A lot of us look forward to the spring for the beautiful blooms that follow it. However, there can be times where your flowering tree doesn’t flower. There are a few reasons why this happens. One of them is that all trees have the ability to sense when to start growing in the spring. They do this through measuring how long the sunlight is out during the day and by also detecting temperature change. When the environmental conditions are right, that is when your trees start to grow and sprout blooms and leaves. However, if the conditions are not appropriate, your trees will wait for the right time in order to protect themselves. Our team at Five Star Tree Services wants to help you learn about blooming trees and why yours might not be blooming.
How Trees Know It’s Spring
There are three major factors that dictate and determine when a tree is going to bloom.
Daylight Availability
When it’s winter, the days are short and the nights are long. Trees are able to determine the difference between daylight and nighttime. This makes it so that they know when not enough light is available to them to help them grow buds. Meaning that they can know when spring finally arrives and the days start to get longer and the nights get shorter, your trees are slowly adjusting and calculating when there is enough light to start producing buds. Buds take up a lot of vital energy which is why they require a certain amount of light in order to grow them.
Not Too Hot and Not Too Cold
Growing degree days, also referred to as GDDs, is the term for when you can guess at what point a plant will start to grow during the spring. Meaning that every plant and every tree has a base temperature that it uses to signal when it is the right time to start growing. So, in order for you to calculate when your trees will start growing, consider the average outdoor temperature and the temperature your trees need to be to grow. This will give you a general timeframe for when your trees will begin and finish sprouting.
It’s In Their Genes
Depending on your specific tree’s genetics, this will also determine the growth rate and timing of your tree’s spring sprouting. So don’t worry if you notice other trees blooming while yours sit naked in your yard, it’s in their DNA.
What To Do When Your Tree Blooms
Most of the time, trees are able to handle the yearly spring bloom by themselves. However, there are a few things you can do to help them along.
-Check for damaged or dead branches and remove them
-Coordinate with your local tree pruning company and set up a schedule for pruning. This is a yearly thing that you should be doing for your trees. It makes sure that they are healthy and rid of unsafe branches, free of diseases, and dead branches.
-Retain moisture by mulching your tree and add fertilizer for necessary nutrients.
When To Expect Leaves in the Spring
You can expect your tree to produce leaves as soon as they realize it is safe enough to do so. This also involves the three factors that determine when it will bloom. There is also a way to guess when your tree’s leaves will come out based on your location. Also remember that if there is uncharacteristic weather, such as a mild winter or perhaps an extra severe winter, this can dictate if your trees are going to bloom sooner or later than normal.
If you live in the Midwest: warmer weather and temperatures tend to steady out around mid-April.
If you live in the Northeast: these trees have adapted in order to be extra cautious during the spring bloom. Blooming too early can be devastating if leaves are out and it suddenly freezes. Since the weather can be a bit unpredictable and have sudden and freak freezing, the trees here usually end up blooming in late April and early May.
If you live in the West: the blooming time for trees can vary widely. Depending on where exactly you live out west, the trees can be exposed to varying climates. The average blooming time for trees to be in full bloom is early May.
If you live in the South: these trees are adapted to warmer weather and aren’t dormant for as long during the winter months. Sometimes you can have trees blooming as early as mid-march.
Late Bloomers
Do not fret if your tree is not leafing when you expect/want it to. Just give it time and eventually, it will flourish with beautiful leaves. It is not a cause for concern if your tree doesn’t immediately bloom in early spring. It is probably holding out in an attempt to avoid damage from frost. Again, like we mentioned earlier, your trees need the three key factors in order to bloom, enough daylight, the right prolonged temperature, and their genes.
How Five Star Tree Services Can Help
If your trees end up reaching the end of April or mid-May without any sign of sprouting, give us at Five Star Tree Services a call at (416) 990-3355 and we would be happy to come and provide you with our Toronto Tree Care services! You can also learn more about our services on our website!