Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Gold Rush Dawn Redwood bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Gold Rush Dawn Redwood, Golden Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Gold Rush').

More about gold rush dawn redwood

About Gold Rush Dawn Redwood

Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Gold Rush' · also called Gold Rush Dawn Redwood, Golden Dawn Redwood · flowering

A stunning deciduous conifer with brilliant golden-yellow feathery foliage that holds its colour throughout the growing season before deepening to copper in autumn. Faster growing than most golden conifers, it forms an elegant, narrowly conical tree. Best in full sun with consistently moist, slightly acidic soil; tolerates periodic flooding.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons gold rush dawn redwood isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming gold rush dawn redwood 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 gold rush dawn redwood 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 gold rush dawn redwood to flower

Maximise sun. Give gold rush dawn redwood 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 gold rush dawn redwood and get the feeding right with the gold rush dawn redwood 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

Gold Rush Dawn Redwood 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 gold rush dawn redwood care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Gold Rush Dawn Redwood blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my gold rush dawn redwood flower?

Gold Rush Dawn Redwood 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 gold rush dawn redwood bloom?

Give gold rush dawn redwood 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 gold rush dawn redwood normally bloom?