Getting it to bloom

Why won't my African Yellowwood bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called broad-leaved yellowwood, real yellowwood (Podocarpus latifolius).

More about african yellowwood

About African Yellowwood

Podocarpus latifolius · also called broad-leaved yellowwood, real yellowwood · flowering

South Africa's national tree, a stately evergreen conifer with broad, leathery dark-green leaves and a graceful, slightly drooping habit. Slower-growing and long-lived, it makes an elegant specimen or screen in frost-free gardens. Female trees produce fleshy purple seed-bearing structures. Valued for its dense canopy, attractive bark, and tolerance of varied conditions.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons african yellowwood isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming african yellowwood traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding african yellowwood a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get african yellowwood to flower

Maximise sun. Give african yellowwood the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for african yellowwood and get the feeding right with the african yellowwood fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

African Yellowwood flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full african yellowwood care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

African Yellowwood blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my african yellowwood flower?

African Yellowwood blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make african yellowwood bloom?

Give african yellowwood the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does african yellowwood normally bloom?