Please is ther a way to get my forsythia to bloom or flower?

its about 7-8 yrs. old and has only ever had a few flowers in spring?

Please is ther a way to get my forsythia to bloom or flower?
A 7-8 year old forsythia should be blooming fully every year. Mine are just starting to open their buds this year. Cutting it back to about 2 foot tall will make it branch out next year, but it would take a couple more years to get into full bloom. Only 2 other things I can think of: 1) Is it getting good light? 2) Are there any chemicals in the soil? It should be blooming for you.
Reply:I still say it sounds more like a shade issue. Full sun to get good bloom! Report It

Reply:When a forsythia doesn't bloom, the culprit is almost always the fact that it is receiving a high-nitrogen fertilizer from applications to nearby grass. Like many flowering shrubs, a forsythia doesn't flower unless it's a little bit stressed; if it's getting lots of nitrogen from lawn fertilizer that's been applied nearby, it's "happy" and doesn't have a stressor that will cause it to attempt to reproduce (which, after all, is what flowers are for as far as the plant is concerned). You might try fertilizing around the forsythia with a fertilizer containing a high middle number (potassium); keep lawn fertilizers and similar high-nitrogen fertilizers away from the roots of the plant, which generally extend just about as far underground as the branches extend above ground.
Reply:Trim the shrub after flowering and feed it with potash to encourage flowers
Reply:I would try cutting it Way back and see if that works.
Reply:Be brave when you prune, its called rejuvenating it. Take out the large stem at the base of the shrub with a green wood saw and all the stems which cross or rub with pruners. The small stems should be cut on a slant just above a bud to drain away any rain from the bud.The new growth generated will give flowers next year. Feed and water it regularly with a good general purpose fertiliser if you drastically prune it other wise just water it in the hot weather. Don't worry it will take more than a bad prune to kill it. Mine is flowering now it is beautiful. By the way yours is a spring chicken compared to mine which is 30yrs old and has many offspring in the area.
Reply:Forsythias bloom best in full sun, but may be planted in light shade. If you have too heavy of a shade, it may not flower very much. This may be your problem. If this is the case, you may want to move it to a location where it will get more sun, or open up the area around it so it will get more sunlight. Forsythias benefit from a light annual feeding of an all-purpose (10-10-10) garden type fertilizer, applied in mid-February through mid-May.





Remember, Forsythia flowers form on the previous season's growth, not on new growth, so pruning should be done immediately after the flowers have faded. If you prune it back too heavy, you remove the flowering buds. Once your Forsythia finishes blooming, take a close look to see what pruning needs to be done. Each year, you should prune back about one fourth of the oldest stems to within 4 inches of the ground. This will keep the bush neat and prevent a scraggly, wild looking shrub.





If your Forsythia is drastically overgrown, it may stop blooming altogether. If this is the case, you can cut the entire plant to the ground. It may take a few years before you'll see any blooms, but it will come back, and be beautiful again.





So to review, the problem could be:


1. not enough sun


2. too heavy pruning removes flower buds


3. not enough pruning keeps the flower buds from forming





Since it appears that it has never really bloomed much, I'm leaning towards not enough sunlight.

I have a forsythia tree that has ugly brown balls on its branches. Is it a fungus and what do I do about it?

I noticed that the plant did not flower as it used to so I figure that it has been affected by these growths. I have now cut most of them off, but I want to protect the tree.

I have a forsythia tree that has ugly brown balls on its branches. Is it a fungus and what do I do about it?
To answer your question directly, you are right, these "balls" or "galls" as they are known by, are a bacterium. If these galls as are located near the "base" of the stems at ground level, they are called "crown galls". If they are located higher up on the stems like I think yours are, the culprit is "stem galls". The bacterium will usually attack a shrub that has been injured in some way or that is stressed due to cultural practices or an environmental factor. Protecting the plant from injury, providing a good growing environment along with proper cultural care, will help alleviate this problem. However, if your forsythia is not flowering, I would reckon to say that it is pretty well had it. It's your call as too try and nurse it back or call it quits and replace it, as there is no known chemical cure.





Added Info: for your own peace of mind here is a link from Oregon State University, my old "Alma Mater".. Click onto the picture for a close up of the stem galls. These galls are in fact on a forsythia shrub.


http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/disea...


http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/image...





...$Billy Ray$
Reply:You will not be able to protect the tree but you can reduce the chance of these galls growing by giving it some fertilizer, preferably some nice crumbly manure to help it grow more strongly but failing that some pellet-type manure - but not too much.


These galls are very common on forsythia and they do not affect the flowering.

