certified Clearwater arborist is the most effective way to diagnose and treat issues when your trees aren’t blooming.
It may be a simple issue that will resolve itself, but if the problem is more serious, getting help sooner rather than later could be the difference in saving your trees.
Here’s how a pro can help:
- Inspection. An arborist is trained to see issues before they damage trees beyond recovery. A simple inspection will ease your mind about the health of your trees. It will also reveal any issues that can be resolved quickly or with extended care.
- Expertise. Arborists have extensive knowledge about different tree species. They may be able to tell you right away that the type of tree you have doesn’t bloom for a certain number of years, or that it blooms later than other varieties.
- Information. A trained arborist will know all of the conditions that need to be present for a tree to bloom out. After assuring you that your tree is healthy during the inspection, your trusted tree care team can educate you about the signs to look for in the future which indicate that your trees may need some attention.
- Training and tools. Probably the best reason to call a professional when you have concerns: These teams have the skills to care for your trees, regardless of the issue. They can prune trees suffering from overgrowth or damage. Alternatively, they can provide a little TLC to trees that may just need some fertilizer and mulch to recover the nutrients that make it capable of blooming out.
After investing hundreds or thousands of dollars in landscaping and tree care, it’s worth the time and money to call a professional arborist for advice and assistance when your trees aren’t blooming the way they should!