Getting it to bloom
Why won't my Long-Beaked Stork's Bill bloom? (and how to make it flower)
Also called Long-Beaked Stork's Bill, Long-Beaked Filaree, Broadleaf Filaree, Mediterranean Stork's Bill (Erodium botrys).
More about long-beaked stork's bill
About Long-Beaked Stork's Bill
Erodium botrys · also called Long-Beaked Stork's Bill, Long-Beaked Filaree · flowering
Erodium botrys is a winter-growing annual herb native to the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East, and North Africa, where it germinates in late summer or early autumn and completes its life cycle by early summer. It forms a basal rosette of highly lobed, slightly hairy leaves on reddish petioles, then produces upright flowering stems bearing small, five-petalled lavender to purple flowers with darker streaking. Its most distinctive feature is the exceptionally long fruit beak — reaching up to 12 cm — which gives the species its common name. It naturalises freely in free-draining, sunny ground. Not documented as toxic; mildly-toxic classification used in the absence of an ASPCA species-level entry.
Plant type: flowering
Watch for — Self-seeding and weed potential: The elongated, corkscrew-shaped awns propel seeds effectively and the plant can spread into lawns and gravel paths; remove flowering stems before the beaks mature to contain spread.
The reasons long-beaked stork's bill isn't blooming
Almost every non-blooming long-beaked stork's bill 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 long-beaked stork's bill 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 long-beaked stork's bill to flower
- Maximise sun. Give long-beaked stork's bill 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 long-beaked stork's bill and get the feeding right with the long-beaked stork's bill 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
Long-Beaked Stork's Bill 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 long-beaked stork's bill care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.
Long-Beaked Stork's Bill blooming — frequently asked questions
Why won't my long-beaked stork's bill flower?
Long-Beaked Stork's Bill 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 long-beaked stork's bill bloom?
Give long-beaked stork's bill 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 long-beaked stork's bill normally bloom?
Long-Beaked Stork's Bill flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.
What should I do with long-beaked stork's bill after it flowers?
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.
What is the single biggest mistake stopping long-beaked stork's bill flowering?
Feeding long-beaked stork's bill a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.
Keep reading
- Long-Beaked Stork's Bill care — the full brief (light, water, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- Long-Beaked Stork's Bill light needs — usually the first thing to fix for flowers
- Long-Beaked Stork's Bill fertilising — the right feed for buds, not just leaves
- Should I water my plant? The simple check
- Why is my plant wilting? Wet vs dry
- Underwatered plant — signs and rehydration
- Why won't my peace lily bloom?
- Why won't my jade plant bloom?
- Why won't my tomato bloom?
- All 4114 bloom guides in the Growli library