Kalanchoe Plant Care

Beautiful blooms that last upto 2 months, easy to propagate with very low water and fertilizer requirements, Kalanchoe is a great ornamental plant that was even sent to space.

 

Kalanchoe plant care is easy. Give it water when the soil is completely dry, well draining soil, 3-4 hours of morning sun or indirect light with 15 hours of darkness, and fertilize sparingly during the growing season.

 

Propagate from Cuttings🌱

Kalanchoes are known for their ease of propagation. You can propagate Kalanchoe by stem cuttings or by putting their succulent leaves in the soil.

 

Steps to Propagate from stem/leaf Cuttings

1. Cut a 3 inch long stem or a mature leaf of the Kalanchoe plant
2. Remove any leaves at the bottom of the stem cutting
3. Place the cutting in sand.
4. Keep it in partial shade and keep the soil moist.

Water💧

Kalanchoe is succulent and hence does not need much water. Water your Kalanchoe plant when the top 1-2 inches of the soil is completely dry.  Just touch the top soil, if it is dry and doesn’t stick your fingers, water your Kalanchoe plant. Avoid splashing water on the leaves as it can cause fungal growth.

 

During spring and winter months, you may need to water the plant just once a week. During the cooler days, the plant will very likely be dormant so you will need to reduce the frequency of watering as it does not need much water (or fertilizer) when dormant.

Sunlight☀️

Kalanchoe blooms in photoperiodic light, meaning it needs a combination of light (3-4 hours) with darkness and coolness in the night in order to bloom. Keep Kalanchoe in partial shade that receives bright indirect light and at least 15 hours of darkness in order to form buds and bloom. Darkness helps in inducing the buds so you may cover the plant in a box to ensure darkness and formation of buds.

Ideal Growing Temperature🌡️

Ideal growing temperature for Kalanchoe is between 60°F to 85°F (15°C to 29°C) with relative humidity of 65 to 80%.

Soil

Since Kalanchoe is a succulent plant, it needs a well draining sandy soil. So opt for a soil that is labeled “succulent mix” or make your own by mixing Sand/perlite with 30 to 40% of organic compost.

 

If you live in a hot, dry, desert, arid or tropical climate, cover the soil with mulch (dead leaves, coco peat, or wood chips) to keep the soil temperature cool and avoid heating of exposed soil by the sun.

 

Fertilizer

Kalanchoe don’t need much fertilization as they generally bloom once during their season. You can add 10g of compost or matured cow dung manure during the growing season. Alternatively, you can use 2gms of NPK 20-20-20 in 1 litre of water.

Pruning

Prune the flowers when they have wilted to avoid pests. This prune also promotes new growth. 

 

Look for the following attributes when buying your plant.

• Buy a Kalanchoe with way too many buds so you can enjoy the bloom for a longer time.
• Nurseries mostly keep plants in peat based soil that retains water so that they can transport to different locations. This kind of soil is not suitable for Kalanchoe plants for growth so make sure to re-pot with the right soil mix.