Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Coast Redwood Bonsai bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Coast Redwood Bonsai, California Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens).

More about coast redwood bonsai

About Coast Redwood Bonsai

Sequoia sempervirens · also called Coast Redwood Bonsai, California Redwood · flowering

Coast Redwood, the world's tallest tree, makes a striking evergreen bonsai with flat, feathery needles and fibrous reddish bark. An outdoor conifer from the foggy California coast, it craves consistent moisture, high humidity, and bright light with shelter from harsh frost. It readily sprouts from the base, making it forgiving for development and group plantings.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Excess basal sprouting: It readily throws up shoots from the base and trunk that can clutter the design. Rub off unwanted buds early, or use them deliberately for forests and lower branches.

The reasons coast redwood bonsai isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming coast redwood bonsai 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 coast redwood bonsai 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 coast redwood bonsai to flower

Maximise sun. Give coast redwood bonsai 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 coast redwood bonsai and get the feeding right with the coast redwood bonsai 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

Coast Redwood Bonsai 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 coast redwood bonsai care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Coast Redwood Bonsai blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my coast redwood bonsai flower?

Coast Redwood Bonsai 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 coast redwood bonsai bloom?

Give coast redwood bonsai 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 coast redwood bonsai normally bloom?