Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Dracunculus canariensis bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Canary Islands dragon arum (Dracunculus canariensis).

More about dracunculus canariensis

About Dracunculus canariensis

Dracunculus canariensis · also called Canary Islands dragon arum · flowering

Dracunculus canariensis is the tender Canary Islands cousin of the dragon arum — and a rare arum that smells sweet rather than foul. A winter-growing tuberous perennial, it sends up a green dragon-spotted stalk, hand-shaped leaves and a creamy white spathe in spring, then rests dry through summer. It needs frost-free, sunny, sharply drained conditions.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Weak growth in deep shade: Too little light yields lax stems and poor flowering. Give it the brightest frost-free position available.

The reasons dracunculus canariensis isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming dracunculus canariensis 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 dracunculus canariensis 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 dracunculus canariensis to flower

Maximise sun. Give dracunculus canariensis 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 dracunculus canariensis and get the feeding right with the dracunculus canariensis 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

Dracunculus canariensis 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 dracunculus canariensis care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Dracunculus canariensis blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my dracunculus canariensis flower?

Dracunculus canariensis 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 dracunculus canariensis bloom?

Give dracunculus canariensis 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 dracunculus canariensis normally bloom?