Getting it to bloom

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

Also called golden full moon maple (Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum').

More about full moon maple

About Full Moon Maple

Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum' · also called golden full moon maple · flowering

Golden full moon maple is a slow, refined deciduous tree with rounded, fan-pleated chartreuse-gold leaves that glow through summer and flush orange-red in autumn. Unlike palmate Japanese maples its foliage holds bright golden colour well, but only in dappled light. It needs shelter, even moisture, and free-draining acidic soil to avoid scorch.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons full moon maple isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming full moon 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 full moon 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 full moon maple to flower

Maximise sun. Give full moon 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 full moon maple and get the feeding right with the full moon 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

Full Moon 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 full moon maple care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Full Moon Maple blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my full moon maple flower?

Full Moon 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 full moon maple bloom?

Give full moon 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 full moon maple normally bloom?