How to Grow and Care for Kalanchoe

Kalanchoe plants are known for their tiny flowers and oval-shaped, scallop-edged leaves. There are more than 100 species in the genus, but the most popular kalanchoe houseplant is kalanchoe blossfeldiana, or window's thrill. It grows clusters of tiny flowers in red, pink, yellow, orange, and white.

Kalanchoe is a popular houseplant because it's drought tolerant and easy to grow, needing water maybe every other week when kept in its ideal bright lighting. In tropical and subtropical climates, it can be grown outdoors as a perennial. In colder climates, it's typically grown as an indoor plant. With the right care, it can rebloom indoors for decades. Be careful keeping it with pets though, since the plant is toxic to cats and dogs when eaten.

Common Name	Kalanchoe, flaming Katy, florists kalanchoe, Christmas kalanchoe
Botanical Name	Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
Family	Crassulaceae
Plant Type	Perennial, succulent
Mature Size	6–18 in. tall and wide
Sun Exposure	Full sun, partial shade
Soil type	Sandy, well-drained
Soil pH	Acidic, neutral, slightly alkaline
Bloom Time	Seasonal bloomer
Flower Color	Yellow, red, orange, salmon, pink, white
Hardiness Zones	10–12 (USDA)
Native Area	Africa (Madagascar)
Toxicity	Toxic to pets

Kalanchoe Care

Caring for kalanchoe is easy with a few basic tips and the right conditions. The main growing requirements for kalanchoe are:

Plant kalanchoe in loose, loamy, sandy, well-drained potting medium like cactus mix or soil used for succulents.
Place kalanchoe in a warm indoor location with bright, indirect light. or place it in a full sun outdoor location that has protection from late afternoon sun.
Allow kalanchoe plants to dry out completely between waterings.
Fertilize indoor kalanchoe plants once per month during spring and summer.

Light

Kalanchoe plants grown indoors do best with bright, indirect light. Plant outdoor kalanchoes in partial shade to full sun. When planted in full sun, it's ideal for it to receive some afternoon shade to protect it from scorching. Leggy stems are a sign that the plant isn't receiving enough light.

Soil

Outdoors, a kalanchoe plant grows best in well-draining, loamy or sandy soil. Indoor plants should be potted in a well-draining porous blend, like a 50% potting soil and 50% cactus mix, or 60% potting soil and 40% perlite.

To ensure proper drainage and avoid an overly moist environment, plant your kalanchoe in a clay pot, which can help wick excess water from soil.

Water

This hardy plant does well with minimal water, requiring saturation only every few weeks or so (and even less often during the winter months). Let the soil dry out completely in between waterings to help prevent root rot.

Temperature and Humidity

Generally, your kalanchoe will thrive at temperatures between 55°F and 80°F. With the exception of protecting it from frost, you don't have to do much to create a proper indoor environment. Kalanchoe plants are not fussy about humidity.

As outdoor garden plants, kalanchoes will not thrive outside of USDA hardiness zones 10 to 12 because they don't thrive at temperatures below 55°F.

Fertilizer

Like most flowering plants, kalanchoe benefits from fertilizer, though they's not heavy feeders. Indoor kalanchoe should be fed with a well-balanced fertilizer blend once a month during the spring and summer months, but not in winter. If flowering is sparse, switch to a fertilizer that is higher in phosphorus.

Garden-grown plants require only a single light feeding in the spring.

Growth Rate

Kalanchoes are generally slow-growing, on average taking between two and five years to reach mature size. One of the most common kalanchoes, 'Flaming Katy', reaches around 12 inches tall at maturity. Paddle plant can grow to more than two feet tall at maturity, while cathedral bells and velvet-leaf kalanchoe can grow up to 5 or 6 feet tall inside.

Kalanchoes grown outdoors tend to grow more quickly because they're in brighter conditions.

Care for Kalanchoe Indoors

Place in bright, indirect light—in an south- or west-facing window is ideal.
Water deeply after soil has mostly dried out.
Fertilize during the growing season (around April to September).
Repot every year or two.

