Tree Lilac thriving but NO Flowers!

I have a beautiful Japanese Tree Lilac that has been living happily in the same spot for three years now. I planted it in the Fall and the next Spring it bloomed. It hasn't bloomed since, but it gets beautiful foliage and doesn't seem to be stressed. I don't see any sign that it will bloom this year, either. Any ideas how I can get it to bloom again?

Hmmm...that one stumps me, shudhav.

I have a regular lilac that's flowered once in 7 years (and is not flowering this year). I keep thinking it is getting too much shade and want to move it this fall.

Maybe someone else will pop in here w/some good info.

Thanks for your response, Horseshoe. I can see that no one is jumping on this one! I have tried adding lime and adding superphosphate, but I can't think of anything else to add! It is in pretty much full sun. I hope someone else has an idea, too. Usually at this site there is SOMEONE who knows just about anything you can ask! You are probably right about your regular one needing more sun. I have a regular one that is in a shadier spot and it doesn't bloom like the ones in full sun -- moving is probably the answer for that one, too.

Okay..I'll mark it on my calendar then.."Move Lilac!"

Maybe you can post this topic in another Forum...see what it brings up, eh?

I have had a tree lilac for a few years with no blooms. I think they take a LONG time to bloom. Like when the trunk is I dunno.....6 to 8 inches around atleast?

Hmmm...if this is normal it would make me feel a lot better. I have a while to go if it needs a 6-inch trunk! How tall is yours? Mine is probably at least 8 feet tall, but the trunk is only about 2-3 inches. I'm willing to be patient if it is just maturity, though. I was afraid there was some cultural thing I was doing too much or not enough of!

When mine flowered last year the trunk is only two inches across, maybe 3, and it's 6 ft tall. Lots of branches on it.

I went to our Garden Centre for an information talk with a professional gardener and he suggested taking a sharp spade and around the drip line of the tree put your spade straight in and straight out it shocks the root system and the following spring he said you'd have flowers.

OOOH! Wow!! Guess Ivebeen in denial. Mines the same size as yours. Geez I feel silly. Guess it was my way of not freaking out about the tree being so resistant to showing. Most of my lilacs dont bloom for me. I must have SOME attitude!
Flowerpot any idea as to when we should shock the trees?

When I went it was in late may so I'm assuming you can do it now after the blooms if any would have been there I myself out of 3 lilacs had one flower so I'll be doing the spade trick as well. I'm going to the garden centre this morning so I'll ask for sure when to do it.

Horseshoe I bought a lilac for my DH one year for fathers day and that little tree had big blooms and lots of them, and very fragrant every year. We don't have that one anymore as we moved from that house. So size I don't think matters unless certain types of lilac maybe have to be a certain size. Are they French Hybred or just your normal old fashion type?

I have no idea what kind I have. This thing came via mail order (as a stick!) back when I was still ordering from Gurney's.

I may dig it up and move it next cool day.

I'm trying the spade on the tree lilac today! It did bloom the first spring after I planted it in the fall, so I know it knows what to do! That's a great idea and easy to test! Thanks!

Yes you can do the spade trick now and up to the middle of next month I asked them today at the Canadale's nursery when I went and came home with yet some more fun things to plant I never tire of reading the labels to see what I can try next!!! :~)
Linda

Thankyou for your help... will do. Greta

Last year I followed the advice above from Flowerpot about the sharp spade around the base of the tree in order to encourage it to bloom this year. I want to let you know that the information was RIGHT ON!! I went out with my spade and did the cuts (I dug about 12-18-inches out from the trunk all the way around by just pushing the shovel in one time) and by golly, that baby is covered with buds this year!

Thank you so much for your help and you can file this one under "success!"

You received very misguided advice from that garden center IMHO. Trees sometimes do bloom well when they're stressed, preparing for one last big dying seed year - is that really what you want? They also can have great fall color the year they die. And fruit trees may bear heavier crops if you girdle them. And guard dogs become more viscious when you beat them -- good golly!

I'd much prefer a healthy tree that blooms and colors and fruits well when it's good and ready. Our tree lilacs (three species) all began to bloom when they were about 6 inches around (2 inches in diameter) and have never looked back. And they were not placed under stress by intentionally damaging the roots. Don't do it.

Guy S.

oooh! How interesting! I never got around to digging at the roots.... and was feeling guilty bout it but it seems perhaps my procrastination isnt so bad afterall?................... well Im getting ready to move the tree and replace it with an evrgreen for privacy so we'll see................. I have heard that stress will bring somethings back..... guess the choice is personal eh?.my my looks like we got a debate here!

Hi, I agree with StarhillForest 100%. Very poor advice. It is not uncommon for a lilac to bloom the year after you have planted it, and then not bloom for a few years. It was accustomed to being in its pot, and set buds for the following season, and then when it was planted, it had to get all accustomed to its new home all over again. It is not uncommon for a lilac--tree ones included to wait four years after planting before blooming. Lots of times you will see them blooming in the nurseries, and then after taking them home and planting them they do not bloom for years. Full sun, water and fertilize moderately, and you'll be fine. Be patient. Polly

Well, I guess I'm guillible. I'll enjoy the flowers this year, treat it kindly, and hope I didn't do long-term damage.

