Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Apache beggarticks bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Apache beggarticks, Fern-leaf beggarticks, Golden goddess (Bidens ferulifolia).

More about apache beggarticks

About Apache beggarticks

Bidens ferulifolia · also called Apache beggarticks, Fern-leaf beggarticks · flowering

A Mexican native tender perennial grown as a season-long annual, Apache beggarticks produces a profusion of bright golden-yellow daisy flowers on finely divided, ferny foliage. Exceptionally free-flowering and heat-tolerant, it requires almost no deadheading and cascades beautifully from containers, hanging baskets, and window boxes from late spring until frost.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Legginess in shade: Stems elongate rapidly and flower production drops when light is insufficient. Relocate to full sun and cut leggy stems back by one-third to restore compact form; new flowering shoots emerge within 2 weeks.

The reasons apache beggarticks isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming apache beggarticks 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 apache beggarticks 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 apache beggarticks to flower

Maximise sun. Give apache beggarticks 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 apache beggarticks and get the feeding right with the apache beggarticks 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

Apache beggarticks 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 apache beggarticks care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Apache beggarticks blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my apache beggarticks flower?

Apache beggarticks 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 apache beggarticks bloom?

Give apache beggarticks 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 apache beggarticks normally bloom?