Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Small Japanese Silver Grass bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Small Japanese silver grass, Few-spiked miscanthus, Dwarf Japanese silver grass (Miscanthus oligostachyus).

More about small japanese silver grass

About Small Japanese Silver Grass

Miscanthus oligostachyus · also called Small Japanese silver grass, Few-spiked miscanthus · flowering

Miscanthus oligostachyus is a compact, deciduous ornamental grass species native to open woodland edges and meadows in Japan and Korea, distinctly smaller than the more familiar Miscanthus sinensis. It produces narrow, arching green leaves and silvery, feathery flower panicles from late summer into autumn, turning attractive shades of orange-bronze in autumn before the foliage bleaches to straw-white in winter. Its more modest stature and earlier flowering make it especially useful in smaller gardens. Miscanthus grasses are not listed as toxic by the ASPCA, but classified as mildly-toxic due to limited specific safety data.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons small japanese silver grass isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming small japanese silver 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 small japanese silver 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 small japanese silver grass to flower

Maximise sun. Give small japanese silver 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 small japanese silver grass and get the feeding right with the small japanese silver 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

Small Japanese Silver 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 small japanese silver grass care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Small Japanese Silver Grass blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my small japanese silver grass flower?

Small Japanese Silver 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 small japanese silver grass bloom?

Give small japanese silver 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 small japanese silver grass normally bloom?