Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Petunia 'Tidal Wave Silver' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Tidal Wave Silver Petunia, Spreading Silver Petunia (Petunia × atkinsiana 'Tidal Wave Silver').

More about petunia 'tidal wave silver'

About Petunia 'Tidal Wave Silver'

Petunia × atkinsiana 'Tidal Wave Silver' · also called Tidal Wave Silver Petunia, Spreading Silver Petunia · flowering

Petunia 'Tidal Wave Silver' is an award-winning 'hedgiflora' seed petunia whose habit shifts with spacing: a dense mounded hedge when close-planted, a 4ft ground cover when spaced wide, or a climbing 'vine' with support. Silvery-white flowers blushed with purple veining cover it from late spring to frost. Grown as a sun-loving, heavy-feeding half-hardy annual.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Botrytis in prolonged wet: Although unusually Botrytis-tolerant for a petunia, sustained rain and humidity can still rot spent flowers. Maintain airflow and remove damaged growth.

The reasons petunia 'tidal wave silver' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming petunia 'tidal wave silver' 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 petunia 'tidal wave silver' 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 petunia 'tidal wave silver' to flower

Maximise sun. Give petunia 'tidal wave silver' 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 petunia 'tidal wave silver' and get the feeding right with the petunia 'tidal wave silver' 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

Petunia 'Tidal Wave Silver' 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 petunia 'tidal wave silver' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Petunia 'Tidal Wave Silver' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my petunia 'tidal wave silver' flower?

Petunia 'Tidal Wave Silver' 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 petunia 'tidal wave silver' bloom?

Give petunia 'tidal wave silver' 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 petunia 'tidal wave silver' normally bloom?