Getting it to bloom

Why won't my The Blues Little Bluestem bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called The Blues little bluestem, The Blues bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium 'The Blues').

More about the blues little bluestem

About The Blues Little Bluestem

Schizachyrium scoparium 'The Blues' · also called The Blues little bluestem, The Blues bluestem · flowering

Schizachyrium scoparium 'The Blues' is a selected cultivar of little bluestem chosen for exceptional steely-blue summer foliage — the most intensely blue of any commonly available little bluestem. It turns vivid orange-red in autumn with showy white seed heads. Compact and upright, it performs best in lean soils and full sun, maintaining a tighter, more uniform clump than the straight species.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons the blues little bluestem isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming the blues little bluestem 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 the blues little bluestem 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 the blues little bluestem to flower

Maximise sun. Give the blues little bluestem 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 the blues little bluestem and get the feeding right with the the blues little bluestem 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

The Blues Little Bluestem 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 the blues little bluestem care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

The Blues Little Bluestem blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my the blues little bluestem flower?

The Blues Little Bluestem 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 the blues little bluestem bloom?

Give the blues little bluestem 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 the blues little bluestem normally bloom?