Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Japanese Cedar Bonsai, Sugi (Cryptomeria japonica).

More about japanese cedar bonsai

About Japanese Cedar Bonsai

Cryptomeria japonica · also called Japanese Cedar Bonsai, Sugi · flowering

Japanese Cedar, or Sugi, is Japan's national tree, grown as bonsai for its spiralled awl-shaped needles, soft texture, and reddish, shredding bark. An evergreen outdoor conifer, it likes full sun to light shade, steady moisture, and good humidity. Some cultivars bronze attractively in winter cold. It back-buds well, making it cooperative for shaping.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Inner foliage dieback: Dense outer growth shades the interior, causing needle drop and gaps. Thin the canopy to admit light, taking advantage of its willingness to back-bud.

The reasons japanese cedar bonsai isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming japanese cedar bonsai 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 japanese cedar bonsai 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 japanese cedar bonsai to flower

Maximise sun. Give japanese cedar bonsai 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 japanese cedar bonsai and get the feeding right with the japanese cedar bonsai 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

Japanese Cedar Bonsai 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 japanese cedar bonsai care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Japanese Cedar Bonsai blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my japanese cedar bonsai flower?

Japanese Cedar Bonsai 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 japanese cedar bonsai bloom?

Give japanese cedar bonsai 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 japanese cedar bonsai normally bloom?