Getting it to bloom

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

Also called concinna sinningia, miniature gloxinia (Sinningia concinna).

More about sinningia concinna

About Sinningia concinna

Sinningia concinna · also called concinna sinningia, miniature gloxinia · flowering

Sinningia concinna is a tiny tuberous gesneriad from Brazil, one of the smallest in the genus, with rosettes of small hairy leaves and outsized purple-and-white tubular flowers. A parent of many micro-miniature hybrids, it thrives in warm, humid, bright-indirect conditions and is ideal for terrariums. The ASPCA lists Sinningia (gloxinia) as non-toxic to pets.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Stretched growth, no flowers: Insufficient light. Move to brighter indirect light or a grow light to keep the rosette tight and flowering.

The reasons sinningia concinna isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming sinningia concinna 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 sinningia concinna 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 sinningia concinna to flower

Maximise sun. Give sinningia concinna 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 sinningia concinna and get the feeding right with the sinningia concinna 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

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

Sinningia concinna blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my sinningia concinna flower?

Sinningia concinna 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 sinningia concinna bloom?

Give sinningia concinna 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 sinningia concinna normally bloom?