Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Opium poppy bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Opium poppy, Breadseed poppy, Peony poppy (Papaver somniferum).

More about opium poppy

About Opium poppy

Papaver somniferum · also called Opium poppy, Breadseed poppy · flowering

Opium poppy is a stately cool-season annual producing large, glaucous blue-green foliage and showy single or double blooms in white, pink, red, and purple. It thrives in full sun and poor to average soil. Direct-sow in autumn or early spring; it self-seeds exuberantly and naturalises easily in cottage and cutting gardens.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Aphids (Macrosiphum euphorbiae and others): Green or grey aphid colonies on stems and flower buds cause distortion and reduce vigour. Spray with insecticidal soap or a jet of water. Encourage beneficial insects by planting companion umbellifers.

The reasons opium poppy isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming opium poppy 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 opium poppy 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 opium poppy to flower

Maximise sun. Give opium poppy 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 opium poppy and get the feeding right with the opium poppy 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

Opium poppy 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 opium poppy care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Opium poppy blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my opium poppy flower?

Opium poppy 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 opium poppy bloom?

Give opium poppy 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 opium poppy normally bloom?