Why Didn’t My Alliums Bloom? – 5 Common Reasons With Solutions

Alliums are some of the easiest and low-maintenance plants you’ll find. When they bloom, they boast showy balls of tiny flowers. They are eye-catching and a great way to add a pop of color to your flowerbeds.

Did you know the alliums are a part of the onion family? Crush a leaf or cut a stem off your plant, and you’ll get the familiar scent wafting to your nostrils. The good news is that it’s rare for deer, squirrels, and voles to go after alliums. They tend not to enjoy the onion scent and flavor. However, the majority of alliums are perennials. This means that they will grow back for you year after year.

But what happens if your alliums grow back and don’t bloom for you? The good news is that you don’t need to dig them up. There are some straightforward explanations as to why alliums may not be blooming.

We’ve gathered some of the top explanations, so you can ensure your alliums bloom again.

Determining Why Alliums Failed To Bloom

A variety of factors could cause alliums to fail to bloom. Here are a few of them:

1. How Deeply Did You Plant The Bulbs?

The planting depth can determine the blooming ability of your alliums. If you plant them too shallow, you make them vulnerable to winter frost. If your bulbs have been planted too deep, they will need extra time to grow and break through the surface. It is ideal planting your allium three times deeper than the bulb’s height. This can lead to a delay in blooming, and the plants may even miss their time for blooming. Bulbs are easy to dig up and transplant. You can move them to a better depth or even to containers.

2. Did You Check The Growing Region?

Alliums are very hardy, but the bulbs you selected may not be hardy enough for your growing region. Double-check that your particular bulbs are suited for your growing region. If they are not, you may need to dig them up and plant them inside containers. You can relocate the containers to a shed, garage, or greenhouse during the year’s coldest months.

While it can be frustrating to realize that your bulbs were not well-suited for your growing region, all is not lost. You can relocate your bulb to containers, so they can get the winter protection they need.

3. Is There Too Much Moisture in the soil?

It’s all too easy to overwater your alliums. Alliums indeed need regular moisture, but they are incompatible with soggy soil. This can result in rot on the plant’s roots, bulb, and stems. If this is why your alliums aren’t blooming, check to see how damp the draning soil is. It may be time to ease back on the watering frequency. You may also want to add rocks and sandy soil to help foster good drainage.

But if your plants are being underwatered, an easy fix you’ll be able to implement is to water more frequently. Better still, you can move your plant to a better location.

4. Is your plant getting enough Sunlight?

Alliums are hardy plants that can adapt to many growing conditions. However, they need 6 hours of sunshine daily to bloom. If your alliums are not getting sufficient sunshine, they may not bloom. Transplanting the bulbs to a sunnier location is the best solution for this problem.

Simply relocating your alliums to a sunshine-filled area will produce significant bloom results. You can do this simple fix at any time during the growing season.

5. Are there diseases or pests?

If there are signs of parasites or other infections on the plants, you may have your answers as to why the alliums didn’t bloom. Examine the plant for any signs of infection or rot. Unfortunately, the best solution for severe infections and parasite infections is to remove the bulbs and plants in their entirety.

This will ensure the infection is not allowed to spread to your other healthy plants. While losing your plants is never a good thing, it can help prevent any infections from taking over your other healthier plants.

The sooner you get ahead of an infection, the better you’ll be able to offer protection to your other plants.

Other Reasons Why Your Aliums Didn’t Bloom

Aside from the five reasons listed above, there are also other reasons why your alliums have refused to bloom.

1. Are Your Alliums Planted At The Wrong Time?

The commonly known time for planting alliums is in the fall. This is because alliums need a period of cold to grow a healthy root system. Alliums planted in autumn or mid-summer do not bloom. The best they can do is to grow leaves and prepare for the following year.

2. Are Your Alliums Overcrowded?

Alliums naturally love to have enough space around them. If you plant a mass of them into a small space, you force them to begin to compete for natural elements like light, water, and Sunlight. A lack of these elements can result in poor or no blooming in that growing season. The best solution is to space your alliums at least 20cm apart. You could also transplant them elsewhere to reduce overcrowding.

3. What is the Size of Your Allium Bulb?

When it comes to Alliums, the size of the bulbs does matter because the smaller the bulbs, the smaller the chances of flowering. The remedy is to ensure that you always go for the larger bulbs. It is common for small bulbs not to flower in the first year. They start flowering in the second year.

4. Are your Allium Bulbs Stored Properly?

To get the best of your alliums, do not store them for more than a year. It is not ideal keeping your allium bulbs for a more extended period. The solution is to plant off your allium bulbs immediately after you receive them.

Conclusion

There is no one proper solution for getting your alliums to bloom again. However, to ensure that your alliums sprouts at the right time, you must keep the soil healthy and aerated. Ensure that it’s not overwatered. Plant the bulbs correctly and ensure they receive maximum Sunlight daily.

Your alliums may not bloom in the first year but will in the second. But larger bulbs have a higher tendency to flower in the first year.