Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Many-haired Draba bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Many-haired Draba, Many-haired Whitlowgrass (Draba polytricha).

More about many-haired draba

About Many-haired Draba

Draba polytricha · also called Many-haired Draba, Many-haired Whitlowgrass · flowering

Many-haired Draba is a specialist cushion alpine from volcanic and rocky habitats in Turkey and Armenia, characterised by leaves densely clothed in star-shaped (stellate) hairs giving the plant a silver-grey appearance. Bright yellow flowers emerge in early spring on very short stems. It is highly regarded by alpine enthusiasts and best grown in an alpine house or well-protected trough.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons many-haired draba isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming many-haired draba 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 many-haired draba 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 many-haired draba to flower

Maximise sun. Give many-haired draba 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 many-haired draba and get the feeding right with the many-haired draba 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

Many-haired Draba 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 many-haired draba care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Many-haired Draba blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my many-haired draba flower?

Many-haired Draba 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 many-haired draba bloom?

Give many-haired draba 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 many-haired draba normally bloom?