Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Passiflora incarnata bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called maypop, purple passionflower, wild apricot (Passiflora incarnata).

More about passiflora incarnata

About Passiflora incarnata

Passiflora incarnata · also called maypop, purple passionflower · flowering

Passiflora incarnata, the maypop, is a hardy herbaceous perennial vine native to the southeastern United States. It bears intricate lavender-and-white fringed flowers in summer followed by egg-shaped edible fruit. Dying back to the ground in winter and regrowing from the root, it is the most cold-tolerant passionflower and spreads readily by suckers.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Poor flowering in shade or rich soil: Too little sun or excess nitrogen gives leafy growth with few flowers; grow in full sun and feed sparingly with potash rather than nitrogen.

The reasons passiflora incarnata isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming passiflora incarnata 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 passiflora incarnata 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 passiflora incarnata to flower

Maximise sun. Give passiflora incarnata 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 passiflora incarnata and get the feeding right with the passiflora incarnata 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

Passiflora incarnata 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 passiflora incarnata care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Passiflora incarnata blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my passiflora incarnata flower?

Passiflora incarnata 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 passiflora incarnata bloom?

Give passiflora incarnata 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 passiflora incarnata normally bloom?