Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Episcia reptans bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called flame violet, creeping episcia (Episcia reptans).

More about episcia reptans

About Episcia reptans

Episcia reptans · also called flame violet, creeping episcia · flowering

Episcia reptans, the flame violet, is a creeping tropical gesneriad grown for vivid red tubular flowers and richly textured, coppery-green quilted leaves. It spreads by stolons into a trailing mat, making it superb in hanging baskets or terrariums. It needs warmth, high humidity, bright indirect light and steady moisture, and resents cold, dry air.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Few flowers, dull leaf colour: Too little light suppresses blooming and leaf markings. Move to brighter indirect light and feed regularly in the growing season.

The reasons episcia reptans isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming episcia reptans 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 episcia reptans 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 episcia reptans to flower

Maximise sun. Give episcia reptans 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 episcia reptans and get the feeding right with the episcia reptans 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

Episcia reptans 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 episcia reptans care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Episcia reptans blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my episcia reptans flower?

Episcia reptans 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 episcia reptans bloom?

Give episcia reptans 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 episcia reptans normally bloom?