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Types of Kalanchoe

K. manginii: This species sometimes known as chandelier plant features fleshy leaves and bears large, bell-like pendant flowers. Moist air is essential for flowering.
Kalanchoe daigremontiana: This species of kalanchoe is commonly known as mother of thousands for the tiny plantlets that grow along the edges of its leaves.
K. porphyrocalyx: Also known as pearl bells, this species consists of slender, rectangular leaves and purple pendant flowers.
Kalanchoe delagoensis: This kalanchoe is known as the chandelier plant for the way its tubular orange flowers hang down from the top of its stems.
K. beharensis: This kalanchoe species, sometimes called velvet-leaf kalanchoe, is hardy in USDA hardiness zones 9 to 11. It's prized for its large, pale silvery green fuzzy leaves.
Kalanchoe luciae: A common houseplant, this kalanchoe earned the name flapjack plant for its flat, rounded leaves, which can develop red edges in winter.
K. pinnata: This kalanchoe species, also called cathedral bells, has fleshy green leaves and bears tiny plantlets along its margins.
Kalanchoe tomentosa: Known as chocolate soldier or panda plant, this kalanchoe has thick, fuzzy leaves with a blue tinge and brown spots around their edges.

Pruning

Pinching back the stems of a kalanchoe plant will help maintain its shape and promote more robust blooming. Trim off any dead flowers to keep the plant looking neat and encourage new growth. This is especially important to do during the plant's resting period in late winter and early spring.

Pests to Watch

As new leaves come in on a kalanchoe plant, watch out for aphids. These insects love to feed on young leaves. Check the undersides, and if present remove them with a spray of water.

Propagating Kalanchoe

The growing offsets will draw energy away from the mother kalanchoe plant. Pruning the offsets and propagating them will allow the mother plant to continue to thrive and give you several more plants.

Besides propagating the offsets, you can also take stem cuttings. Here's how to take stem cuttings and propagate kalanchoe offsets.

Cut a piece of stem. Cut a segment of stem several inches long from a mature plant using a sharp clean knife or clippers. If using an offset, remove it at the joint where it connects to the parent plant.
Let cutting dry out. Allow the cutting to dry out for a few days, or until the end appears to have healed shut and calloused over.
Dip in rooting hormone. Dip the calloused ends of the cutting in a rooting hormone.
Plant in soil. Plant the cutting in soil comprised of the same mixture used to grow the mother plant.
Place in bright, indirect light. Place the newly planted cutting in bright indirect light, but do not water it; the stem should take root within a month, at which point you can care for it as you would a mature kalanchoe plant.

Potting and Repotting Kalanchoe

Kalanchoe should be repotted regularly to allow for new growth; it does not like to be rootbound. Repotting once a year should be fine. The best time to repot a kalanchoe is in the fall after the plant is finished blooming.

If the plant's roots have filled the pot, choose a container that is 1 inch larger in diameter. If the plant's root system isn't filling the pot, you can keep it in the same pot and add a fresh layer of soil on top.

Choose a well-draining pot, with at least one drainage hole. A pot made of a porous material, like clay or terracotta, can also be helpful because the pot can leach moisture from the soil.

Overwintering Kalanchoe

In cooler climates, you can relocate indoor kalanchoe plants to the outdoors once night time temperatures are above 60°F. Bring them indoors when temperatures begin to dip in late summer or early fall. If your kalanchoe is exposed to temperatures below freezing (32°F) it may die, so a good rule of thumb is to bring it inside when overnight temperatures dip below 55°F.

In USDA hardiness zones 9 through 11, kalanchoe plants can often survive a frost, even if their foliage dies back. In colder climates, however, they won't survive frost damage.

Kalanchoe plants need less water in winter than they do in spring or summer. Allow the soil to dry out fully between waterings.

Moving Kalanchoe Outside

You can take your kalanchoe outside once nighttime temperatures are above 65°F. Start with a few hours in the shade each day; leave it outside for more and more time to acclimate it to the sun. The best outdoor location is a spot that gets morning sun and is protected from afternoon light.

