Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Aeschynanthus pulcher bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called royal red bugler, beautiful lipstick plant (Aeschynanthus pulcher).

More about aeschynanthus pulcher

About Aeschynanthus pulcher

Aeschynanthus pulcher · also called royal red bugler, beautiful lipstick plant · flowering

Aeschynanthus pulcher, the royal red bugler, is a trailing epiphytic lipstick plant from Southeast Asia with glossy green leaves and bright scarlet tubular flowers set in green-to-purplish calyces. A popular basket plant, it flowers freely given bright indirect light, warmth, moderate humidity and a slightly snug pot, and dislikes cold draughts and soggy roots.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Failure to flower: Low light and an oversized pot suppress blooming. Give bright indirect light, keep the plant slightly pot-bound, and feed with high-potash liquid in summer.

The reasons aeschynanthus pulcher isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming aeschynanthus pulcher traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding aeschynanthus pulcher a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get aeschynanthus pulcher to flower

Maximise sun. Give aeschynanthus pulcher the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for aeschynanthus pulcher and get the feeding right with the aeschynanthus pulcher fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Aeschynanthus pulcher flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full aeschynanthus pulcher care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Aeschynanthus pulcher blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my aeschynanthus pulcher flower?

Aeschynanthus pulcher blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make aeschynanthus pulcher bloom?

Give aeschynanthus pulcher the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does aeschynanthus pulcher normally bloom?