Getting it to bloom
Why won't my Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Rainbow Festive Dance' bloom? (and how to make it flower)
Also called Festive Dance Coleus, Rainbow Coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Rainbow Festive Dance').
More about plectranthus scutellarioides 'rainbow festive dance'
About Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Rainbow Festive Dance'
Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Rainbow Festive Dance' · also called Festive Dance Coleus, Rainbow Coleus · flowering
Rainbow Festive Dance is a coleus from the Rainbow series with deeply lobed, multicolour leaves blending red, gold, and green for a lively variegated effect. An easy, fast-growing foliage plant for shade to part sun, it suits bedding and containers. Grown for its leaves, not the minor flowers. A tender perennial treated as an annual in temperate gardens.
Plant type: flowering
Watch for — Legginess and flowering: Blue flower spikes and low light cause stretch. Pinch out spikes and growing tips regularly to keep the plant compact and bushy.
The reasons plectranthus scutellarioides 'rainbow festive dance' isn't blooming
Almost every non-blooming plectranthus scutellarioides 'rainbow festive dance' 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 plectranthus scutellarioides 'rainbow festive dance' 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 plectranthus scutellarioides 'rainbow festive dance' to flower
- Maximise sun. Give plectranthus scutellarioides 'rainbow festive dance' 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 plectranthus scutellarioides 'rainbow festive dance' and get the feeding right with the plectranthus scutellarioides 'rainbow festive dance' 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
Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Rainbow Festive Dance' 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 plectranthus scutellarioides 'rainbow festive dance' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.
Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Rainbow Festive Dance' blooming — frequently asked questions
Why won't my plectranthus scutellarioides 'rainbow festive dance' flower?
Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Rainbow Festive Dance' 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 plectranthus scutellarioides 'rainbow festive dance' bloom?
Give plectranthus scutellarioides 'rainbow festive dance' 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 plectranthus scutellarioides 'rainbow festive dance' normally bloom?
Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Rainbow Festive Dance' flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.
What should I do with plectranthus scutellarioides 'rainbow festive dance' after it flowers?
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.
What is the single biggest mistake stopping plectranthus scutellarioides 'rainbow festive dance' flowering?
Feeding plectranthus scutellarioides 'rainbow festive dance' a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.
Keep reading
- Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Rainbow Festive Dance' care — the full brief (light, water, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Rainbow Festive Dance' light needs — usually the first thing to fix for flowers
- Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Rainbow Festive Dance' fertilising — the right feed for buds, not just leaves
- Should I water my plant? The simple check
- Why is my plant wilting? Wet vs dry
- Underwatered plant — signs and rehydration
- Why won't my peace lily bloom?
- Why won't my jade plant bloom?
- Why won't my tomato bloom?
- All 2023 bloom guides in the Growli library