Ultimate Guide to Fertilizing Plum Blossom (Japanese Apricot / Mei Flower) – When to Feed & When to STOP for Explosive Blooms

Plum blossom (Prunus mume), also known as Japanese apricot or Mei flower, is famous for its breathtaking winter-spring flowers and bone-deep fragrance. The secret to making your Mei flower burst into hundreds of blooms every year? Perfect fertilization timing – feed at the right moment and it explodes with branches and flowers; feed at the wrong time and you’ll get bud drop or no flowers at all.

Right after flowering (late February to May) is the greediest feeding period of the year. As soon as the last petal falls, give a light dose of balanced organic liquid fertilizer or slow-release granules (Osmocote, Magamp-K, etc.) at 60% recommended strength every 2 weeks for 3–4 rounds. This directly determines new shoot growth and next year’s flower bud count. Before the rainy season arrives in late May, give one final phosphorus-potassium boost (0.2% KH₂PO₄ or Bloom-type water-soluble fertilizer) to help it sail through summer safely.

From June to August, when temperatures are high and humid, plum blossoms enter semi-dormancy. Root absorption drops dramatically – cut fertilizer drastically or stop completely. Only on continuous sunny days, when the soil is almost dry, spray extremely diluted potassium dihydrogen phosphate (1:1500–2000) on the leaves in the evening. Never apply heavy root fertilizer now, or you’ll get black roots and leaf drop overnight.

Early September to mid-November (after temperatures drop below 30 °C/86 °F) is the second major feeding window. Resume normal-strength high-phosphorus/high-potassium fertilizer every 10 days. This is the make-or-break stage for flower buds – skimp here and you’ll have almost no flowers next year.

The most critical rule: the moment you see tiny rice-grain-sized flower buds (usually mid-November), STOP ALL FERTILIZER IMMEDIATELY! From bud formation through full bloom and for two weeks after petals fall, any root feeding will cause buds to turn into leaves, dry up, or drop. Only mist leaves with plain water or very weak KH₂PO₄ on sunny days.

Two to three weeks after flowering finishes, when new leaves start pushing, resume normal feeding and begin the next cycle.

Quick memory trick: feed hard after spring bloom → reduce in hot summer → feed hard again in cool autumn → STOP completely when buds appear → resume two weeks after bloom. Master these five timing points and your Japanese apricot will be absolutely covered in fragrant plum blossoms every winter, scenting the entire garden. Growing Mei flower isn’t difficult – the real challenge is resisting the urge to “feed just a little more”!