Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Echinocereus pectinatus bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Comb Hedgehog Cactus, Rainbow Cactus (Echinocereus pectinatus).

More about echinocereus pectinatus

About Echinocereus pectinatus

Echinocereus pectinatus · also called Comb Hedgehog Cactus, Rainbow Cactus · flowering

Echinocereus pectinatus is a small Chihuahuan Desert hedgehog cactus prized for comb-like (pectinate) spines that band the stem in pink, white and tan, hence 'Rainbow Cactus'. In late spring it opens large, satiny magenta-pink flowers. It demands intense sun, gritty soil and a bone-dry winter rest to bloom reliably indoors or out.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — No flowers: Almost always too little light or no cool, dry winter rest. Give maximum sun and withhold water at 5-10°C over winter to set buds.

The reasons echinocereus pectinatus isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming echinocereus pectinatus 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 echinocereus pectinatus 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 echinocereus pectinatus to flower

Maximise sun. Give echinocereus pectinatus 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 echinocereus pectinatus and get the feeding right with the echinocereus pectinatus 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

Echinocereus pectinatus 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 echinocereus pectinatus care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Echinocereus pectinatus blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my echinocereus pectinatus flower?

Echinocereus pectinatus 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 echinocereus pectinatus bloom?

Give echinocereus pectinatus 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 echinocereus pectinatus normally bloom?