Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Pink Quill bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Pink Quill, Pink Quill Plant, Pink Quill Air Plant, Blue-flowered Torch (Tillandsia cyanea).

More about pink quill

About Pink Quill

Tillandsia cyanea · also called Pink Quill, Pink Quill Plant · flowering

Pink Quill (Tillandsia cyanea) is an epiphytic bromeliad grown for its flat pink feather-shaped bract that opens violet-blue flowers. Give bright indirect light, mist 2-3 times weekly with rainwater, and keep warm and humid. The ASPCA does not list it by name, but its bromeliad relatives are non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — No flower spike forming: Plants only bloom once mature (around 3-4 years) and need warmth to trigger flowering. If it is older yet refuses to spike, raise temperatures to about 24C/75F; commercial growers force blooms, so shop plants are often near the end of their flowering cycle.

The reasons pink quill isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming pink quill 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 pink quill 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 pink quill to flower

Maximise sun. Give pink quill 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 pink quill and get the feeding right with the pink quill 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

Pink Quill 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 pink quill care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Pink Quill blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my pink quill flower?

Pink Quill 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 pink quill bloom?

Give pink quill 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 pink quill normally bloom?