Getting it to bloom

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

Also called magellan wild rye, blue wild rye grass (Elymus magellanicus).

More about blue wild rye

About Blue Wild Rye

Elymus magellanicus · also called magellan wild rye, blue wild rye grass · flowering

Blue wild rye is a cool-season clumping grass from southern South America valued for its outstanding electric, powder-blue foliage — among the bluest of all ornamental grasses. It forms upright tufts topped by slender wheat-like flower spikes in summer. Best in cool climates with sharp drainage, it can be short-lived and dislikes hot, humid summers, where it tends to decline.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons blue wild rye isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming blue wild rye 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 wild rye 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 wild rye to flower

Maximise sun. Give blue wild rye 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 wild rye and get the feeding right with the blue wild rye 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 Wild Rye 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 wild rye care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Blue Wild Rye blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my blue wild rye flower?

Blue Wild Rye 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 wild rye bloom?

Give blue wild rye 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 wild rye normally bloom?