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Do You Think One Year's bloom Affects The Next Year?

11 years ago

It seems to me that when I have a plant that has a really exceptional year of bloom, the next year it is likely to be a sub-par year for it.

Some plants seem to bloom really well every year, but I am talking about the "knock your socks off" type of bloom. Many blooms with repeats. Last year Citrix was an un-believeable bloomer, and I posted picture after picture of clumps of blooms. This year it was just so-so.

I have had a fair number of really great bloomers this year, and I am wondering if there is some action on my part that might prevent a down year with them.

Any suggestions?

kay

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Comments (5)

Julia WV (6b)
11 years ago
Kay: Good question and looking forward to what others might suggest. I've always attributed lack of bloom to weather conditions in a given season.

Julia
Maryl (Okla. Zone 7a)
11 years ago
I've had rebloom like never before this year. I don't know what to attribute it to, as there are just too many variables. Some of which include: an early spring following a warmer then usual winter, new varieties of daylilies that didn't bloom last year but seemed to make up for it this year, and a bit more fertilizing on my part with Miracid after initial cessation of bloom. Next year we will see what happens. In the plant world though it is not unusual for one year to be especially fruitful and the next to be only moderately so......Maryl
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Nancy
11 years ago
I've had that happen, Kay. One year Custard Candy bloomed its head off, the next year I didn't even notice it til it was on its last 2 blooms. Beautiful Edgings stayed in bloom almost all one summer, it seemed, & was still blooming when an early freeze took out the remaining blooms. It has never bloomed like that since. Of course, I have those that bloomed beautifully, then turned up their roots & died.
virgo45
11 years ago
I have noticed that if I allow more than 2 seed pods to develope on a single scape that it can greatly reduce the number of buds on that fan the following year. One year I had six pods on a single scape and the following year the plant did not flower at all. I am certain that the amount of energy the plant required to develope the six pods weakened it to the point that it could not develope buds the following year. The second year the plant was back to its normal bud count. This happened to a number of different plants in the same year so I would assume it was caused by the number of seed pods I allowed to develope.
ozzysboy
11 years ago
Hi Kay: excellent question. I had wondered this in the past and from observation I know that Mort Morss does an off year/on year cycling. I also have seedlings out of MM which do the same thing. When I say "off" I mean it--literally single digit blooms (and sometimes single blooms if any) per spike. As regards MM, this doesn't seem to be affected whether I set seed on it or not, it just does it. Some of my other varieties do this to lesser degree (MM is definitely on a limited parole with me and I may just give it away next spring).

As to virgo45's observation, I'll confirm it as a general rule; there are some plants (Malaysian Marketplace, Finish with a Flourish, Wild Irish, Magyar Music, Palace Garden Beauty and Orchid Elegance) which seem to shrug off the effort of setting seed the previous year and continue to bloom/set seed their heads off in subsequent years. But as a rule, I've noticed much diminished blooming in the year following heavy seed set with bounce back the 2nd year after.

-eric

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