Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Brassia caudata bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Long-tailed Spider Orchid (Brassia caudata).

More about brassia caudata

About Brassia caudata

Brassia caudata · also called Long-tailed Spider Orchid · flowering

Brassia caudata, the long-tailed spider orchid, produces dramatic blooms with long, slender, spider-like sepals barred in green-yellow and brown. A warm- to intermediate-growing epiphyte from the Americas and the Caribbean, it likes bright light, a wet-then-slightly-dry watering rhythm and a definite drier rest, making it more drought-tolerant than the cool-growing pansy orchids.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Shy flowering: Insufficient light or no winter rest is the usual cause. Give brighter light than for pansy orchids and a cooler, drier spell to initiate spikes.

The reasons brassia caudata isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming brassia caudata 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 brassia caudata 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 brassia caudata to flower

Maximise sun. Give brassia caudata 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 brassia caudata and get the feeding right with the brassia caudata 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

Brassia caudata 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 brassia caudata care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Brassia caudata blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my brassia caudata flower?

Brassia caudata 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 brassia caudata bloom?

Give brassia caudata 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 brassia caudata normally bloom?