Kalanchoe plants are some of the most popular houseplants that you can own. These plants are popular because they’re relatively easy to take care of and they’re quite pretty.
If you’re new to caring for kalanchoe plants, you might be wondering what you need to do to make them bloom. Is there a specific process you need to go through to get the best results?
Below, you’ll learn everything that you need to know about getting kalanchoe plants to bloom. This will ensure that your plant will flower and look nice during the blooming season.
When you do things right, these plants will look fantastic in your home. It’s not too hard to get them to bloom, but it is best to understand how to approach things.
Kalanchoe Flowering Season
As you’d expect, the kalanchoe plant does have a natural flowering season. If you’re growing these plants outdoors, they have the potential to bloom almost the entire year.
This is assuming that you’re growing the plants in the proper USDA hardiness zone. These plants thrive in warm regions and cannot stand cold weather.
If you’re growing kalanchoe plants in a container, they should start blooming during the late winter. The plant will then continue to bloom all the way up to the late days of spring.
So houseplants are going to bloom differently than plants that are kept outdoors. It’s more common for people to keep kalanchoe plants as houseplants.
This is because most people don’t live in a region where you can grow kalanchoe plants outdoors. These plants can’t tolerate cold weather and that makes it impossible to keep them outside unless you live in a region where it doesn’t get cold in the winter.
Temperatures under 40 degrees Fahrenheit can kill kalanchoe plants. Be sure to check which USDA hardiness zone you live in before choosing to plant a kalanchoe plant outdoors.
Do Kalanchoe Die After Bloom?
Kalanchoe plants do die back once they’ve reached the end of their growth period. Specifically, the flower stems are going to die back after they’re done blooming for the season.
However, they’re capable of coming back. You’ll see the flower stems return when the new growth season begins.
When the flowers begin to wither and you can tell that they’re dying, it’s fine to remove them. Pruning the plant is actually going to be good for it.
These plants don’t die after they bloom, though. A kalanchoe plant can stick around for many years.
It’s common for these plants to live for six or seven years. Do your best to take care of your plant and you’ll be able to keep enjoying it for quite some time.
Does Kalanchoe Rebloom?
Yes, a kalanchoe will rebloom when the time is right. It simply needs to be given enough time to bloom again.
As mentioned earlier, kalanchoe plants that are being grown indoors will start blooming in the late days of winter. To get the plant to bloom, it’ll be necessary to give it enough sunlight.
Be sure that you’re positioning the plant in a room that gets enough light. Ideally, you want the plant to be placed in a south or west-facing window.
You also need to remove the old flowers that have been spent. Eventually, the plant should rebloom and it’ll look just as good as it did the prior season.
How Do I Get My Kalanchoe to Bloom Again?
Getting your kalanchoe plant to bloom again isn’t that tough. You need to ensure that the plant is getting the right care and that the conditions are right.
Below, you’ll read about several things that you should be doing to get the kalanchoe plant to bloom. Follow this advice and you should get great results.
Keep the Plant Warm
Kalanchoe plants don’t do well in cold temperatures. You won’t be able to get the plant to bloom if it’s too cold outside or in your home.
These plants do well in typical household conditions. The temperature in your home should stay between 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you keep the temperature at a standard 72 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s likely that the kalanchoe plant will thrive.
Put the plant in a warm room near a west or south-facing window. Ensure that the plant gets lots of bright indirect sunlight.
Keep the plant away from drafty windows and vents. You don’t want to expose the plant to temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit at any time.
Be mindful not to place this plant near an air conditioning unit. That could keep it from blooming and it might even harm the plant.
Water the Plant Well
Watering the plant well is another important thing to do. You need to ensure that the soil stays moist during the growing season.
However, you’re not supposed to go overboard. Kalanchoe plants won’t do well if they’re made to sit in water.
This is why it’s important to put them in a pot that allows the soil to drain well. You also want to let the soil dry out a bit between watering sessions.
Check the soil with your fingers to ensure that the top two inches are a bit dry. When this is the case, you’ll want to water thoroughly until water pours out of the drainage holes in the pot.
Use Fertilizer
Fertilizer helps these plants to bloom, too. During the growing season, it’s wise to give kalanchoe plants liquid houseplant fertilizer.
Do this once per month and be sure not to use too much. You want to follow the instructions and dilute the fertilizer so you don’t harm the plant.
Don’t use fertilizer when it isn’t the growing season. If you use fertilizer responsibly, it can help to produce the best blooms.
Prune the Plant
Pruning the plant is another thing that helps the plants to rebloom. You want to cut off any spent blooms.
Keeping old and dead flowers on the plant will only waste energy. Pruning allows the plant to focus its energy on new growth and new blooms.
When you prune the plant, be sure to use sterilized pruning shears. You want them to be sharp so that the cuts will be clean every single time.
