Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Autumn Gold Ginkgo, Maidenhair Tree, Fruitless Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba 'Autumn Gold').

More about autumn gold maidenhair tree

About Autumn Gold Maidenhair Tree

Ginkgo biloba 'Autumn Gold' · also called Autumn Gold Ginkgo, Maidenhair Tree · flowering

Autumn Gold Maidenhair Tree is a male-selected ginkgo cultivar that produces no malodorous fruit, with striking fan-shaped leaves turning a spectacular warm golden-yellow in autumn. A living fossil with exceptional longevity and urban tolerance. The ASPCA lists Ginkgo biloba as toxic to dogs and cats.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons autumn gold maidenhair tree isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming autumn gold maidenhair tree 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 autumn gold maidenhair tree 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 autumn gold maidenhair tree to flower

Maximise sun. Give autumn gold maidenhair tree 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 autumn gold maidenhair tree and get the feeding right with the autumn gold maidenhair tree 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

Autumn Gold Maidenhair Tree 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 autumn gold maidenhair tree care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Autumn Gold Maidenhair Tree blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my autumn gold maidenhair tree flower?

Autumn Gold Maidenhair Tree 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 autumn gold maidenhair tree bloom?

Give autumn gold maidenhair tree 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 autumn gold maidenhair tree normally bloom?