Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Deshojo Japanese Maple bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Deshojo Japanese Maple, Red Spring Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum 'Deshojo').

More about deshojo japanese maple

About Deshojo Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum 'Deshojo' · also called Deshojo Japanese Maple, Red Spring Japanese Maple · flowering

Acer palmatum 'Deshojo' is famed for its electric crimson-scarlet spring growth that matures to green in summer and reddens again in autumn. A vigorous deciduous maple, it is a prized bonsai for fiery seasonal colour. It needs sheltered morning light, constant moisture and a true winter dormancy, plus spring pinching to keep the colour intense.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons deshojo japanese maple isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming deshojo japanese maple 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 deshojo japanese maple 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 deshojo japanese maple to flower

Maximise sun. Give deshojo japanese maple 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 deshojo japanese maple and get the feeding right with the deshojo japanese maple 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

Deshojo Japanese Maple 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 deshojo japanese maple care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Deshojo Japanese Maple blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my deshojo japanese maple flower?

Deshojo Japanese Maple 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 deshojo japanese maple bloom?

Give deshojo japanese maple 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 deshojo japanese maple normally bloom?