Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Columnea microphylla bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called small-leaf goldfish plant, tiny-leaf columnea (Columnea microphylla).

More about columnea microphylla

About Columnea microphylla

Columnea microphylla · also called small-leaf goldfish plant, tiny-leaf columnea · flowering

Columnea microphylla is a trailing epiphytic gesneriad with tiny rounded coppery leaves on long cascading stems, prized as a hanging-basket goldfish plant. In bright indirect light it studs its trailers with hooded scarlet-orange tubular flowers shaped like leaping fish. It wants warmth, steady moisture, and high humidity, mimicking the Costa Rican cloud-forest canopy it came from.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — No flowers: Almost always too little light or no cool-ish winter rest; give brighter indirect light and a high-phosphorus feed in spring to coax buds.

The reasons columnea microphylla isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming columnea microphylla 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 columnea microphylla 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 columnea microphylla to flower

Maximise sun. Give columnea microphylla 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 columnea microphylla and get the feeding right with the columnea microphylla 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

Columnea microphylla 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 columnea microphylla care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Columnea microphylla blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my columnea microphylla flower?

Columnea microphylla 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 columnea microphylla bloom?

Give columnea microphylla 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 columnea microphylla normally bloom?