Getting it to bloom
Why won't my Chinese Juniper bloom? (and how to make it flower)
Also called Chinese Juniper, Japanese Juniper (Juniperus chinensis).
More about chinese juniper
About Chinese Juniper
Juniperus chinensis · also called Chinese Juniper, Japanese Juniper · flowering
Chinese juniper is a versatile, long-lived conifer native to China, Japan, and Mongolia, widely grown in temperate gardens and as a bonsai subject. It offers sculptural form, both scale-like adult and needle-like juvenile foliage, and tolerance of most well-drained soils in full sun. Hardy to USDA zone 4, it is available in a wide range of cultivars from columnar to ground-hugging forms.
Plant type: flowering
The reasons chinese juniper isn't blooming
Almost every non-blooming chinese juniper 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 chinese juniper 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 chinese juniper to flower
- Maximise sun. Give chinese juniper 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 chinese juniper and get the feeding right with the chinese juniper 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
Chinese Juniper 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 chinese juniper care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.
Chinese Juniper blooming — frequently asked questions
Why won't my chinese juniper flower?
Chinese Juniper 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 chinese juniper bloom?
Give chinese juniper 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 chinese juniper normally bloom?
Chinese Juniper flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.
What should I do with chinese juniper after it flowers?
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.
What is the single biggest mistake stopping chinese juniper flowering?
Feeding chinese juniper a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.
Keep reading
- Chinese Juniper care — the full brief (light, water, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- Chinese Juniper light needs — usually the first thing to fix for flowers
- Chinese Juniper fertilising — the right feed for buds, not just leaves
- Should I water my plant? The simple check
- Why is my plant wilting? Wet vs dry
- Underwatered plant — signs and rehydration
- Why won't my peace lily bloom?
- Why won't my jade plant bloom?
- Why won't my tomato bloom?
- All 2566 bloom guides in the Growli library