Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Small-flowered alumroot bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Small-flowered alumroot, Crevice alumroot, Small alumroot (Heuchera micrantha).

More about small-flowered alumroot

About Small-flowered alumroot

Heuchera micrantha · also called Small-flowered alumroot, Crevice alumroot · flowering

Small-flowered alumroot is a Pacific coast evergreen perennial native to moist, rocky cliffs and woodland slopes from British Columbia to California. It produces elegant wiry stems carrying tiny white to cream flowers over a long summer season above attractively lobed, often silver-veined, green to bronze foliage. This species is a key parent of many popular foliage Heuchera cultivars, including 'Palace Purple'.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons small-flowered alumroot isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming small-flowered alumroot 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 small-flowered alumroot 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 small-flowered alumroot to flower

Maximise sun. Give small-flowered alumroot 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 small-flowered alumroot and get the feeding right with the small-flowered alumroot 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

Small-flowered alumroot 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 small-flowered alumroot care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Small-flowered alumroot blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my small-flowered alumroot flower?

Small-flowered alumroot 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 small-flowered alumroot bloom?

Give small-flowered alumroot 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 small-flowered alumroot normally bloom?