Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Skinners Achimenes bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Skinner's Achimenes, Skinners Achimenes (Achimenes skinneri).

More about skinners achimenes

About Skinners Achimenes

Achimenes skinneri · also called Skinner's Achimenes, Skinners Achimenes · flowering

Achimenes skinneri is a robust, upright magic flower native to damp thickets and forest edges from southern Mexico through Central America to Costa Rica. It produces striking pink-to-magenta tubular flowers with yellow throats on large, coarse, heavily serrated leaves. One of the tallest and most vigorous species, it may need staking at full bloom and is a heavy feeder during summer.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Flopping or top-heavy stems: The tallest Achimenes species, A. skinneri becomes top-heavy when laden with blooms. Insert a support ring or light bamboo stakes early in the season before stems elongate fully to avoid snapping.

The reasons skinners achimenes isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming skinners achimenes 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 skinners achimenes 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 skinners achimenes to flower

Maximise sun. Give skinners achimenes 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 skinners achimenes and get the feeding right with the skinners achimenes 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

Skinners Achimenes 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 skinners achimenes care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Skinners Achimenes blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my skinners achimenes flower?

Skinners Achimenes 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 skinners achimenes bloom?

Give skinners achimenes 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 skinners achimenes normally bloom?