Why Kalanchoe blossfeldiana grows leggy with buds that won't open, and how to fix it

A while ago, the editor potted several Kalanchoe blossfeldiana plants that gradually began to bloom, but due to recent continuous rainy days, the light was not very good, and the Kalanchoe blossfeldiana developed the phenomenon of leggy leaves. To prevent this from happening, we can usually take two measures: increasing light and chemical control.

As for increasing light, we only need to promptly place it in a spot with sufficient light on sunny days, providing it with 4-6 hours of sunlight; for chemical control, we usually spray the plant with paclobutrazol.

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is very beautiful when in bloom, especially as a potted plant; if paired with a pretty flower pot, the whole potted plant looks gorgeous. But one of the Kalanchoe blossfeldiana plants was bought online by the editor. Although it had buds when purchased, the buds never opened and bloomed. If the buds are still fairly fresh and lively but simply refuse to bloom for a long time, there are usually two reasons.

1. Insufficient nutrients

To help Kalanchoe blossfeldiana successfully open its buds, when fertilizing it, we might try using nutrient solution, and we can use a little more of it on its own to increase nutrients. As long as the Kalanchoe blossfeldiana absorbs and accumulates enough nutrients, it will naturally bloom. Of course, a Kalanchoe blossfeldiana bought online with buds on it is generally not suitable for directly applying other fertilizers; using an appropriate amount of nutrient solution is enough.

2. Proper leaf removal

As mentioned above, the original Kalanchoe blossfeldiana developed leggy stems and leaves due to insufficient light. Since the plant is growing stems and leaves wildly, it will naturally consume quite a lot of nutrients. In addition to using nutrient solution as in the first point, we also need to find a way to reduce nutrient consumption. The simplest and most direct approach is to remove some stems and leaves.

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is a succulent plant, and its leaves are very easy to remove; usually they come off with a gentle snap. The healthy leaves we remove can also be used for leaf cuttings to propagate small Kalanchoe blossfeldiana seedlings. Generally, we only need to remove a small number of relatively slow-growing old leaves from the bottom of the potted Kalanchoe blossfeldiana.

Through the above two methods, we found that to help Kalanchoe blossfeldiana successfully open its buds and promote blooming, we can achieve this by reducing the nutrient consumption of the leaves and reasonably increasing nutrients. Of course, this method is only suitable when Kalanchoe blossfeldiana has buds but does not bloom and shows leggy growth. For other cases of not blooming, this method is not necessarily suitable; scientific methods should be adopted according to the specific cause.