Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Primulina tamiana bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Vietnamese Violet, Deinostigma tamiana (Primulina tamiana).

More about primulina tamiana

About Primulina tamiana

Primulina tamiana · also called Vietnamese Violet, Deinostigma tamiana · flowering

Primulina tamiana (syn. Deinostigma tamiana), the Vietnamese violet, is a tiny rosette gesneriad with a low fan of fleshy leaves and dainty white, purple-striped tubular flowers held on wiry stalks. It blooms almost year-round in bright indirect light and modest care, making it a favourite miniature for windowsills and terrariums. Not individually listed by the ASPCA.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Stalled flowering: Too little light or skipped feeding reduces the near-continuous bloom. Increase indirect light and apply a very dilute feed during active growth.

The reasons primulina tamiana isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming primulina tamiana 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 primulina tamiana 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 primulina tamiana to flower

Maximise sun. Give primulina tamiana 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 primulina tamiana and get the feeding right with the primulina tamiana 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

Primulina tamiana 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 primulina tamiana care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Primulina tamiana blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my primulina tamiana flower?

Primulina tamiana 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 primulina tamiana bloom?

Give primulina tamiana 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 primulina tamiana normally bloom?