Why Won't My Plants Bloom?
by Gregg O'Connor, Charlotte County Public Works
Floridians cherish the tremendous array of blooming plants we are able to grow in our subtropical climate. Among the favorites, of course, are Hibiscus; Bougainvillea; Bird of Paradise; Ixora and Allamanda. How gorgeous these are, when we first get them and when they’re doing what we want them to do. However, in many instances, they seem to stop blooming after a while. Why does this happen? “How come my neighbors’ plant is bloomingand mine won’t?”
There are many reasons why various plants don’t bloom as well as we would like them to. Here are the most common:
• Too much shade- many of our favorites require full sun for most profuse blooming.
• Too much light- there are those plants which require some shade.
• Pruning too frequently- to keep plants a certain size, removing flower bud
development potential.
• Pruning at the wrong time- various plants develop flowers on different aged growth.
• High nitrogen fertilization- applying lawn fertilizer, for instance, keeps them growing
only stems and leaves.
• Watered too often- some of these plants bloom best when they’re a bit thirsty.
• Old, unthrifty growth- some plants need to be rejuvenated by removing old parts and allowing new growth to develop.
• Specific nutrients lacking- several essential elements are involved in flower development.
• Planting & cultural problems- if a plant is not growing healthy roots, leaves & stems, flowers can’t develop either.
• Combinations of factors- each plant type and situation need to be evaluated individually.
• Insects- Aphids, Thrips and others damage developing flower buds, which may be aborted.
• Fungal diseases- some fungi rot flowers.
• Time of year- various plants initiate blooms based on duration of daylight/darkness.
• Bloom cycles- some plants bloom heavily, develop fruit/seed structures, shed them, grow foliage, then bloom again.
• Lack of maturity- some plants require two or more years of growth before they will flower.
In Summary: Knowing a certain type of plants’ preferred environmental conditions, suggested maintenance practices and typical problems allows us to use the above list as a multiple choice selection to determine why our plants aren’t blooming. In some cases, a simple solution can be implemented. In others, the plants are in the wrong place to be able to perform. In still others, mother nature has the upper hand and we need to change our expectations.
