Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Jacobinia Carnea bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Brazilian plume flower, flamingo flower, jacobinia (Justicia carnea).

More about jacobinia carnea

About Jacobinia Carnea

Justicia carnea · also called Brazilian plume flower, flamingo flower · flowering

Justicia carnea is a soft-stemmed tropical shrub from Brazil grown for its large, plume-like heads of pink to rose flowers above deeply veined, dark green leaves. It flowers freely in warmth and bright indirect light, and stays bushy with regular pinching. Grown indoors or in a conservatory in temperate climates, outdoors in frost-free gardens.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Legginess and bare stems: Without pinching it grows tall and sheds lower leaves, leaving stark stems. Pinch growing tips regularly and cut back hard after flowering to keep it bushy and well-clothed.

The reasons jacobinia carnea isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming jacobinia carnea 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 jacobinia carnea 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 jacobinia carnea to flower

Maximise sun. Give jacobinia carnea 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 jacobinia carnea and get the feeding right with the jacobinia carnea 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

Jacobinia Carnea 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 jacobinia carnea care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Jacobinia Carnea blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my jacobinia carnea flower?

Jacobinia Carnea 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 jacobinia carnea bloom?

Give jacobinia carnea 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 jacobinia carnea normally bloom?