Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Water Lily Cactus bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Easter Lily Cactus, Sea Urchin Cactus, Hedgehog Cactus (Echinopsis eyriesii).

More about water lily cactus

About Water Lily Cactus

Echinopsis eyriesii · also called Easter Lily Cactus, Sea Urchin Cactus · flowering

Echinopsis eyriesii is a compact globose to short-columnar cactus from Argentina and Uruguay, celebrated for its spectacular large white to pale pink nocturnal flowers. It is one of the most floriferous cacti for windowsill culture, readily producing offsets and blooms. True Echinopsis cacti are considered non-toxic to pets by the ASPCA.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Failure to flower: Requires a cold, dry winter rest (5-10°C) to set flower buds. Plants kept warm and watered through winter rarely bloom the following year.

The reasons water lily cactus isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming water lily cactus 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 water lily cactus 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 water lily cactus to flower

Maximise sun. Give water lily cactus 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 water lily cactus and get the feeding right with the water lily cactus 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

Water Lily Cactus 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 water lily cactus care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Water Lily Cactus blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my water lily cactus flower?

Water Lily Cactus 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 water lily cactus bloom?

Give water lily cactus 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 water lily cactus normally bloom?