how do you get blooms

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deerchaser North Providence, RI Mar 20, 2008

I started collecting houseplants last fall, and have quite a collection now. Most are begonias, but I have some gessies and other goodies. My question is a general sort of question....what makes a plant bloom? So far the only bloom I have gotten is on my begonia bubbles. Do I move plants into brighter light at certain times of the year to force the blooms? They all look very healthy, and I feed them regularly.

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tommyr2006 Poughkeepsie, NY(Zone 6a) Mar 20, 2008

Light and fertilizer. Usually one or both are the reason. If you're feeding then increase light levels.

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NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS(Zone 8a) Mar 21, 2008

Regular fertilizers might tend to give you more green growth. Try one of the fertilizers made specifically for producing more blooms (Bloom Booster by Miracle Grow or Bloom Burst--Wal Mart brand).

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shebs45 Chicago, IL(Zone 5b) Mar 21, 2008

I believe I've read (heard) that some plants have to be almost potbound in order to bloom. If the pot is too big, too much energy is spent growing more roots. Maybe someone else can confirm or has more information regarding this.

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deerchaser North Providence, RI Mar 22, 2008

Shebs, what you said has a ring of truth to it. Maybe my babies have to get a little bigger first. I'm hoping that the spring and summer will yield some blooms, but I am interested in any advice I can get to help them along.

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Mar 22, 2008

If you can give us the list of what you have, that might help--some plants need more light than others, some need more fertilizer than others, some plants are just hard to get to bloom indoors. There are specific forums here for Begonias and AV's/gessies so you'll probably get the best advice on those in those forums, but we might be able to help you with some of the "other goodies" that you mentioned.

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