Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Daybreak Red Stripe Treasure Flower bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Treasure Flower, Gazania, South African Daisy (Gazania rigens).

More about daybreak red stripe treasure flower

About Daybreak Red Stripe Treasure Flower

Gazania rigens · also called Treasure Flower, Gazania · flowering

Daybreak Red Stripe Treasure Flower is a bold sun-loving annual from South Africa with large, showy daisy-like blooms in orange-red with contrasting dark-centred stripes. Exceptionally heat and drought tolerant, it performs brilliantly in hot, dry borders and containers. Gazania is not listed by the ASPCA as toxic; it is generally considered pet-safe.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Aphids: Can colonise flower stems; treat with insecticidal soap or remove manually.

The reasons daybreak red stripe treasure flower isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming daybreak red stripe treasure flower 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 daybreak red stripe treasure flower 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 daybreak red stripe treasure flower to flower

Maximise sun. Give daybreak red stripe treasure flower 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 daybreak red stripe treasure flower and get the feeding right with the daybreak red stripe treasure flower 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

Daybreak Red Stripe Treasure Flower 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 daybreak red stripe treasure flower care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Daybreak Red Stripe Treasure Flower blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my daybreak red stripe treasure flower flower?

Daybreak Red Stripe Treasure Flower 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 daybreak red stripe treasure flower bloom?

Give daybreak red stripe treasure flower 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 daybreak red stripe treasure flower normally bloom?