Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Double Click Cranberries Cosmos bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Double Click Cosmos, Cranberry Cosmos, Double Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus).

More about double click cranberries cosmos

About Double Click Cranberries Cosmos

Cosmos bipinnatus · also called Double Click Cosmos, Cranberry Cosmos · flowering

A select Cosmos bipinnatus cultivar producing fully double and semi-double blooms in deep cranberry-pink on tall 90–110 cm stems ideal for cutting. Feathery foliage adds lightness to arrangements. Easy to grow in full sun with average soil. Non-toxic to pets per ASPCA listings for the species.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Botrytis (grey mould): Remove spent double blooms promptly as the dense petals trap moisture and promote mould.

The reasons double click cranberries cosmos isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming double click cranberries cosmos 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 double click cranberries cosmos 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 double click cranberries cosmos to flower

Maximise sun. Give double click cranberries cosmos 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 double click cranberries cosmos and get the feeding right with the double click cranberries cosmos 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

Double Click Cranberries Cosmos 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 double click cranberries cosmos care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Double Click Cranberries Cosmos blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my double click cranberries cosmos flower?

Double Click Cranberries Cosmos 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 double click cranberries cosmos bloom?

Give double click cranberries cosmos 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 double click cranberries cosmos normally bloom?