Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Cymbidium 'Sarah Jean' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Cascade Cymbidium (Cymbidium 'Sarah Jean').

More about cymbidium 'sarah jean'

About Cymbidium 'Sarah Jean'

Cymbidium 'Sarah Jean' · also called Cascade Cymbidium · flowering

Cymbidium 'Sarah Jean' is a popular pendulous-flowered hybrid grown for long cascading sprays of soft pink or white blooms, ideal for hanging baskets and high shelves. Like other cool-growing Cymbidiums it wants bright light, an open terrestrial mix kept moist in growth, and a cool autumn night drop to set its trailing winter-to-spring spikes.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — No flower spikes: The usual Cymbidium issue: too little light or no cool autumn night drop. Give maximum light and keep early-autumn nights around 10-13°C to initiate the cascading spikes.

The reasons cymbidium 'sarah jean' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming cymbidium 'sarah jean' 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 cymbidium 'sarah jean' 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 cymbidium 'sarah jean' to flower

Maximise sun. Give cymbidium 'sarah jean' 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 cymbidium 'sarah jean' and get the feeding right with the cymbidium 'sarah jean' 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

Cymbidium 'Sarah Jean' 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 cymbidium 'sarah jean' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Cymbidium 'Sarah Jean' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my cymbidium 'sarah jean' flower?

Cymbidium 'Sarah Jean' 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 cymbidium 'sarah jean' bloom?

Give cymbidium 'sarah jean' 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 cymbidium 'sarah jean' normally bloom?