Coreopsis is a flowering plant under the family Asteraceae which originated from the woodlands of Mexico and America. The plant can grow up to 1-3 meters and is mostly famous for its blooming.
But I have experienced a lot of problems related to coreopsis not blooming which are over-fertilization, deadheading problems, lack of pruning, temperature fluctuation, frost attack, pests, diseases and immaturity of plants.
Probably you are facing such problems. Don’t worry you are not alone. And for your help I am sharing my experience how i make my Coreopsis bloom.
So before the detailed discussion, here is the quick solution for you-
| Problem | Solution |
| Ignorance of deadhead | Deadhead the spent flowers |
| Over-fertilization | Try not to provide fertilizer |
| Lack of pruning | Remove one-third of the branches every spring |
| Temperature fluctuation | Try to maintain 70-80°F temperature |
| Pests | Use Pesticides |
| Diseases | Remove the affected plant parts |
| Frost attack | Keep your plant in a warm place |
| Immature plant | Wait for 2 years for blooming |
| Bud deformation | Maintain a proper environment to protect buds |
Types of Blooming Problems
I want to divide the blooming problem of coreopsis into two types so that you can understand the actual situation of your plant.
Type 1: Bloomed For One Time
The first one is for those plants which have bloomed one time and then stopped blooming. At the start of the blooming period, they produce flowers for one time, but they won’t flower again in that period. The ignorance in deadheading causes this problem.
Type 2: Never Bloomed
Due to some problems, such a condition may arise that your coreopsis hasn’t bloomed yet for at least one time in their life span. Over-fertilization, temperature effect, diseases, frost attack, etc. are the reasons behind this problem which are explained in detail below.
Coreopsis Not Blooming- 9 Causes With Effective Solution
1. Ignorance of Deadheading
Well, this problem occurs because of the ignorance of deadheading while blooming. Deadheading means cutting the spoiled blooms to encourage further blooming. If you cut those pale blooms, new flowers will arise and continue blooming.
When I brought coreopsis first in my garden, I was unfamiliar with this term and I faced this problem. But, I came out of this the next year while the blooming time. Now, I will direct you to the way to sort out this problem and increase blooming.
Solution
How To Deadhead Coreopsis
- Remove all the perished flowers from the plant.
- Cut at the base portion of the flower stalks with scissors or knives.
- Keep the healthy leaves as they are arranged.
- Repeat this process with all the dead flowers during the whole blooming time.
2. Over-Fertilization
Fertilization is not an important factor for the coreopsis plant. It needs fertilizer only if you used extremely poor soil for their plantation. In such cases, you can use a small number of fertilizers for their development.
If you use excessive fertilizers on them, they use it for the development of their foliage parts which means for their leaves and stem growth. Consequently, the blooming initiation is disturbed and flowers don’t initiate.
Solution
Don’t use much fertilizer for your coreopsis plant. Try to plant it in moderately fertile soil earlier so that you don’t need to apply nutrients for their establishment.
3. Lack of Pruning
Pruning is a vital issue for the coreopsis plant. Pruning is the technique of cutting the specific range of top portions of a plant at regular intervals. It is important for coreopsis as it is mainly adorable for its blooming, not foliage.
Pruning helps to grow new leaves along with bud formation in the apex of the plant. The buds are formed in the cut portion and blooming initiates. But in case of avoiding pruning, plant growth will be facilitated. As a consequence, the blooming process will be hampered as all the foods will be utilized by those large stems.
Solution
Cut out the apex portion of the plant in early spring. During spring, when the new leaves start to grow, cut around one-third of that foliage. Thus, they will get a perfect environment and space for vigorous growth.
4. Bud Deformation
Next, I will describe the bud deformation problem. Bud is mainly the place where new flowers initiate and bloom. If environmental conditions or pest attacks annihilate the buds, blooming will be stopped there through proper foliage maintenance.
Solution
Be careful of the environment when the blooming period starts. Budding means your plant can produce flowers. So, maintain perfect sunlight, temperature, humidity and other factors needed for the plant and the flowers.
5. Temperature Fluctuation
As you know, the temperature is an important effect on coreopsis blooming. When blooming starts in the spring, you have to maintain the heat 24/7.
If the temperature is excessive or more than optimum, the bud will be dried out or burnt. The stigma and other parts will lose their forming capacity. On the contrary, low temperatures will also destroy the buds by demolishing their initiation and spreading capacity. So the blooming will be unfinished or uninitiated.
Solution
Coreopsis needs around 70° to 80° F temperature while blooming. Try to keep the range consistent to save your flowers from the temperature effect.
6. Pests
- Aphid
This insect is capable of sucking the liquid from the plant parts especially leaves and transmitting the viruses. So, bud deformation occurs and the plant becomes miniature.
- Coreopsis beetle
By attacking the leaves and foliage they make pores and asymmetrical patterns occur in the leaves.
- Aster leafhopper
These are mainly responsible for carrying the pathogen Phytoplasma, which causes ester yellowing. As a result, flowers become short and gradually they die.
