Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Black Pagoda Lipstick Plant bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Black Pagoda, Zebra Basket Vine (Aeschynanthus longicaulis).

More about black pagoda lipstick plant

About Black Pagoda Lipstick Plant

Aeschynanthus longicaulis · also called Black Pagoda, Zebra Basket Vine · flowering

'Black Pagoda' is a lipstick plant grown as much for its foliage as its flowers: thick, waxy leaves are mottled deep green above with marbled maroon undersides, on long trailing stems. Tubular orange-yellow blooms appear in good light. This epiphytic Southeast Asian trailer wants bright indirect light, warmth, humidity and an airy, fast-draining mix.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Faded leaf markings: Too little light washes out the maroon mottling and stops flowering. Move to brighter indirect light to restore colour and buds.

The reasons black pagoda lipstick plant isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming black pagoda lipstick plant 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 black pagoda lipstick plant 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 black pagoda lipstick plant to flower

Maximise sun. Give black pagoda lipstick plant 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 black pagoda lipstick plant and get the feeding right with the black pagoda lipstick plant 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

Black Pagoda Lipstick Plant 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 black pagoda lipstick plant care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Black Pagoda Lipstick Plant blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my black pagoda lipstick plant flower?

Black Pagoda Lipstick Plant 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 black pagoda lipstick plant bloom?

Give black pagoda lipstick plant 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 black pagoda lipstick plant normally bloom?