How do i get my forsythia bushes to thicken up?

they are 7'to 8' tall, have been in the ground for 4 years


i have never cut them.

How do i get my forsythia bushes to thicken up?
Right after they bloom is the time to prune these spring flowering plants.I like them best when they are not sheared. Cut off old and crossing branches and that will generate some newer lower growth. For me a pruning book with some pictures that show you exactly how to make the cuts is helpful.They say to take about three years to do a gradual reduction of old growth. They are pretty tough plants, so doing a fairly good pruning this year probably won't kill it. Then just do a bit each spring after they have finished their blooming.
Reply:cut it right back after blooming and for a few months after that. then leave it to make the flower buds for the next spring, do same next year
Reply:CUT THEM BACK HARD

I am trying to start a forsythia golden bell?

my neighbor said that i could get clipping off her forsythia but not sure how or where to cut it? or what to do any one can help please

I am trying to start a forsythia golden bell?
Purdue U. explains %26amp; illustrates how to get new plants from cuttings:


1. Cut off a piece of stem, 2-6 inches long. There should be at least three sets of leaves on the cutting.


2. Make the bottom cut just below a node (a node is where the leaf and/or the bud joins the stem)


Remove 1/2 to 2/3 of the leaves, starting from the bottom of the cutting. Cut large leaves in half. Remove all flowers, flower buds, and fruit.


3. (optional) Dip the lower inch of the cutting in rooting hormone.


4. In a pot of damp, but drained, rooting mix, make a hole for the cutting using a pencil. Put the cutting in the hole and firm the rooting mix around it. If any leaves are touching the surface of the mix, trim them back. Several cuttings can be placed in the same pot as long as their leaves do not touch.


5. Enclose the pot in a plastic bag, making sure the bag does not touch the leaves.


6. Place the pot in a warm, bright spot but out of direct sunlight. Every few days, check the rooting mix to make sure it is damp, and water as necessary. Discard any water that collects in the bottom of the bag.


7. After two or three weeks, check to see if roots have formed by working your hand under the cutting and gently lifting. If no roots have formed, or if they are very small, firm the cutting back into the mix, rebag, and check for roots again in one to two weeks.


8. Once roots have formed, slowly decrease the humidity around the plant by untying the plastic bag and then opening it a little more each day. When it is growing well without a plastic bag, pot in a good quality potting mix and move to its permanent location


http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-37web....





This also illustrates how to start cuttings:


http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/how...





You may get some ideas from these videos. It can be as easy as placing the stem in water to get them to take root ...or you can use a recycled plastic-domed food take-out container for a greenhouse to get the plants started.


http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play...


http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play...


http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play...





I've even had luck with forsythia rooting after I cut a branch to force it to bloom indoors. Why not try several different methods..%26amp; see what develops?





Good luck!!! Hope this helps.
Reply:Cut in many different location along the Stems...Closer to main shoots Lower and highter... try larger Caliper Cuttings than that of the Twigs. And try just a dark cup with water, with the stem all the way touching the bottom of the glass. Or if you have flower foam (green bricks that you cut and submerge in water) and Rooting Hormone you could try that as well...Good luck i'm sure someone will be by to really answer the question But thats what I would do...and I have Five years of plant luck...

shoe lasts

Are Forsythia Bushes "Wild" or are they a plant that has been cultured by gardeners?

It is my wife's contention that all Forsythia are "Wild". Their natural shape makes them look unkept and "matted" in my opinion. I prefer to see them cleaned from all the "clutter" and have a cascade shape.

Are Forsythia Bushes "Wild" or are they a plant that has been cultured by gardeners?
As the others have said certain varieties are wild in their country of origin, but its a safe bet yours is a cultivated one.Having said that, if they are left unpruned they will have a


'wild' look whatever the variety.


If you win the dissagreement about the look you want, then pruning them is not straight forward.To get a tidy look it will need to be regularly pruned as follows-


Most important is to prune just after it has finished flowering, because they flower on last years growth.This will give it time to grow new branches for next years flowers.Start by pruning about 1/3rd of the oldest growth nearly to the ground ( the branches that have flowered this year). This will help to produce a more compact form.Trim the rest to a more compact shape.You can trim the odd branch here and there later as long as you remember you are cutting off potential flowers for next year.
Reply:Here is a site showing several Forsythia varieties that have been hybridized, is this what you're looking for?





Forsythia varieties


http://www.naturehills.com/catalog/Bushe...


