Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Stanhopea tigrina bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Tiger Stanhopea, Inverted Flower Orchid (Stanhopea tigrina).

More about stanhopea tigrina

About Stanhopea tigrina

Stanhopea tigrina · also called Tiger Stanhopea, Inverted Flower Orchid · flowering

Stanhopea tigrina is a dramatic Mexican epiphyte whose large, heavily fragrant maroon-and-cream flowers push downward through the potting medium, so it must be grown in a slatted basket. Blooms are short-lived but spectacular, opening in summer with a powerful chocolate-vanilla scent. It needs a basket, bright filtered light, abundant water, and high humidity in growth.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Spikes rot inside the pot: The classic mistake of using a solid pot. Downward-growing flower spikes must exit a slatted basket; trapped spikes blacken and die before opening.

The reasons stanhopea tigrina isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming stanhopea tigrina 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 stanhopea tigrina 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 stanhopea tigrina to flower

Maximise sun. Give stanhopea tigrina 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 stanhopea tigrina and get the feeding right with the stanhopea tigrina 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

Stanhopea tigrina 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 stanhopea tigrina care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Stanhopea tigrina blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my stanhopea tigrina flower?

Stanhopea tigrina 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 stanhopea tigrina bloom?

Give stanhopea tigrina 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 stanhopea tigrina normally bloom?