Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Lined Sinningia bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Lined Sinningia, Streaked Sinningia (Sinningia lineata).

More about lined sinningia

About Lined Sinningia

Sinningia lineata · also called Lined Sinningia, Streaked Sinningia · flowering

Sinningia lineata is a bold tuberous gesneriad from Brazil with a striking caudiciform base — a large, exposed above-ground tuber that can become very impressive with age. The plant produces just a few pairs of large, near-circular leaves and bears red tubular flowers, often rewarding growers with a second flush if stems are cut back after the first bloom. It is widely grown by gesneriad enthusiasts and caudiciform collectors alike. The ASPCA lists the Sinningia genus as non-toxic to cats and dogs; this species is not individually verified.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Caterpillar damage to flower buds: Caterpillars tunnel into unopened buds causing distortion and failure to open; inspect plants grown outdoors in summer and remove larvae by hand or use a biological control such as Bacillus thuringiensis.

The reasons lined sinningia isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming lined sinningia 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 lined sinningia 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 lined sinningia to flower

Maximise sun. Give lined sinningia 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 lined sinningia and get the feeding right with the lined sinningia 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

Lined Sinningia 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 lined sinningia care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Lined Sinningia blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my lined sinningia flower?

Lined Sinningia 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 lined sinningia bloom?

Give lined sinningia 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 lined sinningia normally bloom?