Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Sky Rocket Feather Top bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called sky rocket fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Sky Rocket').

More about sky rocket feather top

About Sky Rocket Feather Top

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Sky Rocket' · also called sky rocket fountain grass · flowering

'Sky Rocket' is a variegated fountain grass with slender green-and-white striped blades that brighten a border, topped by soft buff-pink foxtail plumes in late summer. The crisp variegation gives a luminous, airy clump in full sun. Compact and well-suited to containers and edging, it performs across US and UK gardens where winters are not severe.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons sky rocket feather top isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming sky rocket feather top 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 sky rocket feather top 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 sky rocket feather top to flower

Maximise sun. Give sky rocket feather top 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 sky rocket feather top and get the feeding right with the sky rocket feather top 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

Sky Rocket Feather Top 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 sky rocket feather top care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Sky Rocket Feather Top blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my sky rocket feather top flower?

Sky Rocket Feather Top 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 sky rocket feather top bloom?

Give sky rocket feather top 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 sky rocket feather top normally bloom?