Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Oreocharis auricula bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called ear-shaped oreocharis, Chinese alpine gesneriad (Oreocharis auricula).

More about oreocharis auricula

About Oreocharis auricula

Oreocharis auricula · also called ear-shaped oreocharis, Chinese alpine gesneriad · flowering

Oreocharis auricula is a rosette-forming alpine gesneriad from the cool, rocky, humid mountains of southern China, grown for nodding clusters of tubular purple-blue flowers on slender stalks above a flat rosette of softly hairy leaves. A choice plant for cool, shaded, well-drained conditions, it appeals to alpine and gesneriad collectors and tolerates real cold.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Few flowers: Often too much shade, too rich a feed, or no cool winter rest. Give bright indirect light, lean feeding, and a cool dormancy to encourage the flower stalks.

The reasons oreocharis auricula isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming oreocharis auricula 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 oreocharis auricula 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 oreocharis auricula to flower

Maximise sun. Give oreocharis auricula 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 oreocharis auricula and get the feeding right with the oreocharis auricula 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

Oreocharis auricula 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 oreocharis auricula care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Oreocharis auricula blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my oreocharis auricula flower?

Oreocharis auricula 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 oreocharis auricula bloom?

Give oreocharis auricula 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 oreocharis auricula normally bloom?