Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Encyclia tampensis bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Tampa Butterfly Orchid, Florida Butterfly Orchid (Encylia tampensis).

More about encyclia tampensis

About Encyclia tampensis

Encylia tampensis · also called Tampa Butterfly Orchid, Florida Butterfly Orchid · flowering

The Florida butterfly orchid is an epiphytic species native to Florida, the Bahamas, and Cuba, valued for airy sprays of fragrant greenish-bronze flowers with a white, magenta-marked lip. It tolerates warmth, bright light, and a brief dry rest, growing happily mounted or in baskets. A protected wild plant in Florida, it should only be bought nursery-propagated.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Poor flowering: Too little light or no winter rest suppresses the spray; give brighter light and a slightly cooler, drier spell to trigger blooming.

The reasons encyclia tampensis isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming encyclia tampensis 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 encyclia tampensis 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 encyclia tampensis to flower

Maximise sun. Give encyclia tampensis 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 encyclia tampensis and get the feeding right with the encyclia tampensis 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

Encyclia tampensis 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 encyclia tampensis care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Encyclia tampensis blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my encyclia tampensis flower?

Encyclia tampensis 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 encyclia tampensis bloom?

Give encyclia tampensis 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 encyclia tampensis normally bloom?