Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Violet Wood Sorrel bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Violet Wood Sorrel, Violet Woodsorrel (Oxalis violacea).

More about violet wood sorrel

About Violet Wood Sorrel

Oxalis violacea · also called Violet Wood Sorrel, Violet Woodsorrel · flowering

Oxalis violacea is a delicate, bulb-forming North American native wildflower found across prairies, open woodlands, and rocky slopes from the Great Plains east to the Atlantic coast. It produces clover-like, green foliage (reddish-purple beneath) and lavender-pink five-petalled flowers from mid-spring to early summer, going dormant in summer heat. The most important care point is that it spreads readily by underground bulb offsets and benefits from excellent drainage to prevent rot during summer dormancy. All Oxalis species, including O. violacea, are listed as toxic to cats, dogs, and horses by the ASPCA.

Plant type: flowering

The reasons violet wood sorrel isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming violet wood sorrel 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 violet wood sorrel 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 violet wood sorrel to flower

Maximise sun. Give violet wood sorrel 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 violet wood sorrel and get the feeding right with the violet wood sorrel 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

Violet Wood Sorrel 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 violet wood sorrel care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Violet Wood Sorrel blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my violet wood sorrel flower?

Violet Wood Sorrel 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 violet wood sorrel bloom?

Give violet wood sorrel 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 violet wood sorrel normally bloom?