How to Make Flowers Bloom Faster
When you grow flowering plants, the hardest part of the whole process can be waiting for them to bloom. You planted flowers, so you want to see colorful blooms as soon as possible. All plants must reach a certain level of maturity before they start to delight you with their beautiful flowers, but you can help to speed them along and help them to produce more flowers if you plant them in the right place, give them the conditions they need, and apply fertilizer at appropriate times.
Plant your flowering plants according to their needs. For example, wait until after the final spring frost before you plant; make certain the plant will receive the correct amount of sunlight or shade; water appropriately; and make sure your soil is rich and that it drains well.
Fertilize your flowering plants with a low-nitrogen or “blossom booster” fertilizer when they are still young but before they start to form buds. Any plant food with an N-P-K ratio with “0” as the first number will work, such as 0-10-10. Follow label instructions and mix your fertilizer in a watering can with the correct amount of water.
- When you grow flowering plants, the hardest part of the whole process can be waiting for them to bloom.
- All plants must reach a certain level of maturity before they start to delight you with their beautiful flowers, but you can help to speed them along and help them to produce more flowers if you plant them in the right place, give them the conditions they need, and apply fertilizer at appropriate times.
Feed your plant with the same fertilizer again when you begin to see buds forming. This can increase the number of blossoms that will occur later.
Continue applying low-nitrogen plant food throughout the plant’s blooming season to stimulate and increase blooming. Stop fertilizing in late summer if the plant is not a winter bloomer.
Snip off all spent flowers in the fall. If the plant is a perennial, begin to apply low-nitrogen fertilizer again in early spring.
Make Flowers Bloom Faster
Most often we plant blooming plants because we enjoy their flowers and getting the plants to produce flowers faster is a frequent goal of gardeners. You’ll be starting from seedlings rather than seed when the soil is workable. Plan where you will sow your flowers in your garden. Consider the size of the adult plant, lighting needs and soil conditions. If the plant grows in full sun to partial shade, plant it in full sun to get it to bloom faster. Look for a fertilizer that contains more phosphorous, which is the chemical that helps plants produce flower buds.
- Feed your plant with the same fertilizer again when you begin to see buds forming.
- Stop fertilizing in late summer if the plant is not a winter bloomer.
Tip
If you don’t fertilize your plant before it begins to form flower buds, you can still encourage and increase blooming by using a low-nitrogen fertilizer.
Related Articles
References
- Pat Welsh's Southern California Gardening: A Month-by-Month Guide; Pat Welsh; 2000
- Seeds Sown for Bloom
- Fertilizing to Create More Blooms on Your Flowers
- Growing Flowers
Tips
- If you don't fertilize your plant before it begins to form flower buds, you can still encourage and increase blooming by using a low-nitrogen fertilizer.
Writer Bio
Barbara Fahs lives on Hawaii island, where she has created Hi'iaka's Healing Herb Garden. Fahs wrote "Super Simple Guide to Creating Hawaiian Gardens" and has been a professional writer since 1984. She contributes to "Big Island Weekly," "Ke Ola" magazine and various websites. She earned her Bachelor of Arts at University of California, Santa Barbara and her Master of Arts from San Jose State University.
