Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Jungle Geranium bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Jungle geranium, Flame of the woods, Jungle flame, Iron tree, Maui sunset, Ixora (Ixora coccinea).

More about jungle geranium

About Jungle Geranium

Ixora coccinea · also called Jungle geranium, Flame of the woods · flowering

Jungle geranium (Ixora coccinea) is a tropical evergreen shrub from the coffee family, grown for near-continuous globular clusters of red, orange, pink, or yellow tubular flowers. It demands full sun, acidic soil, warmth, and humidity. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, making it pet-safe.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Few or no flowers: Almost always insufficient light. Move to full sun or the brightest window. Cold drafts, overpruning at the wrong time, or letting the soil dry out can also cause bud drop.

The reasons jungle geranium isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming jungle geranium 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 jungle geranium 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 jungle geranium to flower

Maximise sun. Give jungle geranium 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 jungle geranium and get the feeding right with the jungle geranium 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

Jungle Geranium 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 jungle geranium care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Jungle Geranium blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my jungle geranium flower?

Jungle Geranium 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 jungle geranium bloom?

Give jungle geranium 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 jungle geranium normally bloom?