Did You Know?

When flowering trees fail to flower, the first question to ask is How old is this plant? It always takes at least a few years- sometimes 10 or more- before a tree leaves the juvenile stage and is mature enough to spend some energy on reproducion. Other reasons for flower failure: *Overfertilizing- which can push excessive foliage growth, burning up all the carbohydrates before it is time to set flower buds. *Excessive shade- In most cases, four to five hours of full sun is enough, but more sun usually means more flowers. *Frosts or drought- at the wrong time. *Pruning- the flower buds right off because your didn't understand a plant's life cycle.