Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Blue China Fir bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Blue China-Fir, Blue Chinese Fir, Glauca China Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata 'Glauca').

More about blue china fir

About Blue China Fir

Cunninghamia lanceolata 'Glauca' · also called Blue China-Fir, Blue Chinese Fir · flowering

Blue China Fir is a striking conifer with intensely blue-green, sharply pointed needles on a broadly pyramidal frame. This cultivar of China's native fir thrives in full sun with moist, well-drained soil. It is not typically grown as a houseplant but makes an outstanding specimen garden tree. Foliage is not listed as toxic by ASPCA.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons blue china fir isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming blue china fir 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 blue china fir 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 blue china fir to flower

Maximise sun. Give blue china fir 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 blue china fir and get the feeding right with the blue china fir 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

Blue China Fir 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 blue china fir care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Blue China Fir blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my blue china fir flower?

Blue China Fir 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 blue china fir bloom?

Give blue china fir 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 blue china fir normally bloom?