Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Green Ash bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Green Ash, Red Ash, Water Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica).

More about green ash

About Green Ash

Fraxinus pennsylvanica · also called Green Ash, Red Ash · flowering

Green Ash is a fast-growing, adaptable North American deciduous tree tolerating wet or dry soils and urban conditions. It produces clusters of small, wind-pollinated flowers in spring before leaves emerge, followed by winged samaras. Hardy across a wide USDA range but severely threatened by emerald ash borer in North America.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons green ash isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming green ash 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 green ash 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 green ash to flower

Maximise sun. Give green ash 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 green ash and get the feeding right with the green ash 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

Green Ash 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 green ash care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Green Ash blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my green ash flower?

Green Ash 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 green ash bloom?

Give green ash 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 green ash normally bloom?