Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Strobilanthes kunthianus bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Kurinji, Blue Nilgiri flower (Strobilanthes kunthianus).

More about strobilanthes kunthianus

About Strobilanthes kunthianus

Strobilanthes kunthianus · also called Kurinji, Blue Nilgiri flower · flowering

Strobilanthes kunthianus, the famous Kurinji of South India's Western Ghats, is a hill shrub renowned for mass-flowering in spectacular purplish-blue once roughly every twelve years, then dying back. It favours cool, moist, montane conditions with bright light and excellent drainage. Mostly a wild and specialist garden plant rather than a typical houseplant.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Poor or no flowering: This is a long-cycle gregarious bloomer that may flower only once in many years; lack of bloom is usually natural timing rather than a fault. Provide bright light and cool conditions to support eventual flowering.

The reasons strobilanthes kunthianus isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming strobilanthes kunthianus 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 strobilanthes kunthianus 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 strobilanthes kunthianus to flower

Maximise sun. Give strobilanthes kunthianus 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 strobilanthes kunthianus and get the feeding right with the strobilanthes kunthianus 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

Strobilanthes kunthianus 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 strobilanthes kunthianus care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Strobilanthes kunthianus blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my strobilanthes kunthianus flower?

Strobilanthes kunthianus 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 strobilanthes kunthianus bloom?

Give strobilanthes kunthianus 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 strobilanthes kunthianus normally bloom?