What fertilizer is good for freesia that won't bloom

Freesia is a flowering plant with fragrant, showy blooms and extremely high ornamental value, but only if we grow it well, especially in pots, where it often takes more time and effort to care for. However, in actual growing practice, quite a few growers still run into the problem of freesia not blooming.

When freesia won't bloom, it is mainly due to two key factors: light and temperature. But if these two conditions are fully ensured, then the failure to bloom is very likely caused by insufficient nutrients. With insufficient nutrients, the plant doesn't have enough energy to bloom, so timely topdressing becomes very important. So what fertilizer should be used when freesia won't bloom?

There is no doubt that for flowering plants to bloom successfully, sufficient phosphorus and potassium fertilizer must be available during the flowering period. This is because phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are indispensable nutrients for promoting thick, strong flower stems, abundant and vivid blooms, a long flowering period and resistance to petal drop. But nitrogen fertilizer should not be taken in during the flowering period, because nitrogen fertilizer promotes the growth of stems and leaves, easily shortening the flowering period and making the flowers fade early.

For this reason, to promote blooming in freesia, we can topdress it during the flowering period with some dilute potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution to supplement phosphorus and potassium nutrients, with the concentration best kept at 0.2%. If the flowering period arrives and the freesia still shows no flower spikes, we might try topdressing the plant with some potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution.

But to make freesia grow both robustly and produce high-quality flowers smoothly on schedule, fertilizer management must be done well during routine care. First, the soil should be sufficiently fertile and loose, and it is best to grow it in humus-rich sandy loam. Also, when potting up, some organic fertilizer and compound fertilizer can be applied as a base fertilizer to increase soil fertility.

If the freesia is growing rather weak and thin, when it has spread out 2-4 leaves, it can be topdressed once with a solution of ammonium nitrate, urea and potassium sulfate. When the flowers first open, some foliar fertilizer can be topdressed appropriately, but generally fertilizing should be stopped promptly after bud formation is complete.

Overall, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are the three most important nutrient elements needed for the growth and flowering of flowering plants. During the growing season, topdressing is often mainly with nitrogen fertilizer, while as the flowering period approaches, it is better to switch to mainly phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, so that the plant can both maintain good growth and be promoted to bloom.