Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Mexican Lily, Barbados Lily, Christmas Amaryllis (Hippeastrum reginae).

More about mexican lily

About Mexican Lily

Hippeastrum reginae · also called Mexican Lily, Barbados Lily · flowering

Mexican Lily is a bold tropical bulb from South America and the Caribbean, bearing large, brilliant scarlet funnel-shaped flowers with a distinctive white star in the throat on stout stems. It is one of the parent species of modern amaryllis hybrids. All Hippeastrum species are toxic to pets; the bulb is particularly dangerous.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Red leaf blotch (Stagonospora): Red or orange lesions on leaves, flower stalks, and bulb scales are the classic sign. Remove affected tissue and treat with a fungicide approved for bulbs.

The reasons mexican lily isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming mexican lily 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 mexican lily 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 mexican lily to flower

Maximise sun. Give mexican lily 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 mexican lily and get the feeding right with the mexican lily 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

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

Mexican Lily blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my mexican lily flower?

Mexican Lily 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 mexican lily bloom?

Give mexican lily 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 mexican lily normally bloom?