Advice for my pink dogwood

10 years ago

So my mom bought a pink dogwood tree years ago and never really followed the instructions about watering, fertilizing it, etc. so it's just kind of..been there for ages lol I've recently been bitten by the gardening bug and I want to help out this tree, but I'm not quite sure how. It looks healthy but it's never produced any flowers. I think there might be tiny buds or the beginning of leaves at the tips of its branches but I really don't know. If I water it with all purpose plant food mix will the flowers bloom? And if so how often should I water it? I had thought about using those tree food spikes but someone told me on another thread that the spikes aren't very good. Any advice would be amazing!

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Comments (4)

brandon7 TN_zone7
10 years ago
"So my mom bought a pink dogwood tree years ago..."

How many years ago and how large is the tree? Any chance of a picture?

"... and never really followed the instructions about watering, fertilizing it, etc."

If it's still alive, apparently it got enough water. I hope the instructions you received about fertilizing it was "Don't fertilize unless there's a verified need to do so."

"If I water it with all purpose plant food mix will the flowers bloom?"

Probably not, however, I guess too much fertilizer could stress your tree out so much that if caused it to flower in a last ditch effort for survival.

"I had thought about using those tree food spikes..."

Standing on one leg while throwing dollar bills into the trash is just about as likely to help your tree.

"Any advice would be amazing!"

Let us know a little more about your tree (how old is it, how well is it growing, are you fertilizing your lawn around the tree, etc, etc) and post a picture or two if you can. This may lead to more appropriate advice to your specific situation.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
if mom has kept it alive for all these years ..

i would suggest.. at your level of knowledge ...

that you leave it alone ... and try not to kill it by loving it to death ...

DO NOTHING ... at least until you post some pix ...

we can guide you... on some level ... but we probably wont be able to fix things.. if you start acting in advance ... we like to teach .. if you are willing to learn ...

i NEVER fertilize trees .. period ...

and as brandon suggested... if you just send me the money for spikes.. it will do as good as actually using them ...

here.. this is very basic.. and a good starting point... they are trees.. they are not children.. and as such.. they do not need to be fed.. nor clothed.. nor educated ... to suggest that your yard/garden is so lacking in general nutrients .. that it is completely barren and devoid of life.. is .. well ... a marketers dream ... to sell you fertilizer ... [its another story if its held captive in a pot.. unless its rooted right thru the bottom and actually growing in mother earth ... and then see above]

and secondly.. if it leafs out properly ... genetically ... it has.. and will make.. thru photosynthesis .. all it needs to flower .. period... it does not need extra juice from you.. to do such ...

and finally .. if this is in the lawn.. and the lawn is heavily fertilized with high nitro fert.. that in itself.. can force excessive vegetative green growth.. to the point that its so juiced on such.. that it will skip flowering ...

and double finally ... lack of flowering is usually related to lack of sufficient sunlight ... even shade plants need some requisite level to achieve peak performance .... so.. define its sun culture .... hours .. time of day.. etc ... again... it will sacrifice flowers over production of leaves.. to facilitate leaves.. to process sunlight to photosynthesize ... even understory shade plants.. can be in too dark a situation ...

get us some pix ...

ken

ps: i suppose there is also an issue of whether this was grafted.. and she is now growing flowerless understock ... but i dont know anything about dogwood understock.. to do much more than offer that speculation.. anyone know?????
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dannierose
Original Author
10 years ago
So since I posted this forever ago lol My tree has flowers that have bloomed! I started watering it about 2 months ago and after I posted this thread I used some Miracle Gro All Purpose plant food mixed with water. I guess it just needed a little bit of a push in order to bloom lol
As far as info on my tree, it's 5 years old and in full sun. A friend of my mom's planted it in our yard so it's surrounded by grass.
I do have one more question though. Would it be a good idea to put mulch around the tree?
I'll try to post a picture soon. Just been super busy
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
I used some Miracle Gro All Purpose plant food mixed with water. I guess it just needed a little bit of a push in order to bloom lol

==>> absolutely not ... it needed to come out of dormancy like any other tree.. and you had nothing to do with it ...

BTW... if the grass is fertilized ... then the tree gets whatever it needs.. and one might suggest.. you are duplicating fert by feeding the tree again ...

ken