Getting it to bloom
Why won't my Showy Tick Trefoil bloom? (and how to make it flower)
Also called Showy tick trefoil, Canada tick trefoil, Showy tick clover (Desmodium canadense).
More about showy tick trefoil
About Showy Tick Trefoil
Desmodium canadense · also called Showy tick trefoil, Canada tick trefoil · flowering
Desmodium canadense is a tall, robust native perennial wildflower of moist prairies, thicket edges, and open woodland borders across eastern and central North America, from Nova Scotia to Saskatchewan and south to Oklahoma and North Carolina. It produces showy rose-pink to purple pea-like flowers in branched racemes in mid- to late summer, making it one of the most ornamentally valuable of the native tick trefoils for pollinator gardens. It tolerates a broader range of soil moisture than most prairie natives and self-seeds freely. It is not listed as toxic to cats or dogs by the ASPCA, though its seed pods attach to fur and clothing via hooked hairs.
Plant type: flowering
Watch for — Aggressive self-seeding: Plants spread prolifically by seed in gardens; deadhead promptly after flowering, or remove spent racemes before the sticky loments mature and disperse — they attach to clothing and animal fur and are difficult to remove.
The reasons showy tick trefoil isn't blooming
Almost every non-blooming showy tick trefoil 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 showy tick trefoil 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 showy tick trefoil to flower
- Maximise sun. Give showy tick trefoil 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 showy tick trefoil and get the feeding right with the showy tick trefoil 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
Showy Tick Trefoil 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 showy tick trefoil care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.
Showy Tick Trefoil blooming — frequently asked questions
Why won't my showy tick trefoil flower?
Showy Tick Trefoil 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 showy tick trefoil bloom?
Give showy tick trefoil 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 showy tick trefoil normally bloom?
Showy Tick Trefoil 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 showy tick trefoil 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 showy tick trefoil flowering?
Feeding showy tick trefoil a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.
Keep reading
- Showy Tick Trefoil care — the full brief (light, water, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- Showy Tick Trefoil light needs — usually the first thing to fix for flowers
- Showy Tick Trefoil 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 4114 bloom guides in the Growli library