How to grow a Kalanchoe (florist kalanchoe) with sparse leaves so it bursts into a full pot?

    Kalanchoe is one of the garden flowers of our country, with graceful blooms and brilliant colors. Because the name "longevity flower" carries the meaning of long life, it is much loved by people in daily life. So how do you grow it so it bursts into a full pot? The method is actually very simple, just pay attention to water and fertilizer management and so on. Below are the detailed secrets for growing kalanchoe into a full pot. Those who love flowers and plants can learn from it.

    Many people ask me, what should I do if my kalanchoe has sparse, straggly leaves? The method is actually very simple; you can think about it from the angle of the environment and then take certain measures. Of course, before taking measures you must first check the plant to see whether it is still alive. For example, first observe the leaves. What this fan encountered was the problem of a sparse, straggly plant, so first we need to consider whether it has bugs, then dig out the roots to see whether they have rotted. In some cases the roots have rotted but the leaves are still green. If the roots have completely decayed, then there is no need for it to exist anymore - off to the trash can. If the roots are still intact, then you can go ahead with the next step.

    When growing flowering plants, the fertility needs to be high; especially the more flowers it produces, the more fertility it needs, and this is a direct proportional relationship. You can consider topdressing. Kalanchoe easily blooms and bursts into a full pot. It is best to fertilize once every half month to increase nutrients and replenish nutrition in time. Only when kalanchoe gets fertilizer will it grow luxuriantly, just like this pot of mine: after blooming, the leaves can still sprout, and they are still lush green.

Light is certainly indispensable. Generally speaking, do not expose it to blazing sun, as that will scorch the roots and leaves and make the flowers grow very unattractively. You can shade it appropriately and just give it scattered light; the light should also be sufficient, otherwise the kalanchoe that grows will also look unattractive. I do not recommend placing it on a balcony unless you have the energy to build a rain shelter or provide enough shade. Balconies often get wind and sun, and if you do not bring the plant back into the room in time, it is very hard to remedy.

    As for watering, check whether you are watering too little or too much. With too little water, the plant does not get enough moisture and the leaves will not grow large; with too much water, the leaves will turn yellow and the roots will rot, affecting growth. It is best if you can control the amount of water. For example, some growers like to water twice a day, but only water the surface - once the surface is wet, that is enough. Or the amount of water is relatively large: one scoop pours too much water, leading to excess water and fertilizer that cannot be absorbed. That will affect growth.

    There is basically no problem with the soil, unless you run into an inconsiderate seller. Some sellers, in order to save costs, use yellow mud mixed with nutrient soil. It is very demanding on fertilizer, and the soil easily becomes compacted and cannot absorb fully. Even if you water or fertilize in time, after a few days you have to fertilize and water again, which is very wasteful. Here I will teach everyone a little trick: when you find that the plant cannot grow, you can pour a large amount of water into the soil and then watch the seepage speed. Generally, soil that is not compacted and has sufficient fertility will seep through in the fastest few seconds. If it is compacted and lacks nutrients, the seepage speed will be very slow. At this point you need to change the soil. When changing the soil, you also need to consider whether the flower pot is breathable and whether there is a large amount of foam and stones in the soil. These are things some sellers put in the soil to save costs; this is a common phenomenon.

    Actually, growing flowers is very simple; it is nothing more than water and fertilizer management, disease and pest control, soil management and so on. If your kalanchoe shows sparse, straggly leaves, then you need to think from multiple angles about what is causing it. The above are the secrets I have shared about growing kalanchoe into a full pot. I hope it is helpful to everyone.

How to prune kalanchoe: an expert's illustrated guide to kalanchoe pruning methods

Generally, after kalanchoe finishes blooming it needs pruning, and it also needs heavy pruning. All the small leaves and branches on the upper part must be cut off; those are flower branches, and if you do not cut them off, a few sparse flower buds will still emerge from between the leaves, affecting later growth and shaping.

If you want kalanchoe to bloom more and look more beautiful, flower lovers must prune diligently. As long as kalanchoe has more side buds, it will bloom more. Below, I will explain kalanchoe pruning matters using hand-drawn illustrations plus text.

Figure 1

Figure 1: When pruning kalanchoe, first leave the main stem. Side buds will all grow from the top, because kalanchoe has apical dominance, and it is very obvious. After pinching off the top or cutting off branches, side buds will all emerge from between the topmost leaves and branches.

Figure 2

Figure 2: Wait for the side buds to grow out. When they grow to 3 pairs of leaves, keep two pairs of leaves (or one pair of leaves is also fine) and prune off the top.

Figure 3

Figure 3: Keep cycling like this until stopping before bud formation. In this way, the more flower branches there are, the more flowers will bloom. The premise of pruning is that it is carried out under conditions of sufficient nutrients and light. If light is insufficient, the branches will grow leggy, the internodal distance between branches will be too large, affecting later shaping. If fertilizer and water supply are insufficient, not even a few side buds will appear in a year, and this process will be very long.

Kalanchoe's growth habits and whether it blooms in summer

Kalanchoe is a succulent plant with a high water content in its body. So flower lovers ask whether kalanchoe blooms in summer. There is no definite answer to this question, because temperatures vary from place to place, so the blooming time also differs. Today let us take a look at whether kalanchoe can really bloom in summer.

Growth habits:

Kalanchoe is native to Africa. It likes a warm, slightly humid and sunny environment, and is not cold-tolerant. The suitable growth temperature is 15-25°C. In summer, when high temperatures exceed 30°C, growth is hindered. In winter, the indoor temperature needs to be 12-15°C. Below 5°C, the leaves turn red and the flowering period is delayed. In the winter-spring flowering period, if the room temperature exceeds 24°C, flowering will be inhibited. If the temperature is around 15°C, kalanchoe will bloom continuously.

Kalanchoe is drought-tolerant and not strict about soil; fertile sandy loam is best. Kalanchoe is a short-day plant and is relatively sensitive to photoperiod. For a plant that is growing and developing well, giving short-day treatment (8-9 hours of light per day) for 3-4 weeks will cause flower buds to appear and bloom.

Let us first talk about a piece of theoretical knowledge: generally speaking, the flowering period of kalanchoe is from early spring to early summer, that is, around February to May each year.

At this point some flower lovers say the flowering period above is inaccurate, and that their own kalanchoe also blooms in summer. Here we need to tell flower lovers that after the first flowering period of kalanchoe, some varieties will continue to bloom one after another afterward. This is mainly seen in single-petaled varieties, while double-petaled kalanchoe is not so easy to bloom.

Because our country is vast and flower lovers' care environments differ, kalanchoe will bloom continuously when the temperature is around 15°C. So it is inevitable that some flower lovers have a care environment with a lower temperature, or happen to provide the conditions for kalanchoe to bloom, but this cannot be counted as a widespread flowering period.

Finally, to sum up, the main flowering period of kalanchoe is from early spring to early summer, and in summer some varieties will bloom sparsely and straggly. Strictly speaking, this situation is not considered a true flowering period.

The above is all the content I have learned today about kalanchoe's growth habits and whether it blooms in summer. I hope flower lovers will find it helpful after reading this article. If you want to learn more, please continue to follow our Succulent Flower Garden, and we will provide you with more related knowledge!