Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Kitten Tails bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Kitten tails, Kittentails, Bull's besseya (Besseya bullii).

More about kitten tails

About Kitten Tails

Besseya bullii · also called Kitten tails, Kittentails · flowering

Besseya bullii is a rare, conservative perennial wildflower endemic to six Upper Midwestern US states — Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio — where it inhabits dry sand prairies, oak savannas, bluff edges, and gravelly hillsides. It produces a basal rosette of woolly leaves from which a single fluffy spike of yellowish-green flowers emerges in April through June, standing 20–40 cm tall. The species is state-threatened or endangered across its entire range and is extremely sensitive to habitat disturbance, relying on periodic fire management to keep competing vegetation in check. Besseya bullii is not listed by the ASPCA and its safety for pets is unconfirmed; it is classified here as mildly toxic out of caution.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons kitten tails isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming kitten tails 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 kitten tails 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 kitten tails to flower

Maximise sun. Give kitten tails 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 kitten tails and get the feeding right with the kitten tails 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

Kitten Tails 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 kitten tails care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Kitten Tails blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my kitten tails flower?

Kitten Tails 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 kitten tails bloom?

Give kitten tails 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 kitten tails normally bloom?