Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Zygopetalum 'Blue Eyes' bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Blue Eyes Zygopetalum (Zygopetalum 'Blue Eyes').

More about zygopetalum 'blue eyes'

About Zygopetalum 'Blue Eyes'

Zygopetalum 'Blue Eyes' · also called Blue Eyes Zygopetalum · flowering

Zygopetalum 'Blue Eyes' is a hybrid orchid prized for waxy, strongly fragrant flowers with green-and-maroon-barred petals and a violet-blue patterned lip. An intermediate grower, it wants bright-indirect light, evenly moist bark, cool-to-warm temperatures and high humidity. Its soft, pleated leaves spot easily, so keep water off the foliage and air moving around the plant.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — No bloom spike: Too little light or feeding the wrong stage keeps it leafy and shy to flower. Raise light to bright-indirect and feed steadily through the growth of each new pseudobulb.

The reasons zygopetalum 'blue eyes' isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming zygopetalum 'blue eyes' 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 zygopetalum 'blue eyes' 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 zygopetalum 'blue eyes' to flower

Maximise sun. Give zygopetalum 'blue eyes' 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 zygopetalum 'blue eyes' and get the feeding right with the zygopetalum 'blue eyes' 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

Zygopetalum 'Blue Eyes' 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 zygopetalum 'blue eyes' care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Zygopetalum 'Blue Eyes' blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my zygopetalum 'blue eyes' flower?

Zygopetalum 'Blue Eyes' 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 zygopetalum 'blue eyes' bloom?

Give zygopetalum 'blue eyes' 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 zygopetalum 'blue eyes' normally bloom?