There’s nothing quite like the sight of those massive, glowing yellow Angel’s Trumpet blooms in full swing. It’s the kind of thing that makes any gardener’s heart skip a beat! But man, is it frustrating when those iconic flowers just refuse to show up. If your plant is looking a little shy, there are usually a few specific culprits behind it.
Angel’s Trumpets are late bloomers
First off, you’ve gotta have a little patience with these beauties. They really like to test us! Throughout the spring and early summer, the plant usually stays strictly green. The blooming season for an Angel’s Trumpet typically doesn’t even kick off until July. The silver lining? Once they get started, they’ll usually keep going strong right through October.
A high-maintenance guest
Because those flowers are so huge and plentiful, the plant burns through a ton of energy to produce them. Plus, remember that Angel’s Trumpets are South American natives. In our neck of the woods, they almost always live in containers. Since a pot only holds so much soil, the plant can run out of “fuel” fast. That’s why regular fertilizing and the occasional repotting are absolutely non-negotiable.
How to fertilize the right way
When it comes to fertilizing your Angel’s Trumpet, I recommend a two-pronged approach. First, mix a slow-release fertilizer into the soil when you move the plant into a larger pot after its winter nap. Second, you’ll need a liquid “quick-fix” fertilizer. Start the season with a balanced, universal growth formula. Then, around mid-June, switch over to a bloom booster high in potassium. And don’t be stingy—during the growing season, you should be feeding these hungry plants two to three times a week!
Don’t let them go thirsty
If the nutrients are there but the flowers aren’t, your plant might just be thirsty. These guys are water hogs! When you water, keep going until you see it running out of the bottom of the pot. This is especially critical during those scorching, dry summer stretches. Without enough water, the plant’s internal plumbing gets out of whack, and it simply won’t have the resources to support those giant blooms, which lose a lot of moisture to evaporation during the day.
Pruning mishaps
If you’ve got the water and the fertilizer dialed in and you’re still seeing zero buds, you might have been a little too “scissor-happy.” If you prune too aggressively in the fall or spring, you might accidentally cut off all the flowering wood. If that happens, the plant loses its ability to bloom for the season, and you’ll just have to wait for new growth to mature.
So, if your Angel’s Trumpet is acting more like a “Quiet Trumpet,” it usually boils down to one of these three things:
- Not enough nutrients
- Not enough water
- Pruning back too hard
