Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Ginkgo 'Autumn Gold' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Autumn Gold ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba 'Autumn Gold').

More about ginkgo 'autumn gold'

About Ginkgo 'Autumn Gold'

Ginkgo biloba 'Autumn Gold' · also called Autumn Gold ginkgo · flowering

Ginkgo biloba 'Autumn Gold' is a fruitless male clone of the maidenhair tree, selected for a symmetrical pyramidal-to-rounded crown and brilliant, uniform golden autumn colour. Being male it sets no messy, foul-smelling seeds. Exceptionally tough, long-lived, and pollution-, pest-, and drought-tolerant once established, it is a premier shade and street tree for temperate gardens.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons ginkgo 'autumn gold' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming ginkgo 'autumn gold' 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 ginkgo 'autumn gold' 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 ginkgo 'autumn gold' to flower

Maximise sun. Give ginkgo 'autumn gold' 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 ginkgo 'autumn gold' and get the feeding right with the ginkgo 'autumn gold' 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

Ginkgo 'Autumn Gold' 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 ginkgo 'autumn gold' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Ginkgo 'Autumn Gold' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my ginkgo 'autumn gold' flower?

Ginkgo 'Autumn Gold' 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 ginkgo 'autumn gold' bloom?

Give ginkgo 'autumn gold' 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 ginkgo 'autumn gold' normally bloom?