Fukien tea not flowering
Okay so for quite a while now my Fukien Tea has had little flower buds but they are turning brown and falling off before they flower. None of the leaves are doing this just the flowers. Not one has flowered yet and I'm beginning to get worried. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated
- rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Imafan lives in Hawaii, where Fukien tea apparently grows as a weed and is a pest. For you growing one indoors, the possibility of reseeding is moot and I'm sure you would love for your bonsai to get those pretty white flowers.
Bud drop is a sign of some kind of problem/ stress. The tree drops the flower buds to concentrate on surviving. Could be various things stressing it. One possibility is some kind of mite/aphid/ scales. Fukien teas are known as magnets for insects like that. Have you checked your tree very closely? Mites can be nearly invisible. Try shaking your plant gently over a piece of white paper, see if you see any teeny dots.
Otherwise issues would be just good bonsai care. I don't know for sure, but I expect that it needs better light to flower than just to grow leaves. Do you have any supplemental light on it or are you just growing it by a window? What direction does the window face? In the northern hemisphere, days are still very short and it may not be getting enough hours/intensity of sunlight. If by a window, another possibility is that it gets too cold. Winter has finally hit a lot of the US. There can be very cold drafts next to a window. At night when it is cold, put your hand next to the window and see what it feels like. The Fukien tea can survive lower temps, but it does not like temps much below 55 and cold drafts could shock it in to bud drop.
Also, if it is winter where you are, winter houses with heat running have very dry atmosphere. Your tree will probably benefit from a humidity tray and daily misting.
(I don't know where you are. it always helps to tell us where you are located. There are hardly any garden questions , even indoor ones, that can be discussed without regard to location/ climate. )
Bud drop is a sign of some kind of problem/ stress. The tree drops the flower buds to concentrate on surviving. Could be various things stressing it. One possibility is some kind of mite/aphid/ scales. Fukien teas are known as magnets for insects like that. Have you checked your tree very closely? Mites can be nearly invisible. Try shaking your plant gently over a piece of white paper, see if you see any teeny dots.
Otherwise issues would be just good bonsai care. I don't know for sure, but I expect that it needs better light to flower than just to grow leaves. Do you have any supplemental light on it or are you just growing it by a window? What direction does the window face? In the northern hemisphere, days are still very short and it may not be getting enough hours/intensity of sunlight. If by a window, another possibility is that it gets too cold. Winter has finally hit a lot of the US. There can be very cold drafts next to a window. At night when it is cold, put your hand next to the window and see what it feels like. The Fukien tea can survive lower temps, but it does not like temps much below 55 and cold drafts could shock it in to bud drop.
Also, if it is winter where you are, winter houses with heat running have very dry atmosphere. Your tree will probably benefit from a humidity tray and daily misting.
(I don't know where you are. it always helps to tell us where you are located. There are hardly any garden questions , even indoor ones, that can be discussed without regard to location/ climate. )
Oh also its on a south facing window (which is the sunniest in the house) and it is kept in my bathroom which is often a little humid from my showers. Also the room has a radiator in it which is warm except at night. From reading your reply's I think it is probably not getting enough light bc we probably only get around 3 hours of sunshine a day at the most
- rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
For grow light stands you can find them at gardeners supply. But there are other places to get them on the internet as well
https://www.gardeners.com/buy/t5-grow-l ... 7gQAvD_BwE
You can build your own set up as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFe7E3dI6jE
As for flowering. Fukien tea can flower more than once a year. It usually flowers in summer. The flowers are small and white. Light is probably a problem for you growing indoors. Fukien tea likes to be in full sun. Remember that most bonsai trees are trees and if the weather is appropriate, they would rather be outside as much as possible.
https://www.gardeners.com/buy/t5-grow-l ... 7gQAvD_BwE
You can build your own set up as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFe7E3dI6jE
As for flowering. Fukien tea can flower more than once a year. It usually flowers in summer. The flowers are small and white. Light is probably a problem for you growing indoors. Fukien tea likes to be in full sun. Remember that most bonsai trees are trees and if the weather is appropriate, they would rather be outside as much as possible.