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Kansan cherry flowering issue

melvynpmelvynp Posts: 14
in Problem solving
Planted a half standard Kansan cherry 2 years ago in a large pot. Did not flower in first year but is healthy and put on about 1 foot of growth. This year it has flowered on lower branches only and nothing on the new growth from last year, just healthy leaves.
What am I doing wrong?

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I think the pot might be the problem. They're not easy to keep that way. Producing buds/flowers takes a lot of energy, and trees/shrubs will shed those in order to sustain the foliage and the rest of the tree instead, when they're not in the ground to access everything they need.
    The growing medium in a pot needs attention regularly too, when something's in it long term, especially trees/shrubs, as nutrients become depleted fairly quickly. They need a soil based medium to thrive, but over time, the roots fill the pot too. You may need to rethink how you have it growing. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • melvynpmelvynp Posts: 14
    The medium in the pot is John Innes number 3 and is more than large enough for the rootball. It’s deceptively large, 36 inches across and 48 inches deep. It’s given a slow release fertiliser in the spring and a seaweed liquid feed monthly b/w May and August.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    In that case - it may simply not be producing them because it's still establishing - hence the new stems/foliage. It takes a couple of years for full establishment to happen.
     
    Someone else may have another idea though.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • melvynpmelvynp Posts: 14
    Thanks for your suggestions which may be added to by others. The latter suggestion does sound more likely but we will see.

    Hopefully this can be resolved as the flowers that are out are fab and look forward to seeing it in full bloom.

     I have a Bonsai Kansan which is about 10 years old now and looks beautiful.

  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    Nice bonsai.    But is it Kansan?  Kansan I always think has a much more garish pink. But colours may not be rendered correctly from one machine to another.  Kansan as a standard has a rather (to me) ugly upright growth.  Of course you can control that with a bonsai or a small tree. 
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • melvynpmelvynp Posts: 14
    The colour is fading on the bonsai and just about to loose the blooms, some have dropped already with the wet weather.

    Once I get the current issue sorted I can control the shape of the standard one by a small amount of pruning to fit the space but don’t want to do that just yet till growing and flowering as it should be.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    Or tying down. or weighting down some branches.  Like wiring a bonzai.

    I hang old tights feet filled with a pebble to train my  mophead-ish olive. 
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • melvynpmelvynp Posts: 14
    perhaps perhaps pink tights to replace the non flowering flowers?
  • melvynpmelvynp Posts: 14
    I spoke to the guys at the nursery where I bought this tree and their feedback was that it’s fine in the pot as long as the roots have room to grow. They suggest re potting every 2/3 years.

    Their solution is to change the feed from liquid seaweed to a tomato fertiliser which has more potassium which in turn will promote flower growth rather that branch and leaf growth.

    Will give it a try this summer and see what happens in the spring next year.
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