The Best Time Of Year To Fertilize Your Jacaranda Trees To Encourage More Blooms

When they're in full bloom, jacaranda trees are some of the most gorgeous flowering trees around. For gardeners and homeowners who live in USDA zones 9B through 11, where the trees thrive, there are few better ways to bring color to the landscape than by planting a jacaranda, a tree that blooms with gorgeous purple flowers. Of course, simply planting a tree and forgetting about it isn't likely to get you the best blooms — you also need to be sure to provide your jacaranda tree with care and fertilizer. The type and timing of the fertilizer is important, as fertilizing during winter can actually lead to fewer blooms. 

Jacaranda trees (Jacaranda mimosifolia) generally don't bloom until they are several years old, so it's important to be patient if your young tree isn't flowering yet. However, if your tree is mature and still isn't flowering, you may need to change up your fertilizing strategy. It's best to fertilize jacaranda trees in early spring using a fertilizer that doesn't have too much nitrogen. Many people provide an additional dose of fertilizer in mid-summer as well.

Jacarandas, like most trees, shouldn't be fertilized when they aren't actively growing. You should fertilize your jacaranda tree in spring because this is the best time to give the tree the energy it needs for flowering and thriving through the growing season. If you opt to fertilize your tree again later in the summer, you can do so, but be sure it isn't getting too close to autumn. Fertilizing trees too late in the summer can cause them to have too much delicate young growth that could be damaged during winter.

Of course, it's not just about the timing of fertilizing — it's also about the type of fertilizer. The reason it's so important to use a fertilizer without too much nitrogen for flowers and flowering trees like jacarandas is that nitrogen encourages plants to focus their energy on growing more leaves and foliage, often at the expense of flowers. A balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer, which has equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, or even a 5-10-10 fertilizer, which has less nitrogen than phosphorus and potassium, is generally the best option for encouraging your jacaranda to bloom. 

It's important to also make sure you're not accidentally giving your jacaranda additional nitrogen fertilizer while fertilizing your lawn or other nearby plants. The fertilizer that's best for your lawn likely isn't the best for helping your jacaranda bloom.