Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Common Stork's Bill bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Common Stork's Bill, Redstem Filaree, Redstem Stork's Bill, Pinweed (Erodium cicutarium).

More about common stork's bill

About Common Stork's Bill

Erodium cicutarium · also called Common Stork's Bill, Redstem Filaree · flowering

Erodium cicutarium is a native annual or biennial wildflower of temperate Eurasia, North Africa, and Macaronesia, naturalised widely across North America, and found in sandy grasslands, heathlands, roadsides, and disturbed ground across the UK. It forms a flat basal rosette of feathery, pinnate leaves from a tap root, bearing small bright pink flowers (occasionally with dark basal spots) from April to September, followed by the distinctive spirally twisted beak-like seed heads that give the genus its name. As a garden plant it is largely a self-seeding wildflower or weed, but it is occasionally grown deliberately in wildlife or meadow schemes to attract early pollinators. Erodium species are absent from the ASPCA Toxic Plants database, so toxicity status cannot be confirmed; it is classified as mildly-toxic as a precaution, though it is widely used as a forage plant and edible herb in some cultures.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons common stork's bill isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming common stork's bill 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 common stork's bill 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 common stork's bill to flower

Maximise sun. Give common stork's bill 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 common stork's bill and get the feeding right with the common stork's bill 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

Common Stork's Bill 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 common stork's bill care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Common Stork's Bill blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my common stork's bill flower?

Common Stork's Bill 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 common stork's bill bloom?

Give common stork's bill 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 common stork's bill normally bloom?