A little trick to keep Christmas kalanchoe strong and beautiful for years to come

If you grow Kalanchoe blossfeldiana properly, you will enjoy its small colourful flowers for many years. This interesting plant can bloom at different times of the year – including the winter. The colour of flowers is greatly enhanced by the dark green and slightly toothed leaves.

However, this plant may not always bloom as you wish. That is as when you bought it. So, what is the trick that can make the plant to produce beautiful flowers again?

Growing Christmas kalanchoe at home

Kalanchoe is a pretty undemanding plant. It belongs to the family of succulents and therefore it does not need a lot of water because it stores water in leaves – for bad times. You should only water once a week and even less in winter and only when the soil dries out slightly. Unlike many other plants, the Christmas kalanchoe does not like dew.

It is not keen on lighting either as it can grow in a partial shade, so you should choose a bright place that does not get a direct sunlight. Do not place it at a south-facing window which gets the midday heat. And what other conditions do you need to provide? It needs a soil with humus mixed with a coarse sand to ensure permeability of the substrate. It also prefers moderate temperatures between 15 and 23 °C, while higher and lower temperature extremes may harm the plant.

Photo: Pixabay

Making your Christmas kalanchoe bloom

Many of us buy kalanchoe when the plant is in full bloom. You bring it home and the flowers last for up to several weeks, and when the flowers are gone you need to prune it (shoots should be shortened by half). But that is not all. To make it bloom again, you need to care for it properly. Kalanchoe is a so-called short-day plant which blooms when days are shortest. Original species bloomed in winter, which was very much appreciated by everyone.

The trick is to partially shade the plant. In winter, move the plant to a room where you do not use artificial light often. A practical solution is to cover it with a cardboard for about 14 hours. Continue with this “care” for about a month or a month and half. During this time you also need to provide slightly cooler temperature (about 15 °C). If do this, your kalanchoe should bloom.

Lemon trick

Kalanchoe also needs a fertilizer. Try adding one tablespoon of lemon juice to your watering can once every month. Lemon juice contains all necessary vitamins and minerals in natural form and your plant will appreciate it and should start bloomimg. If you want to use fertilizers designed for succulents, you may fertilize every two weeks, from May to August. You should also repot regularly – in the spring.

How to propagate Kalanchoe

Very easily. This plant produces tiny plants with roots right at the edges of leaves and you can use them as cuttings. However, you may also get viable cuttings from the top of the plant, best in May and June.

Preview photo: Pixabay

Source: https://www.ceskestavby.cz/rostliny/kalanchoe-kolopejka.html