Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Saintpaulia 'Winter Lace' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Winter Lace African violet (Saintpaulia 'Winter Lace').

More about saintpaulia 'winter lace'

About Saintpaulia 'Winter Lace'

Saintpaulia 'Winter Lace' · also called Winter Lace African violet · flowering

Saintpaulia 'Winter Lace' is an African violet cultivar valued for frilled, lacy-edged blooms above a rosette of soft, hairy leaves. It thrives in warm, draught-free rooms with bright indirect light and careful bottom-watering. Almost continuously in flower when well fed and lit, and ASPCA non-toxic, it is an easy, pet-safe flowering houseplant.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Reduced flowering: Too little light or too much nitrogen yields foliage over flowers. Increase bright indirect light and use a bloom-leaning feed.

The reasons saintpaulia 'winter lace' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming saintpaulia 'winter lace' 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 saintpaulia 'winter lace' 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 saintpaulia 'winter lace' to flower

Maximise sun. Give saintpaulia 'winter lace' 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 saintpaulia 'winter lace' and get the feeding right with the saintpaulia 'winter lace' 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

Saintpaulia 'Winter Lace' 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 saintpaulia 'winter lace' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Saintpaulia 'Winter Lace' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my saintpaulia 'winter lace' flower?

Saintpaulia 'Winter Lace' 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 saintpaulia 'winter lace' bloom?

Give saintpaulia 'winter lace' 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 saintpaulia 'winter lace' normally bloom?