Blanket flowers, remaining under the flowering genus Gaillardia, are a plant under the family Asteraceae. It originated from South and North America though it is a demandable houseplant for many gardeners.
Last year, during the blooming season I was astonished that why are my blank flowers dying. Then I noticed my flowers and got some problems like over-watering, over-fertilization, absence of sunlight, mulching, pests, diseases, and frost attack.
Now, I will provide the solutions to these problems so that you can save your blanket flowers from dying. Here is a short table for a quick solution.
Reason |
Solution |
Absence of sunlight | 6-8 hours of daily sunlight |
Excessive temperature | The temperature should not cross 80°F |
Lowland bed | Plant in a raised bed |
Over-watering | Water when the soil is dry |
Mulching | Using mulches is prohibited |
Over-fertilization | Use a little amount of fertilizer if needed |
Pests | Use oil spray or dish soap spray or insecticide |
Diseases | Use fungicide or bactericidal or homemade recipes |
Frost attack | Keep the plant in a warm place |
Natural death | Check the system properly to be sure that there is no disease. |
Why Are My Blanket Flowers Dying- 10 Reasons
1. Absence of Sunlight
Sunlight is a mandatory issue for blanket flowers. They bloom perfectly if they get bright sunlight. In the case of shady places, the flower initiation procedure inside the plant is prohibited which leads to the death of these blanket flowers.
Solution
- Blanket flowers need at least 6-8 hours of sunlight daily. Try to provide this light duration strictly.
2. Excessive Temperature
Blanket flowers love to grow in high temperatures. But that doesn’t mean that they will spontaneously grow in excessive temperatures.
If the temperature goes higher than 80°F, then the stigma becomes dry and they droop out from the bud. Thus all of the flowers are dying.
Solution
- Try to maintain the optimum range of higher temperature which is 80°F. Better to keep around 75°F temperature around your plant.
3. Lowland Bed
Following the temperature problem, one of the most critical issues is the place where you planted the seedling. The land area plays a vital role in retaining the flowers properly in the stalks.
If you are planting the blanket flower in a low area, then you may face some problems. Lowland nursery beds can be contaminated with weeds, pests, and other types of diseases due to surface quality.
Weeds compete with plants for space, nutrition, and other essential elements. Consequently, plants face barriers to taking.
their elements and their system gets disturbed.
Again, a lower water retention system makes the place wet which makes the plant susceptible to pests and diseases.
Solution
- Use the raised nursery bed so the drainage system can be appropriately maintained.
- If you have already planted in a lowland area, transplant the plants properly to an upland. Before transplanting, follow the below-mentioned issues-
- Check the soil quality if it is sandy loam or not.
- Mix organic fertilizer or industrial dilute fertilizer, perlite, and sphagnum moss, if possible
- Then plant your seedling and water regularly providing perfect temperature.
4. Mulching
Mulching means covering the plant with any material that will conserve the soil moisture, keep the soil cool and make it more fertile for different crop production. To be more clear, water hyacinth is a common mulch in our country.
Though mulching is a mandatory process for many plant production in different areas, this will not be perfect for blanket flowers. Firstly, the mulches will work as their place to hide in.
Again, if you use inorganic mulches like plastic, rocks, polythene, etc. they will inhibit soil aeration which reduces soil quality. If the soil quality is reduced, the plant won’t produce numerous flowers.
Solution
- Don’t blend the soil with mulches
- Green mulch should be avoided.
5. Overwatering
Next, overwatering may also cause your blanket flowers to die. Overwatering problems mainly occur when you water your plant though it isn’t needed.
The plant cannot uptake the excessive water which remains in the root area. As this root surface remains under the water, it starts to rot and different diseases get the proper environment to infect.
That’s why the plant doesn’t get proper oxygen and the root cells are damaged. So, the physiological processes are hampered and flowers tend to die.
Solution
- Prepare a good drainage system in your plant area.
- Try to maintain a regular watering schedule according to the weather. Before watering, you can check the moisture (Our pick: XLUX Soil Moisture Meter).
- Pinch your finger in the soil to understand if it is dry or not, then water your plant.
6. Over-fertilization
Your blanket flower may also die because of excessive fertilization. As they are self-sufficient plants, they don’t require any fertilizer.
In case of excessive fertilization, plants will concentrate on the growth of foliage as the fertilizers contain nutrients for better growth. That’s why flower initiation metabolism is hampered and flowers start dying.
Solution
- Apply fertilizer before the bud formation.
- Use water-soluble fertilizer.
7. Pests
There are three types of pests mostly found which are responsible for blanket flowers dying. These insects suck the nutrients of the plant from the leaf veins and then make the plant weak. Consequently, flowers become affected easily.
