The African Lily enters spring as an inconspicuous plant. Just a dense pile of leaves, nothing else. But before long, an amazing transformation is taking place with her. It lets thin stems sprout towards the sky, on which enchanting blue-purple flowers are enthroned. The owner is looking forward to this moment. Sometimes, however, in vain. How can he persuade them to bloom after all?
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When is flowering due?
In this country, Agapanthus leaves its winter quarters after the last frosts and is finally allowed to grow outdoors, as is always the case in the homeland of origin. Immediately it starts to grow and the plant needs a good water supply and regular fertilizer in its warm and sunny location during the entire vegetation period.
The African lily shows its spherical flowers mainly in the months of July to September. Sometimes earlier, sometimes later depending on the location. If they don’t show up at all at this time, they shouldn’t just stand idly by. The African Lily has a good reason for not blooming.
Possible causes of lack of bloom
Various care errors and incorrect location conditions can rob the love lily, as the African lily is also affectionately known, of its bloom.
- a wrong location
- inappropriate pot size
- recent division
- wrong wintering
- insufficient supply of nutrients in autumn
- Seed formation after flowering
If you want to get your lily to bloom, perhaps even during the current season, you should check as soon as possible whether one or more of the causes listed above apply and take suitable measures to compensate for this. Below are the questions that can help you further in researching the cause and finding a solution.
Does the lily have the optimal location?
As a Mediterranean plant, Agapanthus needs a sunny place to form the beautiful flowers. Make sure your current location offers the conditions below. If not, give the African Lily a new place that suits it better.
- with a lot of light
- after the winter quarters, there is only a short acclimatization
- afterwards offer spring sunshine all the time
- from summer about half a day full sun
- always sheltered from the wind
- ideally with south or east exposure
- no shady neighbors
Do the pot and the plant go together?
Anyone looking for a new home for the African Lily when repotting or sharing should be familiar with the root growth of this African plant:
- focuses on root growth first
- until the pot is filled
- only then does the energy go into flower formation
- therefore do not repot too often
If you unwittingly gave her too large a pot, it could be that the lily has not yet finished rooting and is therefore not yet starting to flower. This fact should be changed with a smaller pot, then flowering will start soon. There should be a maximum of 2 cm free space from the root ball to the edge of the pot.
- alternatively, leave the plant flowerless in a pot that is “slightly” too large
- a plant that will soon grow larger is the reward for not having flowers
- then flowers much later, but more splendidly
But it can also be that it has long since outgrown the current pot. Then there are only roots in the pot and hardly any substrate, which is bad for its nutrient supply. In this case, it is urgent to repot.
When was the rotten lily divided?
Occasionally, Agapanthus can be propagated by division. However, a new plant created by division often withholds all of its bloom at the beginning of its life. It can take two to three years before the flowers can be admired on it for the first time.
If this cause applies to your African Lily, then it means: wait patiently. You should avoid all other possible errors that are described in more detail here, so that the flowering will be sure to come when the time comes.
Was the wintering ideal?
The Agapanthi in this country are too frosty outdoors, so they always have to be overwintered. As soon as it gets cooler in late autumn, they have to move into their winter quarters. Did the winter quarters of your African lily also have these properties?
- cool
- with temperatures between 5 and max. 10 degrees Celsius
- hell mit mind. 1500 Lux
- the warmer, the brighter
It is also important that the African lily was neither watered nor fertilized in its winter quarters. Wrong hibernation cannot be made good afterwards. But the following winter should at least be spent in the ideal way.
Was there a nutritional gap?
The nutrient supply each year is crucial for the flower formation in the following year. It is not only about the ideal amount of fertilizer and the fertilizer spacing, but also about the period of time when it is necessary to fertilize at all.
- African lilies are also fertilized in autumn
- these last doses of fertilizer are imperative
- otherwise no flowers are formed in the following year
- is fertilized with a complete fertilizer
- even dry earth must not be in autumn
If the autumn fertilization was missed, this maintenance error can no longer be corrected for the current growing season. Under no circumstances should the amount of fertilizer simply be increased now. In the coming autumn, the lily should definitely be fertilized so that the blossomless period does not repeat itself a second time.
Were dead flowers always removed promptly?
If you leave the beautiful flowers of your African Lily on the plant after it has faded, it is not surprising that it may not really bloom. The formation of seeds is an important matter of survival for this plant, because they ensure that it continues to reproduce. But the formation of ripe seeds costs a lot of energy, which is then no longer available for flowers.
This year you will hardly have to cut anything that has withered, but as soon as the agapanthus resumes flowering, regular cleaning is a must.
Conclusion
An African Lily punishes unfavorable living conditions with complete deprivation of flowers. But what exactly annoyed them has to be found out after a closer look. Some errors can be fixed quickly and flowering will follow soon. With other mistakes, on the other hand, patience is required and the hoped-for buds can only be seen in the following year.