It’s also best to wear gardening gloves when doing this. Remember to prune the plant as necessary to keep your plant thriving.
Simulating a Dormant Period
Simulating a dormant period for the plant will help it to bloom again. After the blooming season is over, you can move the plant to a cooler room.
The cooler room should have a temperature between 50 degrees Fahrenheit and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. You still want the plant to receive bright indirect sunlight.
Keep the plant in this room for six weeks. It should get ten hours of bright light per day and then fourteen hours of darkness.
During this period of time, you’re not meant to water the plant or give it fertilizer. This is important when you’re trying to coax the plant to bloom again.
After six weeks have passed, you can resume caring for the plant as normal. You should see buds start to form.
Put the kalanchoe plant back in the usual south-facing or west-facing window. Water and feed the plant as normal and it should do very well.
How Do You Keep Kalanchoe Blooming?
To keep kalanchoe blooming, you just need to follow the advice above. If you go through the steps, you’ll be able to keep the plant blooming for as long as possible.
When keeping this plant outdoors, it’s going to bloom almost the entire year. It will usually go through a short dormancy period during the early days of winter.
If you want your kalanchoe plant to bloom as often as possible indoors, simply keep it warm and provide it with the right care. When you water the plant properly and feed it well, it’s going to bloom for quite some time.
Whenever the blooms are spent, prune the plant. You want the plant to stop wasting energy on the dead flowers so it can make new ones.
A dormancy period is important for getting the plant to bloom again. There will be times where the plant won’t bloom.
If you give the plant the right environment, it’ll bloom again when the time is right. You’ll be able to keep enjoying your kalanchoe plant and its beautiful blooms for many years.
Kalanchoe Care After Flowering
After kalanchoe plants have flowered, you’ll be able to enjoy them for a while. The blooming season for indoor kalanchoe plants generally lasts from late winter to late spring.
When the flowers are spent, you should cut them back. Doing so allows the plant to focus its energy on new growth rather than wasting energy on the spent blooms.
Pruning kalanchoe plants is rather easy overall. You just need to use sharp pruning shears that have been properly sterilized.
Make clean cuts and get rid of the dead flowers. The plant will be better off when you take the time to prune it after the blooming season has finished.
How Long Will Kalanchoe Bloom?
Kalanchoe plants can’t keep flowering constantly. They can bloom for a long time outdoors when kept in the right environment.
However, things are different when keeping these plants as houseplants. They usually only bloom for a specific period of time.
No matter what, kalanchoe plants are only going to bloom for months at a time. They will bloom for several months and then there will be a resting period where the plant won’t bloom.
You can get the plant to bloom again, but you need to keep caring for the plant properly. The dormancy period is important when trying to coax the plant to bloom once more.
So it’s natural for these plants to lose their blooms after a certain amount of time has passed. The plant can come back and look as beautiful as ever, but it won’t constantly bloom.
Keep Kalanchoe Plants Away From Pets
Remember to keep your kalanchoe plants away from pets. This is important because cats or dogs might try to eat the plant.
You don’t want your kalanchoe plant getting devoured by your pets. These plants are toxic and will cause dogs and cats to have stomach problems.
It isn’t the most toxic houseplant that you’ll find on the market. Even so, you don’t want your canine or feline companions to get hurt.
The best option is to place these plants somewhere safe. Ensure that pets can’t reach the plant so you won’t have to worry.
So long as you keep this in mind, you should have any problem keeping your pets safe. The kalanchoe plant will be safe from harm as well.
Kalanchoe Plants Are Toxic to Humans
Kalanchoe plants are toxic to humans as well. You shouldn’t put these houseplants in the reach of children for safety reasons.
Sometimes kids will do strange things and they might put kalanchoe leaves in their mouths. Don’t let this happen since kalanchoe plants are toxic.
You don’t want to handle kalanchoe plants with your bare hands either. It could potentially cause irritation. To avoid such issues, you’ll want to use a standard pair of gardening gloves.
These plants aren’t necessarily dangerous, but you do want to keep everyone safe. Just don’t keep your plants on a low shelf or somewhere else that children will be able to reach.
Final Thoughts
You’ve learned everything that you need to know about getting kalanchoe plants to bloom. Now you should have an easy time getting the results that you’ve been hoping for.
It isn’t that hard to get these plants to bloom. You just need to care for them properly and they’ll bloom indoors.
Getting them to bloom again after they’ve done so once requires proper care and a simulated dormancy period. This is easy enough to achieve by keeping the houseplant in a cooler room and getting the light requirements right.
Kalanchoe plants are quite pretty and it can be fun to enjoy these plants when they’re blooming. You can keep getting the plant to rebloom so long as you go through the right steps.
Care for the plant well and be sure to prune away dead blooms. So long as you’re putting in the effort, your kalanchoe plants should stay healthy and look great.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.