My guess is itll be fine!!!!!! If you tend to it gingerly.......how can it deny your love?! heh heh

I received this information from a very reputable buisness, these people have been in buisness for 50 years and specilize in tree's and shrubs. If there is something they don't know about certain plants they refer to experts that do. I'm sure they wouldn't suggest shocking the root system if it was going to destroy the tree. If you move a tree, shrub, bush or plant you are shocking the root system and moving it to a differant location to start all over again. This treatment of shocking the roots is to encourage new growth and flowering. This is the web site to the nursery I deal with.
www.canadale.com
Enjoy
Linda

thanks linda!

Trust them if you wish -- I certainly would have no faith in anything they told me if that was typical of their advice. Root damage does not encourage new growth, except for root replacement due to the sudden hormone imbalance and excess of auxin. But sure, it is likely to increase flowering if that's your only objective and you don't care about the health of the tree. Shocking is an outdated, misguided technique that, while perhaps not killing the plant, is injuring it enough to induce flowering as a physiological stress response. It's absurd that a so-called "reputable" garden center would make such a suggestion.

Guy S.

Here is a good website that addresses why lilacs dont bloom http://www.umext.maine.edu/piscataquis/gardening/vol2iss6/lilacs.htm
However, once again I am agreeing with Guy. Your garden center may be wonderfully knowledgable but they are wrong on this. Shocking the root system is definitely an outdated techinique, and even back when it was recommended it was only to put a shovel in the ground in 3-4 places at the drip line, certainly not all the way around. If you root pruned a tree all the way around the drip line, and then fertilized it like so many do, the roots would just go in a circle, and eventually kill the tree, or shrub. You mentioned this is what is done when moving a tree. Unfortunately when you move a tree some die also. When I move a tree, I make sure the ground from the root system wayyyy out is loosened, and as fertile as the ground where the roots are, to encourage outward root growth. Give your lilacs time, if they are in the proper site, moderate water and fertilization they will bloom , but it may take years. Polly

StarhillForest:
I went to the President of Canadale Nursery and asked him this question about shocking the roots of the tree and he said you were right about causing stress to the tree, but it dose work in some cases not all. He also said the shocking of the roots is not out dated as they have to use it sometimes on Wisteria. The main reason for the lack of flowers would be he told me light, and soil conditions. If the tree's are in a lawn that's being fertilized the nitrogen in the fertilizer will promote beautiful green leaves but dose not incourage root growth. If you have this problem you're to put Super Phosphate around the drip line of the tree twice a year(0-52-0) even out into the lawn as the roots spread out under the grass. He said the grass won't like the Phosphate but it'll make your tree have blooms and good root system. Make sure the phosphate is dug into the earth so it'll get to the roots. The flowers are formed for next year in may and june he said it may take 2 yrs before flowering. With the high Super Phosphate it will promote flowers even if the light isn't full sun all day. I have 3 lilacs that are along side of my house that face north but get a few hours of afternoon west sun and then I have 3 that have sun from the east and west that I just planted last year and have flowers all over them. The lilacs at the side of my home that I shocked don't have any flowers again so they will receive the phosphate treatment as well as my magnolia. I didn't know that the grass fertilizer would cause the tree's not to bloom I guess one can say you never stop learning. I should have had a recorder to remember all the information that man gave me and hope I didn't miss quote anything he said. I was told by a professional to shock the roots it was not the president of Canadale that told me to do this it was one of the professionals they had into to speak. It dose work but maybe it should only be done in special cases like the wisteria vine.
Shudhave I only repeated to you what I was told at the seminar and should have looked into it more but thought when someone tells me something that's in the business I could believe that it's right. So give your Lilac some phosphate and an appologie from me Flowerpot.

I am going to get some Super Phosphate for my lilacs. A year ago I complained on a thread here that my lilacs were not blooming either and someone suggested I quit throwing manure on their soil. I did just that, no manure, and this year flowers! but Super Ph. is still on my grocery list.

[HYPERLINK@www.davesgarden.com]

I agree that shocking the roots is a bad idea for lilacs and wisterias. Guy is absolutely right that, if you do this, flowering can be induced at great expense to the tree, possibly even death. It can also do the opposite: shock the tree so much that it doesn't bloom for years. This was indeed bad advice. Peter Valder's book on wisterias says that the number one reason why wisterias won't bloom is lack of full sun. Lilacs also need full sun to for the best bloom. With proper lighting and nutrition, you lilacs and wisterias will bloom in time. I'm in Zone 10, and I shouldn't be able to get lilacs and wisterias to bloom, but I do.

On apple trees, they used to tell you to go out and bang the trunk with the flat side of a shovel; it bruises the cambium, giving you the same effect as root pruning, and the next year you'd have apples. Dunno for how long.
Don

This message was edited May 18, 2005 3:18 PM