Old Fashioned Living >> Garden Path >> Kalanchoe Tips and Care

    Kalanchoe Tips and Care

    By Brenda Hyde
    Kalanchoe is another popular gift plant during the holidays. It is a succulent plant with thick leaves and flowers that appear in clusters of red, yellow, pink, orange and even bi-colored varieties. Kalanchoe Tips and Care You will find them in the stores and garden centers from now till February. Kalanchoes tolerate most light levels and they prefer temperatures between 50-70 degrees F. Never allow the plant to stand in water or dry out completely. Usually a once a week watering is sufficient. Water carefully near the bottom of the plant--do not water the leaves-- only the soil. After all the flowers have died, remove the stems and cut back to the second or third leaf below the flowers on the side stems. Repot the kalanchoe in late February or early March after the flowers have finished blooming. Measure the diameter of the current pot, and repot in a new plastic pot that is an inch or so wider. The addition of a little limestone will also benefit the plant. At this point cut back on the watering and do not fertilize until new growth begins. Then start watering regularly again, and fertilize every 2 weeks with a standard houseplant fertilizer.

    Similar to a Christmas cactus, Kalanchoe needs a short day period to bloom again the next December. This means the plant should have NO light from about 5 p.m until morning, starting in September. You can place it in a dark box at 5:00 or a dark closet, but make sure to remove it to a lighted area during the day. Reduce the watering, and keep it in a cool location that stays about 55-65 degrees F, no higher. If you can do this for 6 weeks, there is a good chance it will bloom again for you. Gardeners always enjoy a challenge!


     
    About The Author

    Brenda Hyde is a freelance writer living on ten acres in rural Michigan with her
    husband and three kids.  She is also editor of StandBesideHer.com and has a family friendly blog, On the Front Porch.
     
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