Will Cotton Plants Bloom Year After Year?

Perennial Turned Annual

• Wild cotton species originated from semi-tropical regions, where cotton grew as a perennial vine. While still considered a perennial, modern cotton is typically grown as an annual. Cotton requires a long, hot growing season with high levels of sun in order to grow successfully. It is possible for a cotton plant to have perennial habits in the southern-most portions of the United States. However, gardeners should plan on cotton performing as an annual. This means that it will only bloom one year.

Treatment as an Annual

• Planting cotton as an annual in a garden or landscape means that the gardener must plan on replanting each year. The seeds are easily harvested from inside the cotton lint. Germination begins when the seed is planted in warm soil and absorbs water. The seedling emerges four to 14 days after planting, featuring duel cotyledons resembling small, rounded leaves. Cotton maintains a lot of wild features, including an indeterminate growth habit. It will grow very tall under certain conditions, according to the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

Development of Flowers

• Cotton features two different types of branches: vegetative and fruiting. The fruiting branches produce the cotton flowers. The flower first begins as a small bud known as a square. The square grows over a 21-day period to full bloom, approximately 65 to 75 days after planting. Once in bloom, cotton is in the flowering stage. Cotton plants remain in the flower stage for approximately six weeks. Individual flowers usually last seven days, changing from white to red over time. Areas with at least 120 growing days may see the resulting cotton pods mature and open, which usually happens 50 days after the flowering stage ends.

Considerations

• Not all states allow cotton to be grown outside of farming due to the threat of boll weevils. States at threat from boll weevil invasions, especially in the southern portions of the United States, closely monitor the growth of cotton. Certain states may allow home growers under permit with specific instructions for boll weevil prevention.