From my perspective, the most crucial signal I receive is the change in daylight hours. I am a short-day plant, which means my internal biological clock triggers bud formation as the nights grow longer and the days shorter in the fall. To encourage my blooms, you must respect this need. Starting in late September or early October, I require at least 12-14 hours of complete and uninterrupted darkness each night for about 6-8 weeks. Even a brief exposure to artificial light—a streetlamp, a car's headlights, or a room light—can disrupt this cycle and reset my clock, telling me it's still summer and not yet time to flower. A closet or a spare room that is not used at night is an ideal location to ensure I get this critical period of darkness.
Alongside the longer nights, I need to feel a distinct drop in temperature to truly believe that the seasons are changing. While I enjoy the warmth of your home during the summer, consistent fall temperatures between 50-55°F (10-13°C) at night are the perfect cue to initiate bud formation. This cooler period mimics my natural habitat and works in harmony with the photoperiod to tell every cell in my stems that it is time to prepare for reproduction. Please ensure I am away from drafts of excessively cold air from windows or hot, dry air from heating vents, as these extreme and fluctuating temperatures can cause stress and lead to bud drop.
My watering needs shift significantly in the fall. As the days get shorter and cooler, my growth slows down in preparation for flowering. I require much less water during this period. You should allow my potting mix to dry out more thoroughly between waterings. The goal is to keep me from becoming completely desiccated and wilted, but a slight, careful stress from being on the drier side reinforces the seasonal message that it is not a time for vegetative growth but for blooming. Furthermore, you must cease feeding me with high-nitrogen fertilizer. Nitrogen encourages leafy green growth, which is the opposite of what we are trying to achieve. A balanced, bloom-boosting fertilizer with higher phosphorus (the middle number) can be applied sparingly at the start of the bud-setting period, but then all feeding should stop until after I have finished flowering.
Finally, my root system plays a role in this process. I actually bloom best when I am slightly pot-bound. If my roots have comfortably filled the container, it creates a mild stress signal that directs my energy away from expanding my root system and towards reproduction—flowering. If you have recently repotted me into a much larger pot, I may focus on root development instead of bud formation this year. Additionally, my potting medium must be extremely well-draining. Soggy, waterlogged roots will cause me immense stress, leading to root rot and a complete failure to set buds. I need a mix that provides anchorage but allows oxygen to reach my roots and water to flow freely through.
