How to Prune Kalanchoe? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Pruning Methods
Pruning kalanchoe is not strictly necessary, but proper pruning can give the plant a attractive shape, keep it short, sturdy and full, and produce more flowers. The pruned branches can also be kept for propagation by cuttings. In fact, the pruning method for kalanchoe is very simple. Let us take a look together at how to prune kalanchoe!
When to Prune Kalanchoe
The first pair of leaves below the flower branch has no value worth keeping and should be cut off together with the flower branch promptly and without hesitation! The second pair of leaves below the flower branch should be kept for a period of time. Generally, once 2 new shoots appear and grow to 6 to 8 cm, they can be cut off to propagate new plants by cuttings. The section from the 2nd to the 4th pair of leaves below the flower branch is the best segment for cuttings, and depending on your own habits it can be used for soil cuttings, water propagation or sand propagation.
Pruning Methods for Kalanchoe
1. Cut off the second pair of leaves below the flower branch together with the flower branch. After some time, new shoots will grow and it can bloom a second time.
⟦NL>2. Do a major pruning every year after the flowers fade. For pruning done before July, simply leave about 3 cm of stem, and everything else can be cut off (no leaves need to be kept at all).
3. When pruning, combine it with repotting and fertilizing. The pruned branches can be used for cuttings. Before long, the kalanchoe will grow many tender shoots. After that, keep the plant within 10-15 cm; anything beyond that can be pinched off.
How to Make Kalanchoe Bloom More
1. The pot should not be too large: Many gardening enthusiasts mistakenly believe that the larger the pot, the more growing space the plant has, and the better it should grow, with more and more abundant flowers. Actually, this is not the case. The reasoning is simple: a large pot means large space, the roots grow and spread freely, and a great deal of nutrients is consumed needlessly, while the nutrients used for forming flower buds and blooming are reduced. This results in sparse, narrow and small leaves, fewer flowers and smaller blooms.
2. The plant should not be too tall: After the summer dormancy, autumn is exactly the period of vigorous growth for kalanchoe. A substantial pruning should be carried out before the Start of Autumn, so that the plant shape is low and sturdy and branching is promoted. Combined with fertilizing, this ensures good plant growth. Because there are many branches, there will be many flower heads later.
3. Fertilizer should not be too concentrated: Sufficient fertilizer and water are certainly the foundation for lush flowers and leaves, but many gardening enthusiasts, on the one hand to save trouble and on the other hand overestimating the tolerance of kalanchoe, often apply a large amount of concentrated fertilizer all at once, with the opposite result. Kalanchoe either develops a large number of yellow leaves or becomes listless because the soil solution concentration is too high.