Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Cosmos bipinnatus 'Picotee' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Picotee Cosmos, Bicolor Picotee Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus 'Picotee').

More about cosmos bipinnatus 'picotee'

About Cosmos bipinnatus 'Picotee'

Cosmos bipinnatus 'Picotee' · also called Picotee Cosmos, Bicolor Picotee Cosmos · flowering

'Picotee' is a tall, elegant cosmos with white single blooms edged in a crimson-pink picotee margin, each flower uniquely marked. Set against ferny foliage on airy stems, it flowers freely from summer to frost and attracts bees and butterflies. Like all garden cosmos, it thrives on neglect in poor, well-drained soil and full sun, making a lovely cut flower.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Excess foliage, few flowers: Caused by over-rich or over-fed soil. Plant in poor, free-draining soil and withhold fertiliser to encourage bloom.

The reasons cosmos bipinnatus 'picotee' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming cosmos bipinnatus 'picotee' 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 cosmos bipinnatus 'picotee' 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 cosmos bipinnatus 'picotee' to flower

Maximise sun. Give cosmos bipinnatus 'picotee' 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 cosmos bipinnatus 'picotee' and get the feeding right with the cosmos bipinnatus 'picotee' 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

Cosmos bipinnatus 'Picotee' 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 cosmos bipinnatus 'picotee' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Cosmos bipinnatus 'Picotee' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my cosmos bipinnatus 'picotee' flower?

Cosmos bipinnatus 'Picotee' 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 cosmos bipinnatus 'picotee' bloom?

Give cosmos bipinnatus 'picotee' 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 cosmos bipinnatus 'picotee' normally bloom?