It can be frustrating when plants take a long time to flower, even if you love the process. If you are impatient like me, I totally get where this is coming from.
Fortunately, there are many things you can do to encourage them to bloom more quickly. So, how do you grow flowers faster?
The fastest way to get your garden in bloom is to remove dead leaves and other debris from your plants before the growing season.
Dead leaves have no nutritional value and act as a clog when you try to water your flowers. This will help them get a jumpstart and bloom earlier in the year.
In the rest of this article, we will dig into other methods you can use to help your flowers grow faster.
Some of these techniques may also apply to your vegetable garden.
Five Tips You Can Use to Encourage Faster Plant Growth
If you want your flowers to grow faster, you can use many techniques to do so. In this case, we will be referring to five strategies you can use to encourage growth.
- Know your USDA zones
- Know about fast-growing flowers
- Use a fertilizer high in nitrogen
- Use organic mulch
- Create a watering schedule
Knowing Your USDA Zones Might Save Your Flowers
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has various zones for plant hardiness. If your flower isn’t within these zones, it won’t create the best growing conditions for them.
While your local garden center won’t stock out-of-zone plants, this might change if you buy online.
Don’t be afraid to start your seeds indoors to address this issue. USDA zones are particularly concerned about frost time.
If they are outdoor plants, be ready to take them out during less frosty days.
Know that Some Flower Types are Fast Growers
If you want flowers to grow faster, you want flowers that grow faster. Regardless of your best efforts, you won’t be able to outpace fast-growing flowers.
Below are a few examples of what you can buy:
- California Poppies
- Petunias
- Sweet Alyssums
- Pansies
- Marigolds
- Nasturtiums
- Sunflowers
Use a Nitrogen-High Fertilizer
If you use organic mulch (next step), you will need a nitrogen-high fertilizer. Organic mulches are excellent at adding nutrients to the ground, but they have a bad habit of removing nitrogen.
Good fertilizers include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK). These ingredients are known as the primary nutrients in most available fertilizers. The “Big Three.”
You can also supplement your fertilizer with old coffee grounds. Coffee grounds can be added to the compost pile to soften the soil, making it easier to dig through.
Make sure also to use a granular fertilizer, as those are slow-release options that flowers genuinely appreciate.
Other fertilizers might overwhelm buds by providing too many nutrients. Dr. Earth released a solid fertilizer for this purpose.
Use Organic Mulch (Alongside Nitrogen-High Fertilizers)
There may be some temptation to use inorganic mulch, but organic matter is almost always the way to go with flowers.
In combination with a nitrogen-high fertilizer, you create a “best of both worlds” scenario where one weakness supplements another.
By choosing organic mulch, you allow flower seeds to grow, regardless of the type of plant you choose.
Part of choosing faster plant growth involves you creating the best conditions for that situation.
Create a Watering Schedule that Appeals to Your Flowers
Last (but not least), you need to create a regular watering schedule for flowers. For new flower seeds, you will want to water them every day until you see them sprouting.
After the second week, you should see it begin to grow, where you can start to water two or three times a week.
If you find yourself struggling with the idea of remembering this, consider purchasing a smart watering system. It will take the need to remember watering your plants out of your hand.
That allows you to focus on other aspects of garden care, such as nutrients.
Final Thoughts
While flowers can be stubborn, creating the right conditions is the key to fast plant growth. You can also purchase flowers known for quick growth times, but that depends on your preference.
Whatever flower you choose, plants grow at their preferred rate. Make sure that any flower you choose is something you want to see in your garden.
If you are looking for other flower garden tips, check out our article on how to grow marigolds from dried flowers. Thanks for reading!
