Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Lycaste skinneri bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Skinner's Lycaste, Guatemalan National Orchid (Lycaste skinneri).

More about lycaste skinneri

About Lycaste skinneri

Lycaste skinneri · also called Skinner's Lycaste, Guatemalan National Orchid · flowering

Lycaste skinneri is a cool-growing, partly deciduous orchid from Guatemalan cloud forests, prized for large waxy pink-to-white winter flowers. It drops its broad pleated leaves after a cooler, drier rest, then flowers from the leafless pseudobulb. Give bright filtered light, a buoyant bark mix, and a distinct seasonal cycle to bloom it reliably indoors.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — No flowers: Usually a missing seasonal rest. Lycaste needs cooler, drier winter conditions and a real dip in watering to trigger the bloom spike from mature pseudobulbs.

The reasons lycaste skinneri isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming lycaste skinneri 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 lycaste skinneri 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 lycaste skinneri to flower

Maximise sun. Give lycaste skinneri 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 lycaste skinneri and get the feeding right with the lycaste skinneri 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

Lycaste skinneri 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 lycaste skinneri care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Lycaste skinneri blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my lycaste skinneri flower?

Lycaste skinneri 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 lycaste skinneri bloom?

Give lycaste skinneri 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 lycaste skinneri normally bloom?