How to Get Kalanchoe to Bloom

How to Keep Kalanchoe Blooming

For your kalanchoe plant to bloom to its full potential, it should be located somewhere it gets at least 6 to 8 hours of bright light each day. During the fall and winter, the plant should experience near total darkness for the other hours of the day. A full 14 hours of daily darkness for at least six weeks is necessary for the plant to amass energy for further blooms.

Roughly four months later, in spring, you'll be treated to bursts of colorful flowers that can last several weeks. Blooms can recur throughout much of the year if you control its exposure to light.

With the proper care and environment, kalanchoes can bloom year-round indoors. Kalanchoes require bright sunlight during the day to bloom properly. Harsh direct sunlight can actually inhibit blooming, so bright, indirect light is ideal.

How to Encourage More Blooms

Deadheading the flowers once blooms are spent is another way to prompt continual kalanchoe flowering. If you're struggling with getting your plant to flower, look for a fertilizer blend that is high in phosphorus, which can help produce more buds.

Get What Your Kalanchoe Needs

A grow light will give your kalanchoe the 6 to 8 hours of bright light it needs.
Good pruners are necessary to keep the plant producing more flowers
A fertilizer blend will get you more blooms.

Common Problems With Kalanchoe

Kalanchoe plants are very easy to grow, but problems can arise when they are not watered correctly or if they experience temperature extremes.

Soft, Damaged Blooms and Leaves

Plants that are touched by near-freezing temperatures will often experience damaged leaves or stunted blooms. For best performance, keep these plants at temperatures above 50°F.

Wilting

Temperatures that are too high can cause leaves to wilt. Ideally, keep these plants below 80°F.

Drab or Burned Leaves

Proper light exposure is key to good-looking plants. Too little light and the leaves will lose the trademark glossy green. Too much direct sunlight and you can expect burned leaves. Indoor kalanchoes will do best in a location that receives a lot of bright indirect light, but not too much direct sunlight.

Soft, Fragile Stems

A very common problem with kalanchoe is overwatering or planting in a soil medium that holds water. Excessive water can easily cause root and stem rot with these plants. If you see this problem beginning, withhold water until the plant recovers.

Kalanchoe Not Blooming

When a kalanchoe doesn't bloom, it's usually because the plant didn't get the lengthy period of winter darkness that allows the plant to reset its bloom cycle. During the winter months, these plants need a six-week period where they experience nighttime darkness lasting a full 14 hours each day. Without this reset period, the plants usually fails to bloom.

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of FAQ

What's the lifespan of a kalanchoe?
Kalanchoe generally have a lifespan of a several decades when given the right care. The plants will bloom annually with the right care. (Just because the bloom period has ended doesn't mean the plant is dead.)
Is kalanchoe best grown as an indoor or outdoor plant?
Kalanchoe is best grown as a houseplant, though in USDA hardiness zones 10 to 12 they can be grown outdoors year round. You can acclimate indoor kalanchoes to the outdoors in spring and leave them outside until temperatures begin to cool in late summer and early fall.
Do kalanchoe plants work well in mixed containers?
Kalanchoe works well in mixed containers when planted alongside other succulents like aloe and jade, though it is usually planted by itself in a container. On a patio, kalanchoes are often planted with sedums and other creeping plants.
Do kalanchoe plants grow back every year?
Yes, as perennial succulents kalanchoe plants will grow back every year as long as it's grown inside as a houseplant or outside in USDA zones 10 to 12. With proper care, even kalanchoe grown indoors will rebloom annually.
Where should you put a kalanchoe plant?
To give kalanchoe the bright, indirect light it needs, place it in or near a south- or west-facing window.
How many times a year does kalanchoe bloom?
Kalanchoe usually blooms just once a year for a few months in late winter or early spring. Outdoors it might bloom more often. If you want it to bloom more frequently indoors, you have to manipulate the growing conditions and trick the plant into thinking it's time to bloom again.

From: thespruce

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