Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Ceropegia Sandersonii bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Parachute Plant, Fountain Flower (Ceropegia sandersonii).

More about ceropegia sandersonii

About Ceropegia Sandersonii

Ceropegia sandersonii · also called Parachute Plant, Fountain Flower · flowering

Ceropegia sandersonii is a fast, semi-succulent trailing vine from southern Africa, prized for its bizarre green-and-white parachute-shaped flowers that trap flies for pollination. The fleshy, heart-shaped leaves store water, so it tolerates neglect. Give it bright indirect light, a gritty mix, and let it dry between waterings to flower well indoors.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Leggy, flowerless growth: Indicates insufficient light. Move to a brighter spot and pinch stems to encourage branching.

The reasons ceropegia sandersonii isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming ceropegia sandersonii 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 ceropegia sandersonii 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 ceropegia sandersonii to flower

Maximise sun. Give ceropegia sandersonii 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 ceropegia sandersonii and get the feeding right with the ceropegia sandersonii 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

Ceropegia Sandersonii 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 ceropegia sandersonii care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Ceropegia Sandersonii blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my ceropegia sandersonii flower?

Ceropegia Sandersonii 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 ceropegia sandersonii bloom?

Give ceropegia sandersonii 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 ceropegia sandersonii normally bloom?