Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Florist's Gloxinia bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Florist's gloxinia, Brazilian gloxinia, Violet slipper gloxinia, Bright eyes, Gloxinia (Sinningia speciosa).

More about florist's gloxinia

About Florist's Gloxinia

Sinningia speciosa · also called Florist's gloxinia, Brazilian gloxinia · flowering

Florist's gloxinia (Sinningia speciosa) is a tuberous Brazilian gesneriad grown for velvety leaves and large, bell-shaped flowers in jewel tones. Give bright indirect light, evenly moist soil, warmth and high humidity, then a dry winter rest. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats, dogs and horses.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Bud drop and few flowers: Buds blast or fail to open from inconsistent watering, low humidity, sudden temperature swings, draughts, or too little light. Keep conditions stable, humid and bright-indirect.

The reasons florist's gloxinia isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming florist's gloxinia 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 florist's gloxinia 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 florist's gloxinia to flower

Maximise sun. Give florist's gloxinia 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 florist's gloxinia and get the feeding right with the florist's gloxinia 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

Florist's Gloxinia 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 florist's gloxinia care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Florist's Gloxinia blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my florist's gloxinia flower?

Florist's Gloxinia 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 florist's gloxinia bloom?

Give florist's gloxinia 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 florist's gloxinia normally bloom?