Nature Hills Nursery


Note that many of them are labeled as Forsythia "Name given by it's hybridizer" an example would be Forsythia "Meadowlark"





So, Forsythia suspensa var. sieboldii is a variety of a species but the others that are the product of hybridization by plant growers are not considered wild.





Regardless of however they found their way to your home, it was most likely because someone intentionally planted it there.
Reply:forsythia announce spring with JOY!!!... so WILD is the better way to see them....not clipped into squares...the plants have several hybrids that have been developed, but all still have that little wild hair.....*smile*.... the best one I ever saw was HUGE, never pruned , and had reached the point where all the branches grew UP, then arched over, some touching the ground... it made a perfect hideout/cave in the summer for kids to play under!!!....





as for pruning, it's a matter of choice/taste, but I agree with the folks on this site...





http://www.forthgo.com/blog/category/nat...





there are websites that deal with pruning a forsythia... some suggest removing older wood at the base, some cut it to the ground, and some just say 'prune after flowering'.... the old wood is the best to have removed, to me.... that results in fresh new growth , an open look, and wonderful blooms!....like the first picture...!!!
Reply:It's origin is from Asia/China, one of the first shrubs to bloom


not a weed
Reply:They were named for an English botanist, William Forsythe, who discovered the plant. It is of Korean origin. As for it's being "wild", it is not native here although it flourishes in the US. All forsythia growing here have been planted at some time or another.
Reply:non=native cultivated shrub that should not be pruned, so that it retains its upright-arching habit. bad pruning with shears creates the unnatural look.
Reply:forsynthia is not wild; you can trim to whatever size/shape you want it to be; it will not hurt or harm it; some like them super tall; others like them compact %26amp; neat; if you are buying one, check out the details on all of them b/4 making purchase; also, there is a kerria bush that is arcing %26amp; has yellow blooms on it all along the branches %26amp; they have arching shape.

How do I prune my forsythia? Is it true that it won't flower for a year if I prune it?

Our forsythia has been flowering profusely, but has become too large and is now blocking the garden path completely.

How do I prune my forsythia? Is it true that it won't flower for a year if I prune it?
Now is the completely wrong time of the year to prune your Forsythia. Prune it after it has finished blooming. The flower buds are set in the autumn, so pruning too late in the season can ruin your flowering too. If you prune at the 'wrong' time you might loose some flowers (maybe all, depending on how you prune), the plant should recover, and resume it's blooming schedule (provided you don't prune the same way the next season too).








The best method is to prune out the largest branches from the base. The younger branches are the best producers for flowering. Remove 20-30% of the large branches every 2-3 years. Once the large branches are removed, tip prune as desired. Be aggressive, the shrub can easily grow 12" or more in a season. Fertilize lightly once or twice a year... it doesn't require all that much fertilizer to grow up "big and strong".





I hope that this helps
Reply:Prune a Forsythia only after the blooms/flowers begin to fade. If you trim back lightly after that, you should have your flowers come back next year.
Reply:Prune after flowers are bloomed ouit, use hedge trimmer. No it will not die, several years ago when ours got too, too big, my husband used chain saw and cut it way down. By next spring, it came back low of course, but fuller and loaded with flowers. We now keep it about 3 ft high as hedge between neighbor
Reply:Mr. Potatohead is correct. After the bloom is over is the time to prune. The "preferred" method is to prune from the base, just thinning the plant a branch at a time, rather than clipping it. It does work to trim it into a hedge or bush if you so desire though. I see both around here and they both flower equally well.

How do I relocate forsythia bushes to a different area on my property?

I have an area where on my property where I want to cement over where I have two huge forsythia bushes. I thought of just getting rid of them, then thought, maybe I could sell them to a local landscaper, but then, I thought, heck, maybe I can just relocate them to a different area in my yard. And that brings me to my question.





Are forysthia bushes relocatable, and if so, how the heck do I do it?

How do I relocate forsythia bushes to a different area on my property?
From Paul James (my latest gardening hero...) comes this information:





First, dig a new planting hole where you intend to move the shrub before you dig it up. Sever the roots around the shrub by driving a shovel all the way around it (figure A) -- 12" to 15" from the center of the shrub. Then angle the shovel sharply to get to the roots directly beneath it, and begin cutting them as well.





At this point you may need a little help. Place a tarp as close to the shrub as possible so that when you lift it out of the ground, you can transfer it to the tarp and drag it to the new planting site (figure B).





Water the transplanted shrub well, and don't let the soil dry out. Apply a 3"- to 4"-layer of mulch around the base of the shrub.





For step by step detailed instruction on how to transplant a shrub, go to: http://landscaping.about.com/cs/shrubsbu...





Happy Gardening!