Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Mr Bowling Ball Arborvitae bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Mr. Bowling Ball Arborvitae, Globe Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis 'Bobozam').

More about mr bowling ball arborvitae

About Mr Bowling Ball Arborvitae

Thuja occidentalis 'Bobozam' · also called Mr. Bowling Ball Arborvitae, Globe Arborvitae · flowering

A dwarf, naturally ball-shaped evergreen with fine, feathery, sage-green to blue-green threadlike foliage that gives a soft texture unlike typical arborvitae. It keeps a neat sphere without shearing and stays small, suiting borders, foundations, and containers. It thrives in full sun to part shade with moist, well-drained soil and is exceptionally low-maintenance and cold-hardy.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons mr bowling ball arborvitae isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming mr bowling ball arborvitae 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 mr bowling ball arborvitae 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 mr bowling ball arborvitae to flower

Maximise sun. Give mr bowling ball arborvitae 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 mr bowling ball arborvitae and get the feeding right with the mr bowling ball arborvitae 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

Mr Bowling Ball Arborvitae 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 mr bowling ball arborvitae care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Mr Bowling Ball Arborvitae blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my mr bowling ball arborvitae flower?

Mr Bowling Ball Arborvitae 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 mr bowling ball arborvitae bloom?

Give mr bowling ball arborvitae 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 mr bowling ball arborvitae normally bloom?