Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Kohleria amabilis bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Colombian kohleria, lovely kohleria (Kohleria amabilis).

More about kohleria amabilis

About Kohleria amabilis

Kohleria amabilis · also called Colombian kohleria, lovely kohleria · flowering

Kohleria amabilis is a rhizomatous Colombian gesneriad with soft, velvety, silver-veined leaves and bell-shaped pink flowers heavily speckled with red, borne over a long season. Related to the African violet, it grows from scaly underground rhizomes that store water, making it forgiving. It likes bright indirect light, warmth, and steady moisture without wet foliage.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Shy flowering: Usually too little light. Move to brighter indirect light or add a grow light, and feed with a high-phosphorus fertiliser.

The reasons kohleria amabilis isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming kohleria amabilis 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 kohleria amabilis 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 kohleria amabilis to flower

Maximise sun. Give kohleria amabilis 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 kohleria amabilis and get the feeding right with the kohleria amabilis 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

Kohleria amabilis 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 kohleria amabilis care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Kohleria amabilis blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my kohleria amabilis flower?

Kohleria amabilis 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 kohleria amabilis bloom?

Give kohleria amabilis 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 kohleria amabilis normally bloom?