Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Soft Draba bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Soft Draba, Caucasus Cushion Draba (Draba mollissima).

More about soft draba

About Soft Draba

Draba mollissima · also called Soft Draba, Caucasus Cushion Draba · flowering

Draba mollissima is a specialist cushion alpine endemic to the North Caucasus, where it forms flat to hemispherical pads of minute, densely white-hairy rosettes in dry rocky crevices and scree at 2,500–3,500 m elevation. In cultivation it produces fragrant yellow flowers in spring on short scapes above a perfectly symmetrical cushion just 3–10 cm across. It is considered a challenging plant requiring an alpine house or extremely well-drained trough with complete protection from winter wet; experienced alpine growers describe it as one of the most exacting Drabas. Toxicity data are absent from the ASPCA database; classified as mildly-toxic as a precautionary measure.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Failure to flower: Plants in insufficient sun or overly rich soil grow vegetatively but refuse to bloom; ensure maximum light and lean soil, and avoid any nitrogen-heavy fertiliser.

The reasons soft draba isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming soft draba 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 soft draba 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 soft draba to flower

Maximise sun. Give soft draba 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 soft draba and get the feeding right with the soft draba 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

Soft Draba 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 soft draba care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Soft Draba blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my soft draba flower?

Soft Draba 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 soft draba bloom?

Give soft draba 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 soft draba normally bloom?