Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Blue Tulp bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Blue tulp, Cape blue tulip, Karoo tulp (Moraea polystachya).

More about blue tulp

About Blue Tulp

Moraea polystachya · also called Blue tulp, Cape blue tulip · flowering

Moraea polystachya is a cormous perennial in the family Iridaceae, native to the semi-arid Karoo and Cape regions of South Africa where it grows in scrubby grassland and seasonally dry slopes. It produces branched stems carrying a succession of delicate 1–2 cm lilac-blue iris-like flowers from late summer into autumn, making it a striking rock-garden or container specimen in mild climates. Grow corms in sharply drained soil in full sun, keeping them dry during their summer dormancy. All parts contain bufadienolide cardiac glycosides and are extremely toxic to livestock, cats, and dogs.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons blue tulp isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming blue tulp 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 blue tulp 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 blue tulp to flower

Maximise sun. Give blue tulp 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 blue tulp and get the feeding right with the blue tulp 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

Blue Tulp 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 blue tulp care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Blue Tulp blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my blue tulp flower?

Blue Tulp 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 blue tulp bloom?

Give blue tulp 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 blue tulp normally bloom?