Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Sellow's Sinningia bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Sellow's Sinningia, Hardy Red Gloxinia, Hardy Gloxinia (Sinningia sellovii).

More about sellow's sinningia

About Sellow's Sinningia

Sinningia sellovii · also called Sellow's Sinningia, Hardy Red Gloxinia · flowering

Sinningia sellovii is a tuberous perennial native to Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay, where it grows in rocky, open habitats. It produces tubular red to orange-red flowers attractive to hummingbirds and is one of the hardiest Sinningia species, tolerating light frost when its tuber is established in the ground. Allow the tuber to dry out and go dormant in cooler months — do not water during dormancy or the tuber will rot. According to the ASPCA, Sinningia species (closely related to Gloxinia) are listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons sellow's sinningia isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming sellow's sinningia 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 sellow's sinningia 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 sellow's sinningia to flower

Maximise sun. Give sellow's sinningia 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 sellow's sinningia and get the feeding right with the sellow's sinningia 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

Sellow's Sinningia 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 sellow's sinningia care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Sellow's Sinningia blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my sellow's sinningia flower?

Sellow's Sinningia 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 sellow's sinningia bloom?

Give sellow's sinningia 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 sellow's sinningia normally bloom?