Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Golden Deodar Cedar bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Golden Deodar Cedar, Golden Himalayan Cedar, Aurea Deodar (Cedrus deodara 'Aurea').

More about golden deodar cedar

About Golden Deodar Cedar

Cedrus deodara 'Aurea' · also called Golden Deodar Cedar, Golden Himalayan Cedar · flowering

Golden Deodar Cedar is a graceful large evergreen conifer with soft, pendulous golden-yellow branch tips that brighten in full sun. Native in form to the western Himalayas, the 'Aurea' cultivar offers year-round colour on a weeping, broadly pyramidal framework. Best in full sun on well-drained soils; more heat-tolerant than other ornamental cedars.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons golden deodar cedar isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming golden deodar cedar 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 golden deodar cedar 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 golden deodar cedar to flower

Maximise sun. Give golden deodar cedar 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 golden deodar cedar and get the feeding right with the golden deodar cedar 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

Golden Deodar Cedar 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 golden deodar cedar care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Golden Deodar Cedar blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my golden deodar cedar flower?

Golden Deodar Cedar 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 golden deodar cedar bloom?

Give golden deodar cedar 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 golden deodar cedar normally bloom?