When Is the Kalanchoe Blooming Season? A Full Guide to Its Flowering Time

The kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana) blooms from January to April. It generally produces brilliant, eye-catching flowers from January to April of the following year, with as many as dozens of flowers on a single flowering stem. Its blooming period lasts more than 4 months, which is how the kalanchoe got its name. It is an ideal potted flower for giving to relatives, friends and elders during New Year's Day and the Spring Festival.

The kalanchoe is native to Africa. It likes a warm, slightly humid environment with plenty of sunlight. It is not cold-tolerant, and its optimum growing temperature is 15-25°C. When summer temperatures exceed 30°C, growth is inhibited. In winter, the indoor temperature must not fall below 12°C, and 15-18°C during the day with above 10°C at night is best. Below 5°C, the leaves turn red and flowering is delayed or fails to occur normally, affecting its ornamental value during the holidays. If the room temperature exceeds 24°C during the winter-spring flowering period, flowering will be inhibited, while at around 15°C the kalanchoe will bloom continuously.

The kalanchoe is drought-tolerant and has no strict soil requirements, though fertile sandy loam is best. Generally, repot once each spring after the flowers fade. A good potting soil mix is 4 parts leaf mold, 4 parts garden soil, 2 parts river sand, plus a small amount of a mixed fertilizer. The kalanchoe is a short-day plant and is quite sensitive to the photoperiod. For well-grown plants, giving them short-day treatment (8-9 hours of light per day) for 3-4 weeks will bring out flower buds and blooms.