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Reasons Why Bleeding Heart Vine Won't Bloom and How to Fix It

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Although this plant looks very simple, it won't grow well if you don't put in the effort. If you know a little about the bleeding heart vine (Clerodendrum thomsoniae), you'll know that the biggest problem in growing it is that it won't bloom, or produces very few flowers. What causes this, and how should you deal with it?

I. How Long Is the Blooming Period

For ordinary home growing, its blooming period is from June to September. With professional cultivation and precise control of water and fertilizer, it can bloom from May to December. Pruning can help it grow more branches so it produces more flowers.

Every year in March and April, before new branches grow out, cut off all the upper branches about 10 to 15 cm above the flower pot, and the flowers will bloom in May. After the flowers fade, remove the flower stalks, loosen the soil and add a light fertilizer, and by August or September it will grow flowers again. After the flowers fade, cut back the branches again, loosen the soil and add fertilizer, and by early December it will bloom once more.

II. Reasons for Not Blooming and Solutions

1. The most important reason is that gardeners water it improperly while growing it. Some people worry it doesn't get enough water and won't grow well, so they always give it a lot of water. Because the pot stays wet for a long time, the roots can't breathe well, the leaves don't get enough nutrients, gradually turn yellow and drop off, and this affects blooming. At this point you should immediately stop watering, help the water in the pot drain out, and then water it scientifically.

During its growing period, give it enough water, but not too much. When it is blooming, don't water too much, and even more importantly, don't get water on the flowers. In heavy rain, move it indoors, otherwise the water will knock the flowers off and shorten the blooming period. In summer, put it in a windy, sheltered area. In winter, when it temporarily stops growing, you should stop watering.

2. It needs sunlight very much, and needs plenty of light both while growing and while blooming. If its needs aren't met, the stems will grow leggy, which affects blooming, so except in summer, give it plenty of sunlight. If it lacks fertilizer while growing, the number of flowers will also be very small, so add a little light fertilizer; you can use a larger proportion of water and apply it as liquid fertilizer, adding it about once a month, three times in total.

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