Getting it to bloom

Why won't my sioux blue indian grass bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called sioux blue indian grass, sioux blue wood grass, blue indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans 'Sioux Blue').

More about sioux blue indian grass

About sioux blue indian grass

Sorghastrum nutans 'Sioux Blue' · also called sioux blue indian grass, sioux blue wood grass · flowering

Sioux Blue Indian Grass is a showstopping cultivar of the native North American prairie grass, selected for its outstanding steel-blue to blue-grey foliage that holds its colour through summer. Upright and clump-forming, it transitions from blue-grey to orange-copper in autumn and bears golden-bronze plumes. Drought-tolerant and low-maintenance once established.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons sioux blue indian grass isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming sioux blue indian grass 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 sioux blue indian grass 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 sioux blue indian grass to flower

Maximise sun. Give sioux blue indian grass 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 sioux blue indian grass and get the feeding right with the sioux blue indian grass 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

sioux blue indian grass 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 sioux blue indian grass care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

sioux blue indian grass blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my sioux blue indian grass flower?

sioux blue indian grass 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 sioux blue indian grass bloom?

Give sioux blue indian grass 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 sioux blue indian grass normally bloom?