Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Pelargonium 'Deacon Barbecue' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Deacon Barbecue pelargonium, Miniature zonal geranium Deacon (Pelargonium 'Deacon Barbecue').

More about pelargonium 'deacon barbecue'

About Pelargonium 'Deacon Barbecue'

Pelargonium 'Deacon Barbecue' · also called Deacon Barbecue pelargonium, Miniature zonal geranium Deacon · flowering

Pelargonium 'Deacon Barbecue' is a Deacon-type miniature zonal geranium bred from crossing zonal and ivy-leaved parents. It forms a dense, compact mound smothered in clusters of double rosy-red flowers over small dark-green leaves. Free-flowering and tidy, the Deacon series excels in pots, baskets and windowboxes given full sun and good drainage.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Grey mould on spent blooms: The dense flower clusters hold moisture and rot. Deadhead regularly, remove faded heads, and keep air moving around the plant.

The reasons pelargonium 'deacon barbecue' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming pelargonium 'deacon barbecue' 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 pelargonium 'deacon barbecue' 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 pelargonium 'deacon barbecue' to flower

Maximise sun. Give pelargonium 'deacon barbecue' 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 pelargonium 'deacon barbecue' and get the feeding right with the pelargonium 'deacon barbecue' 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

Pelargonium 'Deacon Barbecue' 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 pelargonium 'deacon barbecue' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Pelargonium 'Deacon Barbecue' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my pelargonium 'deacon barbecue' flower?

Pelargonium 'Deacon Barbecue' 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 pelargonium 'deacon barbecue' bloom?

Give pelargonium 'deacon barbecue' 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 pelargonium 'deacon barbecue' normally bloom?