Why Did The Lilac Stop Blooming?

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Spectacular flowers and a stunning fragrance of lilac always cheer up and make the garden brighter, which is why many summer residents strive to plant at least a couple of such bushes on their site. But sometimes the beautiful lilac for some reason ceases to please with its magnificent flowering, and sometimes it does not even begin to bloom at all! Why is this happening, and are there any options for solving this problem?

Wrong choice of landing site and lack of lighting

This is perhaps one of the most common reasons - if, for example, you plant a lilac in a too shady or windy place, then you can not wait for its flowering at all! The best option for planting lilacs will be the plots located on the western or eastern side of the garden - they will be well illuminated by the sun for most of the day. And, of course, the place where the beautiful lilac grows should always have reliable protection from drafts and from the wind - places on gentle slopes or plains will be the most suitable for placing landing holes.

If the lilac does not begin to bloom after a year, or even more so two years, it is possible that the reason for this trouble lies also in the lack of lighting. Do not forget that lilac is a fairly light-loving culture, therefore, if it was planted in the shade of tall trees or under a house, it may flatly refuse to bloom.

Unsuitable soil

Although lilac is considered a very unpretentious plant, it still has certain requirements for the composition of the soil. Best of all, lilac bushes will feel, grow and develop in areas with light peat or sandy loam soils. In this case, the level of soil moisture should be medium, acidity - neutral, and groundwater, ideally, should be located no higher than 1, 4 - 1, 7 m to the soil surface. As for areas with acidic, swampy or heavy soils, they are categorically not suitable for growing lilacs. Too acidic soils will have to be deoxidized without fail - dolomite flour, lime or ash are perfect for this purpose, however, this also does not guarantee that lilacs will grow well on such soil.

Incorrect cropping

Pruning has always played an extremely important role in stimulating the flowering of lilacs - it is usually resorted to in early spring, before the buds begin to swell on the plants. In this case, all dry or weakened shoots are also necessarily removed. But in the autumn months, pruning is categorically not recommended - the removal of excess shoots can lead to delayed bud formation, which in turn is fraught with the fact that the lilac bushes will simply not bloom next year. As for the excess growth, it is allowed to remove it throughout the season - as a rule, such shoots are cut off at soil level with a shovel.

In addition, every three to four years lilac bushes need rejuvenation - it consists in cutting out all old branches from the bushes, as well as all the shoots growing inward or thickening the lilac crowns. And in order to prevent infection from getting inside the formed wounds, they must be covered with garden varnish or oil paints.

And immediately, as soon as the lilac stops blooming, it is necessary to cut off all drying inflorescences. Leaving them on the bushes is not recommended for the simple reason that this can eventually lead to the maturation of the seeds, which in turn can significantly weaken the bushes themselves.

Deficiency or excess of fertilizing

The flowering of lilacs is adversely affected by both the deficiency of dressings and their excess. If suddenly the bushes began to "fatten" (in other words - to release new shoots), but the formation of flowers does not occur, this indicates that the plants were "overfed" with nitrogen-containing fertilizers.

When growing lilacs, it is extremely important to try to strictly adhere to the recommended fertilization rates. Any fertilizing with a nitrogen content is allowed to be applied only after two or even three years from the moment of planting - for this purpose, 70 - 80 grams of ammonium nitrate or 60 - 70 grams of urea are applied under each bush in April or in May. If any signs of an excess of nitrogen do appear, it is best to try to feed the plants with its content no more often than once every two years.

Damage by diseases and pests

Most often, lilacs that refuse to bloom are affected by late blight, various kinds of fungal diseases or nematodes. The presence of late blight is evidenced by brown spots appearing on the bark of shrubs, as well as non-opening buds and the absence of flowering. In this case, all affected areas of the bushes are recommended to be removed and burned as soon as possible, and the remaining vegetation is sprayed with Bordeaux liquid.

Fungal ailments will not be difficult to determine by the presence of spots of different sizes and shapes on the leaves, as well as by the falling of leaves and inflorescences. In order to prevent the fungus from spreading further, all affected branches and leaves are also cut off and promptly burned, after which the surviving bushes are treated with copper-containing preparations.

If the lilac is attacked by nematodes, its root system begins to gradually die off, and the shoots and leaves with inflorescences slowly dry out and fall off. To combat nematodes, preparations specially designed for these purposes are used, which now will not be difficult to find in any gardening store.

In order for the lilac to invariably delight with its magnificent fragrant flowers, it is important to try to eliminate all errors in its cultivation as soon as possible and to provide the shrubs with proper care - in this case, the lilac will become a real decoration of the garden and will delight the eyes with its lush and long flowering for a long time!