Getting it to bloom
Why won't my Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Deep Blue' bloom? (and how to make it flower)
Also called Cabaret Deep Blue Calibrachoa, Deep Blue Million Bells (Calibrachoa × hybrida 'Cabaret Deep Blue').
More about calibrachoa 'cabaret deep blue'
About Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Deep Blue'
Calibrachoa × hybrida 'Cabaret Deep Blue' · also called Cabaret Deep Blue Calibrachoa, Deep Blue Million Bells · flowering
A floriferous calibrachoa from the Cabaret series with rich violet-blue, petunia-like bells smothering a mounded, semi-trailing plant. Bred for heat tolerance and non-stop bloom, it thrives in full sun in baskets and patio containers. A hungry, drainage-loving annual, it needs slightly acidic compost and weekly feeding to sustain the saturated blue colour all summer.
Plant type: flowering
Watch for — Mid-season decline / legginess: Plants can thin out and stop blooming by midsummer if starved or shaded. Feed consistently, keep in full sun and shear lightly to rejuvenate.
The reasons calibrachoa 'cabaret deep blue' isn't blooming
Almost every non-blooming calibrachoa 'cabaret deep blue' 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 calibrachoa 'cabaret deep blue' 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 calibrachoa 'cabaret deep blue' to flower
- Maximise sun. Give calibrachoa 'cabaret deep blue' 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 calibrachoa 'cabaret deep blue' and get the feeding right with the calibrachoa 'cabaret deep blue' 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
Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Deep Blue' 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 calibrachoa 'cabaret deep blue' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.
Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Deep Blue' blooming — frequently asked questions
Why won't my calibrachoa 'cabaret deep blue' flower?
Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Deep Blue' 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 calibrachoa 'cabaret deep blue' bloom?
Give calibrachoa 'cabaret deep blue' 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 calibrachoa 'cabaret deep blue' normally bloom?
Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Deep Blue' flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.
What should I do with calibrachoa 'cabaret deep blue' after it flowers?
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.
What is the single biggest mistake stopping calibrachoa 'cabaret deep blue' flowering?
Feeding calibrachoa 'cabaret deep blue' a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.
Keep reading
- Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Deep Blue' care — the full brief (light, water, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Deep Blue' light needs — usually the first thing to fix for flowers
- Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Deep Blue' fertilising — the right feed for buds, not just leaves
- Should I water my plant? The simple check
- Why is my plant wilting? Wet vs dry
- Underwatered plant — signs and rehydration
- Why won't my peace lily bloom?
- Why won't my jade plant bloom?
- Why won't my tomato bloom?
- All 2023 bloom guides in the Growli library