- Aphid
- Aster leaf-hopper
- Powdery mildew
Solution
- Use industrial insecticide (Our pick: Garden Safe Brand Multi-Purpose Garden Insect Killer)
- Spray homemade insecticides. I would like to share some homemade insecticide recipes that I applied to my plant.
Recipe-1: Oil spray
Mix 1 tablespoon of mild liquid soap with 1 cup of vegetable oil and spray it on the plant.
Recipe -2: Dish soap spray
Take 1 quart of water and mix 1 tablespoon of castile soap with 1 tablespoon of mild soap and spray it on your plant.
8. Diseases
The effect of the diseases is facilitated by the activities of insects. Insects insert their mouthparts into the plant and create wounds. As a result, viruses and bacteria can easily enter through that pathway. Some common diseases of this plant are-
- Root rot
- Fungal leaf spot
Solution
- Use renowned industrial fungicide or bacteriacide (Our pick: Monterey LG3374 Complete Concentrate Fungicide & Bactericide)
- Remove the disease-affected parts of the plants.
- Spray homemade recipes as a natural fungicide. Let’s get two homemade solutions that can be used as remedies.
Recipe 1: Baking soda solution
Take 1 gallon of water and mix 4 tablespoons of baking soda with it. Then spray your plant.
Recipe 2: Neem oil recipe
Take 1 tablespoon of concentrated neem oil, ¼ tablespoon of aloe vera powder, a few drops of oil, and 1 tablespoon of silica or liquid soap. Mix them properly in water and spray the plant.
9. Frost Attack
Frost attacks are related to the curling of leaves and the death of flowers. As you know, blanket flowers can grow well in high temperatures. In this case, at the initiation of the blooming period, if they face any frost, the flowers will be destroyed.
Frost freezes the body’s metabolism. Apart from that, due to frost, plants cannot uptake proper water and so they fail to complete their life cycle properly.
Solution
- Plant your cutting after the frost ends so that the flowering period does need not to meet with frost.
- If you are from a temperate region, keep your plant in a warm place where it can get high temperature. Avoid outside planting.
10. Natural Death
Flowers may also die by their natural process. A group of flowers will die after a certain day of their blooming. After that, a new group of flowers will initiate and will their places. So this is a natural process and turning of blooming.
Notice your blanket flowers properly so that you may understand if the flowers are dying naturally or not. If it is a general process, you don’t need to be worried about this.
How to Facilitate Blooming of Blanket Flowers
Deadheading
If you are not satisfied with your blanket flowers, you may adapt some processes to facilitate their flowering. One of them is deadheading.
Deadheading means cutting off the flowers along with their stalks after they have completed their blooming and start to become fading.
It can be done by hand or with scissors which will help to rebloom the flowers and get new bunches of flowers at a wide range. If you continue deadheading, your house will be decorated with flowers the whole summer.
Pruning
The other process is pruning which means removing excessive foliage parts of the plant. If the stems and leaves are extended, the plant will supply all the nutrients to those leaves. As a result, flower production will be inhibited.
On the other hand, if you cut the extra leaves and stems of the plant at a proper height of ⅓ of the whole plant, flowers will get enough food. As a consequence, they will grow larger and by a great amount.
Blanket Flowers Caring Guide
Sunlight | Bright sunlight is needed at least for 6-8 hours |
Soil type | Sandy loam soil is slightly acidic and well-drained |
Temperature | 70-80°F |
Humidity | Seedling stage- 70%
Flowering stage- 40% |
Watering | Regular watering is needed when the soil is dry |
Fertilizer | Less amount can be provided before the bud formatting stage |
Winter care | Keep them in a warm place so that they don’t get attacked by frost |
FAQs
Do blanket flowers come back every year?
Yes. Blanket flowers normally start flowering from the first year of planting. Since it is a perennial plant, it comes back every year and produces flowers covering the ground just like a blanket.
Are blanket flowers toxic?
They are not very toxic to humans. As they are slightly toxic, you should be careful while taking care of them so that the leaves or other parts don’t get in your touch.
When to deadhead blanket flowers?
After one blooming. If you think that your blanket flowers need deadheading for the development of more flowering. Then, cut those when they are destroyed.
Why is it called a blanket flower?
It is called a blanket flower because the flowers create such a form that seems like covering the ground like a blanket.
Final Thoughts
I have reached the last point of this discussion. Blanket flowers are mostly favorable for their extraordinary and enlarged colorful petals. These petals can cover the ground part as a blanket.
But the problem will create a severe disaster if you don’t take effective measures after realizing the causes of blanket flowers dying. If you study the whole article properly, you need not question again why are my blanket flowers dying.
Study the problems, match them with your plant and make solutions for the problem that I suggested here. Hopefully, you will get rid of this problem and enjoy your gardening.
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