Kalanchoe plants are some of the most popular succulents out there. They’re common sights at many stores because of how nice they look.
These are simple plants to take care of even if you consider yourself to be a novice. Because the plants are so hardy, it’s unlikely that you’ll have a tough time keeping them alive.
One reason why these plants are so popular is that they’re fairly small. You can keep succulents such as kalanchoe plants in many different spots in your home.
You might be surprised if your kalanchoe appears to be growing tall, though. What will cause a kalanchoe plant to grow taller than usual?
Below, you’ll learn more about this topic. It’ll help you to understand what’s going on.
Insufficient Sunlight
The most common reason why kalanchoe plants will grow too tall involves insufficient sunlight. When these plants don’t get enough sunlight, they’re going to grow taller in an effort to seek out sunlight.
This is a common thing that many plants do. They will grow and stretch out to reach toward the light.
You can’t put kalanchoe plants in a low-light environment if you want them to thrive. They’ll do very poorly and will not be able to survive without sufficient sunlight.
To keep these plants in good health, it’s important to put them in rooms with lots of light. You want to keep kalanchoe plants in bright and sunny rooms.
When the plant has enough sunlight, it won’t need to grow too tall. It’ll look much more normal and you’ll be far happier with the plant overall.
Light Requirement Advice
Of course, you should try to give the kalanchoe plant the best sunlight situation possible. Simply putting the plant in a bright room might not lead to the best results.
You see, these plants are a bit sensitive when it comes to direct sunlight. They aren’t hardy enough to withstand direct sunlight during the hottest and brightest parts of the day.
As such, it’s best to give these plants bright indirect sunlight to keep them healthy. Put them in a room where they’ll get sunlight while staying protected from the harshness of direct sunlight.
It should be easy enough to find a good spot in your home for this. You can filter the sunlight enough to make it safe for the plant.
Kalanchoe plants that are exposed to direct sunlight will often get scorched. This will cause brown spots to appear on the leaves and other parts of the plant.
Now that you know this, you can plan accordingly. Find the perfect spot for your kalanchoe plants in your home.
You Need to Prune the Plant
Sometimes plants will look leggy if you don’t prune them properly. The term “leggy” refers to plants that look overly tall and unnatural.
When plants have too many dead flowers, the branches that are still attached will cause the plants to start growing in unusual ways. This can lead to the plant being taller and having a leggy look.
This is less than ideal, but it’s something that you can easily avoid. You simply need to take the time to prune the plant to keep this from happening.
Prune dead flowers, leaves, and branches as necessary. You should prune your kalanchoe plant starting from the crown and working your way down.
You’ll be left with a plant that looks far healthier and more visually appealing. So long as you prune the plant semi-regularly, it’s unlikely that you’ll have issues keeping it healthy.
When you prune the plant to the best of your ability, it helps the plant to focus its energy properly. It’ll be able to focus on healthy new growth instead of growing too tall due to the presence of dead flowers, branches, and leaves.
Watering Problems
Watering problems can also contribute to leggy growth. Both over-watering and under-watering are known to impact the growth of the plant.
Kalanchoe plants are particularly sensitive to being watered too much. You have to be careful not to give the plants more water than usual.
When you water the plants too much or water them too little, it causes them to start growing strangely. It could lead to taller plants that don’t look as good.
Whenever you go to water the plant, it’s best to check the soil first. You should only water the plant when the top two inches of the soil are completely dry.
Don’t make the mistake of watering the plant when the soil is just a bit dry. Since kalanchoe plants are so sensitive to overwatering, it could be a huge mistake to make.
Granted, these plants won’t do well if you don’t water them enough. It’s still better to water the plants less often than it is to water them too often.
If you’re keeping the kalanchoe plants indoors, you’ll likely water them every two or three weeks. Just be sure to check the soil each time to avoid issues.
Consider Propagating the Plants
Have you thought about propagating the kalanchoe plants? If you have kalanchoe plants that are leggy, this can be a way to give them a fresh start and do things right.
It’ll take some effort to propagate these plants, but it’s worthwhile if you want the kalanchoe plants to look great. You can take cuttings from the main kalanchoe plant at the crown and you can take stem cuttings.
Both cuttings can be propagated. You need to allow the cuttings to develop calluses for a few days before proceeding.
How long it will take depends on the thickness of the stem. It could take between one and three days.
It might be best to treat the cuttings by dipping them in growth hormone powder. Only do this after the wound has been calloused.
Buy succulent soil that you can use as the growth medium. You can also create your own soil if you’d rather go that route.
To make your own soil for these succulents, use two parts soil mixture and one part peat moss and sand. You want the soil to get moist when it’s watered, but you never want it to become soggy.
Place the cuttings in the soil and then make it so the stems are upright in the pot. Give the cuttings enough humidity and they will do a good job of getting started.
One option is to put the pot in a plastic container and put a clear plastic bag over the top of it. You can then make some air holes to help trap moisture.
Once you notice that the cutting is starting to grow, you can remove the bag. The cutting should be placed in bright and indirect sunlight so it has the best chance to grow strong.
Can You Fix Leggy Kalanchoe Plants?
You can fix leggy kalanchoe plants if you catch things early enough. If you wait too long, it might wind up being better to propagate the plant and start fresh.
Try to notice the early signs of stress so you can take action. If you notice signs that the plant is being watered too much or that it’s being watered too little, you can turn things around.
It’s also easy enough to start pruning the plant appropriately. If the kalanchoe plant simply looks a bit leggy, it can likely be turned around by pruning the plant.
When things are pronounced it might be hardy to get the plant to look normal. In some cases, moving the plant to a room with brighter light will fix things, but you can reach a point where the plant has become far too leggy.
If you’ve ignored the plant for quite some time, you might not be able to fix this issue. It all depends on how early you catch things.
This is why it’s imperative to put plants in the right spot in your home. You want to give them ideal sunlight conditions so they can thrive.
Before you buy plants, it’s always best to look things up so you know what to expect. This helps you to avoid pitfalls and take care of the plants properly.
Final Thoughts
Now you know why a kalanchoe plant might grow too tall. Commonly, this is referred to as a plant becoming “leggy.”
There are a few different reasons why this occurs. It can happen when the plant isn’t getting enough sunlight.
Kalanchoe plants don’t do well in low-light environments. They need to be kept in bright rooms where they can receive indirect sunlight.
When you fail to give the plants sufficient light, they’ll start growing unusually tall in an effort to seek light. You can try to turn things around by moving the plant to a brighter room.
Watering the plant too much or too little might cause the plant to grow strangely, too. This can be a problem and you need to be especially careful not to over-water these plants.
It’s easy to kill kalanchoe plants when you water them too much. Be sure to check to see if the top two inches of soil are completely dry before watering a kalanchoe plant.
You also need to prune the plants to keep them growing normally. If you leave dead branches, flowers, and leaves on the plant it’ll start growing unusually.
The plant can’t focus its energy properly when in this state. You need to prune it so it can grow naturally and look its best.
Knowing all of this should make it easier to get great results. If your plant is far too leggy and you can’t fix things, you can always try to propagate it.
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.