Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Hannah Roberts kohleria (Kohleria 'Hannah Roberts').

More about kohleria 'hannah roberts'

About Kohleria 'Hannah Roberts'

Kohleria 'Hannah Roberts' · also called Hannah Roberts kohleria · flowering

Kohleria 'Hannah Roberts' is a popular rhizomatous gesneriad cultivar bearing showy bell-shaped flowers in pink-to-red densely freckled with deeper spots, set against soft hairy green leaves. Growing from scaly water-storing rhizomes that make it forgiving, it flowers over a long season in bright indirect light and warmth, as long as its fuzzy foliage is kept dry.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Sparse blooms: Most often too little light. Provide brighter indirect light or a grow light and feed with a high-phosphorus fertiliser to push flowers.

The reasons kohleria 'hannah roberts' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming kohleria 'hannah roberts' 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 'hannah roberts' 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 'hannah roberts' to flower

Maximise sun. Give kohleria 'hannah roberts' 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 'hannah roberts' and get the feeding right with the kohleria 'hannah roberts' 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 'Hannah Roberts' 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 'hannah roberts' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Kohleria 'Hannah Roberts' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my kohleria 'hannah roberts' flower?

Kohleria 'Hannah Roberts' 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 'hannah roberts' bloom?

Give kohleria 'hannah roberts' 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 'hannah roberts' normally bloom?