What causes bowl lotus to not bloom?
Bowl lotus
Bowl lotus, also known as hibiscus and white lotus, likes a warm and humid growing environment and is afraid of dryness. It is currently mainly distributed in Jiangsu province, China, and is a relatively famous ornamental flowering plant in Suzhou. Many flower lovers grow it in pots at home, but after raising it painstakingly for several months, the bowl lotus still does not bloom. However, the main reasons why bowl lotus does not bloom when the time comes are the following for reference.
Analysis of the reasons why bowl lotus does not bloom
1. Insufficient light
Bowl lotus likes sunlight. If the planting environment is not well ventilated or has insufficient light, especially during the flower bud differentiation stage, with more than one consecutive week of rainy weather, the leaves cannot provide enough nutrients through photosynthesis for the plant's reproductive development.
2. Light-transmitting container
During the flower bud differentiation stage of bowl lotus, the roots need a dark environment, so it is best not to use glass or transparent containers when growing bowl lotus.
3. Pot soil too dense, affecting runner growth
If the bowl lotus variety is a relatively large plant but the pot is small, or the planting density is too high, it is difficult for both the plant and rhizomes to expand their space, and their growth will strangle each other. The pot soil becomes tightly wrapped by fibrous roots, the bowl lotus runners cannot grow, and it is even harder for flower buds to form.
4. Insufficient temperature
Bowl lotus blooms in summer, so it is clear that it has relatively high requirements for light and temperature. If the daytime noon temperature is below 28°C and the nighttime temperature is below 18°C, flower buds cannot differentiate normally.
Bowl lotus
5. Improper fertilization
Of course bowl lotus cannot be fertilized too little, but it also cannot be fertilized too much. Excessive nutrients will make the lotus plant grow vigorously, but reproductive differentiation will weaken, resulting in rampant leaf growth without flowering.
6. Pot mud not deep enough
When growing bowl lotus, mud must be used. First, it can provide a dark environment for the lotus during the flowering period. Second, it can provide root stability for the plant's growth. If the mud is too shallow, the plant cannot be stabilized, growth and development cannot proceed normally, and flowering will be affected.
7. Variety differences
Edible lotus root and wild bowl lotus naturally have fewer flowers, or even no flowers. Their rhizomes spread strongly and require large expansion space, so in pots they certainly will not show flower buds or bloom. Seed lotus roots bought from vegetable markets, roadsides, or from unknown sources mostly belong to edible lotus root. Edible lotus root has a plump body, forms straight strips, tastes sweet and crisp, and the plant's leaves are tall and large, with leaf color and leaf shape neat and uniform. The seed lotus root of potted lotus is crescent-shaped, with a smaller lotus root body, an astringent and solid taste, smaller leaves, and weaker growth. Different varieties differ in leaf color and leaf shape. Different potted bowl lotus varieties have different flowering periods. A few varieties do not begin to form buds until early to mid-August, belonging to late-flowering varieties.
If you want to grow flowers well, the editor still says this: first understand the growth habits of the flower plant you are growing. If you do not understand them, even growing a weed will fail. Also, when growing flowers you must be careful, patient, and persistent. As long as you do these things, even if you do not succeed, it is worthwhile, because at least you have learned knowledge on the path of growing flowers, and this is also a kind of happiness.
Why bowl lotus does not bloom: analysis of the reasons why bowl lotus does not bloom
Why bowl lotus does not bloom is something that troubles many friends who grow bowl lotus. For this reason, Xiao Qi specially collected some reasons why bowl lotus does not bloom. Next, let us take a look at why bowl lotus does not bloom.
I. Why bowl lotus does not bloom
1. Variety differences: Edible lotus root and wild lotus naturally have fewer flowers, or even no flowers. Their rhizomes spread strongly and require large expansion space, so in pots they certainly will not show flower buds or bloom. Seed lotus roots bought from vegetable markets, roadsides, or from unknown sources mostly belong to edible lotus root. Edible lotus root has a plump body, forms straight strips, tastes sweet and crisp, and the plant's leaves are tall and large, with leaf color and leaf shape neat and uniform. The seed lotus root of potted lotus is crescent-shaped, with a smaller lotus root body, an astringent and solid taste, smaller leaves, and weaker growth. Different varieties differ in leaf color and leaf shape. Different potted lotus varieties have different flowering periods. A few varieties do not begin to form buds until early to mid-August, belonging to late-flowering varieties.
2. Insufficient light: Lotus is a sun-loving plant. If the planting environment is poorly ventilated, has insufficient light, or enters the flower bud differentiation stage and encounters more than one consecutive week of rain, the leaves cannot provide the nutrients needed for the plant's reproductive development through photosynthesis. Pot too small: Medium and large varieties planted in relatively small containers or in pots with a wide mouth and pointed bottom have little space for rhizome expansion. When entering the bud gestation stage, the rhizomes are crowded and there is no space for flower buds to grow. Temperature too low: During the flower bud differentiation stage of lotus, if the daytime noon temperature is below 28°C and the nighttime temperature is below 18°C, flower buds cannot differentiate normally.
3. Improper fertilization: Pot soil that is too rich, fertilizing too early, or too much nitrogen fertilizer will all cause the plant to grow excessively. Vegetative growth is too strong, reproductive growth weakens, and only leaves grow without flower buds appearing. Density too high: There are two situations of excessively high density.
