Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Chinese Weeping Cypress bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Chinese Weeping Cypress, Mourning Cypress, Funeral Cypress (Cupressus funebris).

More about chinese weeping cypress

About Chinese Weeping Cypress

Cupressus funebris · also called Chinese Weeping Cypress, Mourning Cypress · flowering

A graceful, medium to large cypress native to central and southwestern China, widely planted across east Asia around temples and cemeteries for its elegantly drooping, light-green foliage sprays. Less columnar than Italian Cypress, with a broader, more open crown and weeping branch tips. Adaptable to a wide range of soils including limestone, and more cold-hardy than Cupressus sempervirens.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons chinese weeping cypress isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming chinese weeping cypress 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 weeping cypress 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 weeping cypress to flower

Maximise sun. Give chinese weeping cypress 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 weeping cypress and get the feeding right with the chinese weeping cypress 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 Weeping Cypress 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 weeping cypress care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Chinese Weeping Cypress blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my chinese weeping cypress flower?

Chinese Weeping Cypress 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 weeping cypress bloom?

Give chinese weeping cypress 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 weeping cypress normally bloom?