Can you actually fertilize plum blossoms during the bud stage?

Plum blossoms are not only beautiful when they flower, they are also very fragrant, but for home growers they are generally grown as potted plants for ornamental enjoyment. Some enthusiasts who like to experiment also train them into bonsai, which often have excellent ornamental value. When we grow plum blossoms in pots, it is mainly for viewing or accenting the environment, so we need to work toward making them bloom.

However, to get plum blossoms to bloom, nutrients must be sufficient, because although plum blossoms tolerate poor soil, they actually prefer fertile conditions. Especially if you want them to bloom abundantly with large, fragrant and brilliant flowers, strong nutrient support is indispensable. So timely and reasonable topdressing is one of the conditions that must be met to grow plum blossoms well. But fertilizing also requires grasping the best timing, so?

Under normal circumstances, besides applying sufficient base fertilizer when potting up plum blossoms, fertilizer should also be applied as appropriate during the growing period, but fertilization is essential before and after flowering. This is because fertilizing before flowering is to promote blooming, and fertilizing after flowering is to help the plant recover its growth; after all, the plant consumes a lot of nutrients during flowering, and after flowering it needs to resume rapid growth, so it has to be given sufficient nutrients.

But if you want plum blossoms to bloom more brilliantly and fragrantly, fertilizing before flowering is crucial. Before flowering, plum blossoms need to differentiate flower buds and grow buds to set flower buds, and these two periods are when sufficient nutrients are most needed. The flowering period also requires sufficient nutrients so the plant has the energy to open its buds, except that during the flowering period plum blossoms are not suited to deliberate topdressing, otherwise it easily causes flower drop or excessive growth of branches and leaves.

Therefore, topdressing for plum blossoms during the flowering period is usually carried out at the flower bud differentiation stage and the bud-swelling stage, to build up enough nutrients in advance for flowering, and fertilizer should be stopped promptly when the buds are about to open after completing bud growth. Moreover, even when topdressing at the flower bud differentiation stage and the bud-swelling stage, it should mainly be phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, especially during the bud stage, when the proportion and amount of potassium fertilizer should be appropriately increased.

But note that no matter at what stage you fertilize plum blossoms, you should water promptly after fertilizing to dilute and dissolve the residual fertilizer solution, so as to avoid fertilizer damage, and at the same time improve fertilizer use efficiency and avoid wasting resources. If you are unsure what fertilizer to apply during the bud stage of plum blossoms and how to apply it, it is recommended to simply apply a dilute potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution.