Potted kalanchoe: Learn 3 little tricks for thick, fleshy leaves, no root rot, and nonstop blooms that easily fill the pot

I have loved many flowers, and many were just passing fancies, but potted kalanchoe is my great love, and it was also the first flowering variety I came into contact with after I became passionate about green plants. Botanically, it has professional names, called "false crape myrtle" and "Christmas kalanchoe," but none of them sound as festive as "longevity flower," which also fits well with Chinese customs and ways, steeped in an earthy kind of beauty.

Potted kalanchoe does not have the delicate gorgeousness of peonies, nor the fresh fragrance of narcissus, but it has its own unique beauty. When in bloom, you can admire the flowers; when not in bloom, you can admire the leaves. It has conical cymes, with 4 small petals, like little spinning pinwheels.

Its flowering period is very long, and the name longevity flower truly does justice to this small plant with its diverse flower colors. There is the worn-out saying that no flower stays red for a hundred days, yet this flower of longevity has a flowering period of more than a hundred days, from December to June of the following year, it is almost always blooming, and even in summer a few blooms can still be seen. It is also the variety with the longest flowering period among the plants I personally grow, apart from periwinkle.

Potted kalanchoe is extremely easy to keep alive. Just break off a branch casually and stick it in soil and it will live; grow it for a year or so and it can bloom, and it does not need much water, fertilizer, or special care. For the flowerpot, try to use a clay pot with better permeability, and you can also put some crushed charcoal pieces or expanded clay pebbles at the bottom of the pot; enhancing its permeability is even more conducive to growth;

For the potting soil, it is best to choose one with good drainage, and do not choose a water-retaining medium. You can directly buy succulent potting mix, or simply use sand to plant it, and just add a little organic fertilizer water when watering, and it will grow very well.

Potted kalanchoe is a flowering plant that is relatively drought-tolerant but afraid of waterlogging and prone to root rot, so a ventilated environment is very important for daily care. The watering principle is: do not water when not dry, better dry than wet, and when watering, water thoroughly. In spring and autumn, water once a week; in summer, when it enters a semi-dormant period, pay attention to controlling water.

In addition, a secret to blooming is that, no matter spring, summer, autumn, or winter, as long as it is the flowering period, focus mainly on phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, such as monopotassium phosphate and bone meal, which will promote more vivid and more abundant flower colors. Fertilization can combine spraying the leaves with watering the roots, and the effect is very good.