Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Dove's-Foot Cranesbill bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Dove's-Foot Cranesbill, Dovesfoot Geranium, Soft Cranesbill (Geranium molle).

More about dove's-foot cranesbill

About Dove's-Foot Cranesbill

Geranium molle · also called Dove's-Foot Cranesbill, Dovesfoot Geranium · flowering

Geranium molle is a low-growing, softly hairy annual wildflower native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia and now widely naturalised worldwide, including across North America. It forms a spreading rosette of rounded, softly lobed leaves with a distinctive velvety texture, producing a long succession of small, deep to pale pink notched flowers from March to September. It thrives in dry, poor, sunny soils and is especially tolerant of drought once established. True cranesbill Geranium species are not listed as toxic to pets by the ASPCA, and this species is considered non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons dove's-foot cranesbill isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming dove's-foot cranesbill 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 dove's-foot cranesbill 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 dove's-foot cranesbill to flower

Maximise sun. Give dove's-foot cranesbill 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 dove's-foot cranesbill and get the feeding right with the dove's-foot cranesbill 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

Dove's-Foot Cranesbill 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 dove's-foot cranesbill care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Dove's-Foot Cranesbill blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my dove's-foot cranesbill flower?

Dove's-Foot Cranesbill 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 dove's-foot cranesbill bloom?

Give dove's-foot cranesbill 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 dove's-foot cranesbill normally bloom?