Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Empress of India Nasturtium bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Empress of India Nasturtium, Garden Nasturtium, Scarlet Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus).

More about empress of india nasturtium

About Empress of India Nasturtium

Tropaeolum majus · also called Empress of India Nasturtium, Garden Nasturtium · flowering

A compact, bushy heirloom nasturtium with deep blue-green rounded leaves and intense scarlet-crimson flowers, reaching 25–30 cm. A Victorian favourite and excellent pollinator attractor. Flowers and leaves are edible with a peppery bite. Considered mildly toxic to cats and dogs in larger quantities per ASPCA.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — All foliage, few flowers: Almost always caused by rich soil or over-fertilising; transplant to a leaner bed.

The reasons empress of india nasturtium isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming empress of india nasturtium 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 empress of india nasturtium 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 empress of india nasturtium to flower

Maximise sun. Give empress of india nasturtium 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 empress of india nasturtium and get the feeding right with the empress of india nasturtium 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

Empress of India Nasturtium 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 empress of india nasturtium care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Empress of India Nasturtium blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my empress of india nasturtium flower?

Empress of India Nasturtium 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 empress of india nasturtium bloom?

Give empress of india nasturtium 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 empress of india nasturtium normally bloom?