(1) The pot spacing is small: There are many pots per unit area, the leaves shade each other, ventilation is poor, and it is unfavorable for flower bud production;
(2) The leaf stalks in the pot are dense. If two seed lotus roots are planted in one pot, or one seed lotus root has, besides the terminal bud, other daughter lotus roots and lateral buds that also develop well, it is equivalent to two or three seed lotus roots, resulting in high density in the pot, which is unfavorable for flower bud differentiation. The solution is to use secondary repotting to divide the pots as early as possible. Improper pot mud depth: Small varieties planted in bucket-shaped deep pots have pot soil that is too deep, and leaf buds and flower buds have no strength to emerge from the soil. If the mud layer depth is less than 16 cm or the pot mud is too loose, in windy areas, the leaves and stalks of medium and large varieties move, and the root system cannot stabilize the plant. The flower buds attached to the base of the leaf stalks cannot remain undisturbed and cannot develop normally.
4. Light-transmitting container: Lotus flower bud differentiation needs a dark environment. Glass containers or white plastic pots are unfavorable for flower bud differentiation. In potted lotus, sometimes small flower buds stop expanding after emerging from the water, then shrink and turn yellow and dry, commonly known as mute buds.
II. Reasons why bowl lotus flower buds cannot open normally
a. Rainy weather and low temperature: The development of lotus flower buds requires a temperature not lower than 18°C. With several consecutive days of rainy weather and low temperature, light and temperature cannot meet the minimum values required for flower bud development, the flower buds stop expanding, and they successively shrink.
b. Strong fertilizer damaging buds: Improper fertilization is one of the common causes of flower bud drying. Topdressing with quick-acting chemical fertilizers with high nitrogen content, such as ammonium bicarbonate and urea, can very easily damage flower buds that have already formed but have not yet emerged from the water. After the flower buds emerge from the water, they slowly dry up. This situation generally appears 4 to 8 days after fertilization. Scorching by strong sunlight: For a few varieties, under strong sunlight above 38°C at noon, the outer layer of the flower bud is scorched, forming a dry outer coat that tightly clasps the flower bud, making it impossible for the flower bud to expand. After several days, the entire flower bud cannot open and dries up.
c. Dry air: A few varieties are sensitive to air humidity. They can open normally only when air humidity is 70% to 80% and light is not too strong. When the air is dry, the outer petals of the flower bud dry up and the flower bud cannot open. At noon, a small sprayer can be used to spray water on the flower buds. Insufficient nutrition: Some abundant-flowering varieties in a not-large flower pot successively produce 6 to 8 flower buds of various sizes within one week. The nutrients needed for flower bud development cannot be satisfied, and 2 to 3 of the flower buds wither and are naturally eliminated. Some early-flowering varieties already have flower buds emerging from the water before standing leaves appear. Such flower buds generally are not easy to open. Mechanical damage: Strong wind moves the lotus leaves and scratches the flower buds.
The above iswhy bowl lotus does not bloomintroduced. Apart from variety, the other causes are all mistakes in planting methods, so everyone should pay special attention when planting bowl lotus.
Reasons why bowl lotus does not bloom
Flower lovers often ask me why the bowl lotus they grow does not bloom. I will roughly analyze it here. This is purely personal experience and I hope it can give everyone some help. First, let us talk about the true-to-variety situation. True-to-variety means growing from seed lotus roots, which can preserve the excellent characteristics of the variety. Bowl lotus lotus roots are generally very small, only about the thickness of a finger. Today I will introduce the reasons why bowl lotus does not bloom.
Reasons why bowl lotus does not bloom:
1. Insufficient light. Bowl lotus is a strongly sun-loving plant. When growing bowl lotus, it should be placed in an open area or on a balcony under full light, with at least 6 hours of light per day. If there is no light condition, it is recommended not to grow it.
2. Improper fertilization. In the early stage, bowl lotus should be given nitrogen fertilizer so that the branches and leaves can become thick and strong. In the later stage, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should be given to promote flower bud differentiation. Some flower lovers apply too much nitrogen fertilizer, and the lotus leaves are indeed very beautiful, but not a single flower can be seen.
3. Pot soil too dense, affecting runner growth. Some growing experiences online say to put two lotus roots in one pot. I think the bowl lotus pot is small, and the space for one lotus root to grow is already small enough. Two lotus roots growing will strangle each other, the pot soil becomes tightly wrapped by fibrous roots, the bowl lotus runners cannot grow, and it is even harder for flower buds to form.
Now let us talk about the not-true-to-variety situation. Not true to variety means growing from lotus seeds. Bowl lotus propagated from lotus seeds will show a certain degree of variation. I once read in a book that the flowering rate of bowl lotus seeds is 70 percent, and in my actual experiments it was about the same number. For bowl lotus sown in April, May, and June, if it does not bloom that year and you want to keep it the next year, you must change to a larger pot for planting. I discard those that do not bloom in the second year.
The reasons why bowl lotus does not bloom are introduced here. What was said above is about real bowl lotus seeds. Now let us talk about fake bowl lotus seeds. So-called fake seeds are actually lotus seeds from lakes and ponds. Their appearance is not much different from bowl lotus seeds, and the planting process is the same. It is just that this kind of lotus seed planted in a bowl lotus pot will 100 percent not bloom, and you can only enjoy the lotus leaves.