How to Make Pansies Bloom Again

Pansies bloom in early spring and can add some lovely color to your garden after winter. Pansies are generally one of the first plants to come up in the spring, and will continue to bloom until the temperatures rise and cause the plant to become dormant. However, when temperatures drop in the fall, pansies can bloom again if you take a some time to prepare them in the spring.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Making Your Pansies Bloom Again

1. Pinch seed pods to help your pansies bloom again. Pansy seeds will grow in long fall climates or they’ll remain dormant until the next spring in many areas. Therefore, in order to fool pansies into blooming again, you will need to remove the seed pods before the seeds fully form.
   
   • This can be achieved by pinching the spent blooms from the plant, cutting back extra growth, and fertilizing for blooms rather than leaves.^[1]
2. Remove any dying blooms regularly. Check your pansy twice a week for any blooms that have died. Remove all dying blooms from the pansy plant to encourage the plant to put its energy towards new blooms and growth.^[2]
   
   • Remove any damaged blooms when you remove dead blooms.
   • Be careful not to accidentally remove any new blooms.
3. Keep the soil moist and apply a phosphorous fertilizer. Water the plant to keep the soil around the pansy moist. Pansies enjoy soil that is damp.^[3] Try to apply a phosphorus fertilizer but avoid applying nitrogen to the area unless the fertilizer is a slow release variety, as pansies generally can’t handle high levels of nitrogen.
   
   • If the plant is allowed to dry out or receives too little nutrition it will stop producing blooms and need to be replanted.
4. Cut away growth and leggy stems. Cut back growth and leggy stems from the plant because these areas will not produce new blooms. When these parts of the plant are allowed to grow unchecked, they can drain the energy of the plant, causing it to produce less blooms.^[4]
   
5. Check for seed pods that were not pinched back as blooms. If you find any existing seed pods, remove them right away.
   
   • If your plant is an heirloom you may be able to save the adult pod and collect seeds to start more pansy plants indoors.
6. Plant a new blooming pansy if your existing ones begins to die back. If the plant stops producing blooms and begins to die back, you will most likely need to replace the plant with a new blooming pansy in order to benefit from new fall color.^[5]
   
   • If this occurs frequently do not feel like you’ve failed; certain areas of the country simply are not suited for year round pansy growth.
   • If you can’t find new pansies at your greenhouse to plant in the fall, remember that pansies are simple to start from seed indoors.
   • Plan ahead for next year and start the seedlings indoors four to six weeks before fall. After the temperatures get warmed, plant the new seedlings outdoors.

[Edit]Placing Your Pansy in a Bloom-Encouraging Location

1. Grow your pansies in the correct conditions. To start, you need to consider the placement of your pansies. They should be in a cool, moist, protected area of your garden.^[6]
   
   • Consider placing them under a tree that will provide shade for the pansies.
2. Keep critters in mind when selecting a location for your pansies. While the pansy plant is very hardy, its flowers will be eaten by critters, bugs, and anything else that might come along so try to plant them in a protected area.^[7]
   
3. Protect your pansy from the elements. Pansy plants will look rough and not well cared for if they are placed in an area with large amounts of wind and rain. Try to reserve a safe spot in your garden for them that is shielded against the wind.
   
4. Move your potted pansy out of direct sunlight. If placed in a container, be sure your plant does not receive sun during the hottest hours of the day.
   
   • Move the container during the summer to a cooler area to encourage blooms year round.
5. Understand why pansies tend to stop blooming. The reason pansies stop blooming is in the design of the plant. Pansies bloom early in the spring, produce seeds, then die back in the summer.^[8]
   

[Edit]Video

[Edit]Tips

• If you are having trouble getting your pansies to bloom again, consider planting new pansies in the fall to enjoy fall blooms.

[Edit]References

• https://www.uaex.edu/yard-garden/home-landscape/docs/pansies.pdf

[Edit]Quick Summary

1. ↑ https://www.uaex.edu/counties/white/news/horticulture/201810_All_About_Pansies.aspx
2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMc5w5i9M3U
3. ↑ https://newswire.caes.uga.edu/story.html?storyid=119&story=Picture-Perfect-Pansies
4. ↑ https://www.petittigardencenter.com/planting_guide/SpringPansyViolaCare.pdf
5. ↑ https://www.almanac.com/plant/pansies
6. ↑ https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/a20706070/pansy-flower/
7. ↑ https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/pansy-diseases-insect-pests/
8. ↑ https://living.thebump.com/pansies-come-back-year-die-off-summer-heat-11016.html