Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Zantedeschia 'Hot Chocolate' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Hot Chocolate calla lily, chocolate-maroon calla (Zantedeschia 'Hot Chocolate').

More about zantedeschia 'hot chocolate'

About Zantedeschia 'Hot Chocolate'

Zantedeschia 'Hot Chocolate' · also called Hot Chocolate calla lily, chocolate-maroon calla · flowering

Zantedeschia 'Hot Chocolate' is a hybrid calla lily with rich brown to maroon spathes flushed ruby, set against dark green foliage. This tender tuberous perennial wants warmth, bright light and fertile, moist, free-draining soil. Lift and store the rhizome dry in frost-prone areas. A bold container and border plant reaching roughly 50-75 cm.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Sparse flowering: Low light or high-nitrogen feeding favours leaves. Move to brighter light and use a potassium-rich feed to encourage the chocolate spathes.

The reasons zantedeschia 'hot chocolate' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming zantedeschia 'hot chocolate' 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 zantedeschia 'hot chocolate' 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 zantedeschia 'hot chocolate' to flower

Maximise sun. Give zantedeschia 'hot chocolate' 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 zantedeschia 'hot chocolate' and get the feeding right with the zantedeschia 'hot chocolate' 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

Zantedeschia 'Hot Chocolate' 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 zantedeschia 'hot chocolate' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Zantedeschia 'Hot Chocolate' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my zantedeschia 'hot chocolate' flower?

Zantedeschia 'Hot Chocolate' 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 zantedeschia 'hot chocolate' bloom?

Give zantedeschia 'hot chocolate' 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 zantedeschia 'hot chocolate' normally bloom?