Solution
- Spray the neem oil
- Use baking Soda or soapy oil
- Ladybird beetles can destroy aphids.
7. Diseases
Fungal Diseases
- Botrytis Blight
Botrytis blight is a fungal disease caused by Botrytis cinerea. In this case, the leaf surface of the plant may be coated with white to grey.
- Crown Rot
Tiny, round structures are found in the lower part of the plant because of the formation of white fungal growth caused by the pathogen Sclerotium rolfsii.
- Powdery mildew
Sphaerotheca macularis creates powdery substances in the lower part of the leaves which suck the cell sap and create black spots by secreting fluids on these leaves.
Solution
- Use an effective industrial fungicide (Our pick: Monterey LG 3174 Ready to Use Fungicide & Bactericide)
- Use neem oil or baking soda as a homemade fungicide. Here, I want to describe two simple recipes that I experienced personally and it was effective for me.
Recipe -1: Neem oil recipe
- Take one tablespoon of concentrated neem oil with one gallon of water, liquid soap, and aloe vera powder.
- Mix them properly
- Spray or apply them in the affected place.
Recipe -2: Baking soda recipe
- Take one gallon of water and 4 tablespoons of baking soda.
- Mix them and apply them to the plant.
Bacterial Disease
- Bacterial Leaf Spot
Pseudomonas cichorii, a soil-borne pathogen, is responsible for not blooming coreopsis. Asymmetrical blotches are generally seen in brown plants.
- Wilting
Because of the excessive or scarcity of water, wilting may appear by Verticillium albo-atrum which leads to the bud deformation.
Solution
- Cut the affected leaves
- Use an industrial bactericide (Our pick: Monterey LG 3174 Ready to Use Fungicide & Bactericide)
- Maintain the soil moisture by mulching with polythene. Cover the soil of the plant with polythene to retain moisture.
8. Frost Attack
This problem is very common in temperate regions. If you are from such an area, you might have seen that your whole coreopsis plant, especially the leaves, is gradually shrinking.
Firstly, they don’t get sunlight during frost time when they are high-temperature-loving plants. Secondly, when the crown comes into contact with frost, it freezes from the inside and cannot produce food.
Again, frost also reaches its root zone. So plants cannot uptake water by their roots. As a result, they cannot get any element for making their foods. So, their growth is stunted and they cannot bloom at all.
Solution
If the atmosphere is excessively cold, keep your plant in a warm place where it can gain proper temperature. Frost should not be reached to any part of your coreopsis.
9. Immature Plant
This is a natural issue that you need not be worried about. Coreopsis plants start blooming almost 2 years after their seedling development. It is a common issue for perennial coreopsis.
So if your plant is too young for blooming, don’t take the stress. It will start blooming at the correct time if you can properly serve that.
Solution
Wait for at least 2 years and give your plant enough time to be prepared for blooming.
How To Keep Coreopsis Blooming?
Coreopsis is such a flowering plant that can enchant your mind with its beautiful flowers for the whole summer. But you have to fulfill some conditions for this purpose.
- Complete the process of deadheading when needed.
- Maintain proper temperature all the time.
- Adequate sunlight should be provided all the blooming time
- Use a little amount of fertilizer to get large flowers. (Our pick: Espoma Organic Plant-Tone )
Coreopsis Caring Guide
| Soil type | Well-drained sandy loam soil or clay soil |
| Soil pH | 5.5-6.5 |
| watering | Regular early morning watering when 1 to 2 inches of soil is dry |
| Light |
|
| Temperature |
|
| Humidity | Moderate humidity |
| Fertilizer | Not needed until the soil is too dry |
| Pest and disease |
Try to use insecticides and handmade recipes like baking soda to remove them |
| Winter care | Provide enough food, water, and mulching |
FAQs
Are coreopsis and tickseed the same?
Yes. Coreopsis seeds are much like ticks. That’s why they are popular as tickseed which is produced from the beautiful yellow thing.
How long can a coreopsis plant survive?
A coreopsis plant can survive up to 5 years. Some varieties cannot live so much. But hybrid and perennial varieties can survive so.
What Is the Blooming Period of Coreopsis?
Coreopsis starts blooming in the last stage of the spring which is in April and remains the whole summer.
How Often Does Coreopsis Bloom?
Coreopsis may bloom for the whole summer. Some of them will die and some will arise again. Such a harmonized system will be continued for the whole summer if you can provide a proper environment.
Final Thoughts
Coreopsis plants are such plants that can decorate your house for a long time when most of the flowers are not available. So it is very disappointing if the problem of coreopsis not blooming occurs.
But now, if your matured coreopsis plant doesn’t bloom, you can easily sort out this problem by matching the listed issues. Hopefully, with proper arrangements of all the environmental elements, you can get back the beautiful blooming of your coreopsis plant.
But in case of the continuity of the problems, you will lose not only the blooming but also the plant in severe cases. Hence, maintain your plant with proper care and enjoy the summer blooms.
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