Getting it to bloom

Why won't my String of dolphins bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called dolphin plant, flying dolphins (Senecio peregrinus).

About String of dolphins

Senecio peregrinus · also called dolphin plant, flying dolphins · houseplant

String of dolphins is a quirky succulent hybrid with leaves shaped like leaping dolphins. A cross between string of pearls and Senecio articulatus. Mildly toxic to pets like its parents and demands bright light to keep its distinctive leaf shape.

Curio x peregrinus (Senecio x peregrinus), not a wild species but an intergeneric hybrid of Curio rowleyanus (string of pearls) and a Curio articulatus relative; the leaves curve into two small points resembling leaping dolphins.

Plant type: houseplant

Watch for — Mealybugs: Dab with alcohol-soaked cotton bud.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org, plants.ces.ncsu.edu

The reasons string of dolphins isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming string of dolphins traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

It is kept warm and watered all year, so it never gets the cool, dry "stop" signal that flowering depends on.
Not enough light — these are usually high-light bloomers, and a dim spot gives leaves but never flowers.
It is fed too much, especially with nitrogen, pushing soft growth instead of flowers.
The plant is too young or was recently disturbed — many need a few years and an undisturbed root system to bloom.
Watering resumes too early or too heavily after the rest, breaking the cycle.

Treating string of dolphins the same all year. Without the cool, dry winter rest it grows happily but simply never sets buds.

The fix — how to get string of dolphins to flower

Give a real cool, dry rest. From late autumn, keep string of dolphins cool (around 10 °C / 50 °F) and nearly dry for 6-10 weeks — a bright, cool room or porch is ideal.
Maximise light. Give it the brightest position you can the rest of the year; insufficient light is the most common reason it stays leafy and flowerless.
Restart gently in spring. When growth or a bud appears, slowly resume watering and move it somewhere warmer and bright — do not flood it straight away.
Feed lightly and leave it alone. Use a balanced or low-nitrogen feed only in active growth, and avoid rich feeding that pushes leaves over flowers.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for string of dolphins and get the feeding right with the string of dolphins 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

Given a proper winter rest, String of dolphins flowers in spring or summer once warmth and water return, often briefly but reliably year after year.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

After flowering, return string of dolphins to its normal growing routine for the summer, then repeat the cool, dry winter rest each year to keep it blooming.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full string of dolphins care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

String of dolphins blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my string of dolphins flower?

String of dolphins needs a cool, dry winter rest to flower: a distinct cool, low-water period that signals the plant to switch from growing to blooming. The most common reason it is not happening: It is kept warm and watered all year, so it never gets the cool, dry "stop" signal that flowering depends on.

How do I make string of dolphins bloom?

From late autumn, keep string of dolphins cool (around 10 °C / 50 °F) and nearly dry for 6-10 weeks — a bright, cool room or porch is ideal. Give it the brightest position you can the rest of the year; insufficient light is the most common reason it stays leafy and flowerless.

When does string of dolphins normally bloom?