Kalanchoe Watering Guide for Beginners

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Have you recently purchased a kalanchoe plant for your home? These are some of the most popular houseplants that you can buy.

It’s likely that you’ll love how nice the kalanchoe plant is. Kalanchoe plants are beautiful and they’re fairly easy to take care of, too.

Of course, to get the best experience it’s important to water the plants correctly. You don’t want to make mistakes that might harm the plant.

Below, you’ll learn everything that you need to know about watering kalanchoe plants. This will ensure that you’ll have a good experience so the plant will thrive under your care.

How Often to Water Kalanchoe

How often you’ll need to water kalanchoe plants will depend on a few things. Firstly, you need to know that there’s a difference between caring for indoor kalanchoe plants and outdoor kalanchoe plants.

Outdoor kalanchoe plants might need to be watered a bit more often when it’s hot outside. During the hottest parts of the year, these plants might need to be watered multiple times per week.

Indoor plants are different because they’re generally experiencing steady temperatures. These plants won’t dry out as fast as outdoor kalanchoe plants will.

The best thing to do is to check the soil with your fingers. Whether you’re caring for an indoor or outdoor plant, you want to check the condition of the soil before watering it.

For kalanchoe plants, the top two inches of the soil should be dry. If the soil remains moist, it’s not time to water the plant yet.

You want to check the soil every single time no matter what. Watering these plants too often is only going to be detrimental to the health of the plant.

It’s typical for indoor kalanchoe plants to need water once every two or three weeks. You should still check the soil multiple times per week to be safe.

Outdoor plants should be checked every few days during the spring and summer. Do your best to give your plants the ideal amount of water to keep them healthy.

How Much Water Does Kalanchoe Need?

You do need to make sure that kalanchoe plants are getting enough water. They need the water to be able to grow strong and remain healthy.

Outdoor kalanchoes need to receive one inch of rain each week. In some areas, you might not need to water the kalanchoe plants yourself very often at all.

If the kalanchoe is getting enough rain, it’ll be just fine. It’s still good to check the soil to make sure, though.

Indoor kalanchoe plants are different because you always have to water them yourself. These plants should be watered thoroughly each time you water them.

When the top two inches of the soil are dry, you should water them until the water comes out of the drainage holes. Make sure to see the water coming out of the drainage holes in the pot before you stop.

You then allow the plant to sit for ten or twenty minutes. After this period of time has passed, empty the drainage dish so the kalanchoe plant won’t be sitting in water.

When to Water Kalanchoe

Knowing when to water the kalanchoe plant isn’t possible without using the soil-checking method. You need to touch the soil and see if it has become dry first.

You must allow the top two inches of the soil to dry before watering the plant. If you don’t, it’s going to cause you to water it too much.

This leads to substantial problems that you’ll learn about later. For now, just know that you have to check the plant regularly to see if it needs to be water.

Every few days, it’s wise to touch the soil with your fingers. See how everything is going and then water the plant if necessary.

Outdoor kalanchoe plants will generally need to be watered more often than indoor plants. This is because they have to deal with hotter temperatures and more sunlight.

Commonly, kalanchoe plants will need to be watered every eight to ten days. Even knowing this, it’s still best to check the soil because you need to determine the right frequency for your pot size and temperature conditions.

It’s not smart to just water the plant every ten days. You might wind up watering the plant too little if you decide to go that route.

Signs of Overwatering

Being able to recognize the signs of overwatering is important. Your plant will likely exhibit certain symptoms if you’re watering it too much.

When you water these plants too much, you’ll often notice changes in the leaves. The leaves might start to appear soft and mushy.

Occasionally, the leaves will also take on a translucent appearance. This is due to a lack of chlorophyll that is brought on by the overwatering issue.

The leaves might start to rot away and the rot will generally start at the bottom of the plant. You might also notice the presence of fungal growth due to excessive moisture.

It’s common for these plants to experience leaf dropping when they’re watered too much. The leaves might drop right off of the plant.

If you see any of these signs, you need to stop watering the plant. You’re harming the plant and it won’t survive for much longer if things continue like this.

Kalanchoe and Root Rot

Kalanchoe plants are very susceptible to issues such as root rot. Root rot occurs when a plant is given way too much water.

These plants are sensitive when it comes to sitting in water. If you water them more than usual, it’ll cause several issues.

It’s likely that the plant won’t respond well if it isn’t allowed to dry out between watering sessions. You have to let the soil dry a bit before you water it again.

When you fail to do this, it makes it hard for the kalanchoe plant to cope. Too much water will essentially cause the plant to drown.

The roots will start to become soft and soggy as the problem continues. Root rot will kill the plant if you don’t fix things fast.

Once the roots have started rotting, it might not be possible to save the plant. This is why it’s imperative to be careful when watering kalanchoe plants.

You want to get things right so you can avoid problems such as root rot. It’d be better to water the plant a little less often than you should instead of watering it too much.

How to Save Overwatered Kalanchoe

What can you do if you’ve made the mistake of watering a kalanchoe plant too much? Is it possible to turn things around or will the plant die?

It all depends on how bad things are. The most important thing to do is to stop watering the plant.

Do not water the plant again until it has completely dried out. It might require you to leave the plant alone for two or three weeks.

If you’re watering the plant too much, it could be that there’s an issue with the soil. Perhaps the soil doesn’t drain well and this is causing you to experience overwatering issues.

In this case, it’d be wise to put the kalanchoe in a new pot. Get new soil for it and ensure that the soil is well-draining.

You can test the soil to see if it drains properly. This will be much better for the kalanchoe plant.

Another thing to consider is the pot that you’re using. Does the pot have good drainage holes?

Sometimes people make the mistake of using pots that don’t have drainage holes. You also might simply need a pot that has more drainage holes to get better results.

Making some changes can help you to overcome over-watering issues. The most important thing is to avoid watering the plant too much, but making some adjustments can help with that.

What to Do About Black Spots

What should you do if you see black spots appear on the stems? At this point, you’re going to have to cut the plant back to try to save it.

Black spots on the stem are an indication of rot. You want to stop the spread of the rot as well as you can.

You can try cutting back the plant and this will involve essentially beheading it. The kalanchoe might come back and thrive, but it’ll take some time.

There have also been situations where people have cut away rotting parts of the roots. Sometimes root rot will start, but all of the roots won’t be rotten.

Cutting away the rotten sections of the plant might give it more of a chance to survive. It isn’t a guarantee that the kalanchoe will survive, though.

Final Thoughts

Do your best to water kalanchoe plants properly. You want to wait until the top two inches of soil have dried out to water the plants.

If you water these plants too often, it’s going to be bad. Kalanchoe plants are notoriously susceptible to root rot and other over-watering issues.

You should always check the soil before watering these plants. Water them thoroughly without going overboard.

It might be that you’ll need better soil. Well-draining soil is important when caring for these plants.

Having a good pot that has drainage holes will also be imperative. If you keep this in mind, it shouldn’t be hard to get good results.

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