Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Good Luck Plant bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Iron Cross Oxalis, Lucky Clover, Four-leaf Sorrel (Oxalis deppei).

More about good luck plant

About Good Luck Plant

Oxalis deppei · also called Iron Cross Oxalis, Lucky Clover · flowering

Good Luck Plant is a Mexican bulbous Oxalis with distinctive four-leaflet leaves marked with a purple-brown iron cross pattern, and clusters of funnel-shaped rosy-pink flowers in summer. Popular as a novelty houseplant and gift plant. Contains soluble oxalates — mildly toxic to pets. Edible leaves are used in salads in small quantities by humans in Mexico.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Bulb overcrowding: Flowering diminishes when bulbs are crowded. Lift and divide every 2-3 years, replanting healthy bulbs at 3-4 cm depth.

The reasons good luck plant isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming good luck plant 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 good luck plant 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 good luck plant to flower

Maximise sun. Give good luck plant 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 good luck plant and get the feeding right with the good luck plant 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

Good Luck Plant 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 good luck plant care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Good Luck Plant blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my good luck plant flower?

Good Luck Plant 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 good luck plant bloom?

Give good luck plant 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 good luck plant normally bloom?