Absence of flowers
Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2018 9:36 am
Hi - my first post please so bear with me while I learn forum etiquette... Im also conscious that these may not be considered hardy or suitable for this forum.
I've grown a couple of plants from seed that have grown well but failed to flower. Im hoping for some advice on whether I could have persuaded them to flower if Id done something different. The first is a leonotis leonurus. Grown from seed germinated in Feb this year - I grew half a dozen or so and kept two for myself. Both planted in the ground in late May, in my reasonable soil in a sunny spot, where everything else flowers well. They've grown to good sized bushy plants about 5 feet high, but no sign at all of flowers and now its October. Nor have any of the few I gave away. I understood they should flower well in their first year, as they may not get a second year...
The second is a snail vine, Vigna caracalla (now renamed I think). I grew this from seed probably 5 years ago and it's in a good sized terracotta pot, I repotted it with some new potting compost and extra nutrients this year. In previous years its always struggled to grow much once I put it outside around May, and often starts by producing transparent leaves, but never any flowers. This year, its put out lots of strong, healthy, green growth, to around ten feet or more. I thought this was the year for flowers, but still nothing. I've given it a few doses of tomorite in addition to some slow release fertiliser pellets when I repotted. This plant owes me some flowers dammit. Where are they??
I've grown a couple of plants from seed that have grown well but failed to flower. Im hoping for some advice on whether I could have persuaded them to flower if Id done something different. The first is a leonotis leonurus. Grown from seed germinated in Feb this year - I grew half a dozen or so and kept two for myself. Both planted in the ground in late May, in my reasonable soil in a sunny spot, where everything else flowers well. They've grown to good sized bushy plants about 5 feet high, but no sign at all of flowers and now its October. Nor have any of the few I gave away. I understood they should flower well in their first year, as they may not get a second year...
The second is a snail vine, Vigna caracalla (now renamed I think). I grew this from seed probably 5 years ago and it's in a good sized terracotta pot, I repotted it with some new potting compost and extra nutrients this year. In previous years its always struggled to grow much once I put it outside around May, and often starts by producing transparent leaves, but never any flowers. This year, its put out lots of strong, healthy, green growth, to around ten feet or more. I thought this was the year for flowers, but still nothing. I've given it a few doses of tomorite in addition to some slow release fertiliser pellets when I repotted. This plant owes me some flowers dammit. Where are they??