Kalanchoes are popular succulent houseplants with long-lasting blooms. Perhaps you’ve seen one but never brought it home. I want to encourage you to do that because they’re easy to grow and bloom for quite a long time. Here’s how to care for flowering kalanchoes and get them to bloom again.
Like most succulents, these are low-maintenance plants. This popular flowering succulent houseplant is very easy to find. It’s sold in grocery stores, nurseries, big box stores, garden shops, and flower shops.
They’re grown in a wide range of colors; most of them are vibrant hues like yellow, pink, magenta, orange, and red. No shrinking violets here! Around the holidays, you can more readily find them in white. The foliage makes a statement, too, because it’s glossy green, and the leaves are quite large.
- Botanical Name: Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
- Common Name: Flowering Kalanchoe, Flaming Katy, Florist’s Kalanchoe
Note: This post was originally published on 11/20/2017. It was updated on 8/19/2020 & 4/26/2024.
Table of Contents
How to Care for Flowering Kalanchoes
These care tips are for keeping your indoor Kalanchoe going for the long haul. I had one for five years until it got too leggy, and I had to send it to the compost pile.
Calandiva and Grandiva are relatively newer cultivars (or varieties) with multi-petals that resemble roses now commonly sold in nurseries, Trader Joe’s, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. The Grandiva flowers are even bigger. Here is a guide dedicated to Calandiva Care.
Size
Kalanchoes sold in 6″ grow pots usually stand about 12″ tall. They’re also sold in 4″ pots and 2″ pots to go into dish gardens.
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Exposure
Flowering Kalanchoes like bright, indirect light. A medium or high-light situation is best, provided they’re not getting direct sunlight. Be sure to keep them out of hot windows because they’ll burn.
The more light you give your Kalanchoe, the better it’ll look. In low light conditions, the flower buds tend not to open, and the foliage gets spindly. If you have low light and want a Kalanchoe, buy it in full bloom.
Yours would enjoy spending the summer outdoors just as long as it’s protected from the hot afternoon sun and excess rain. I live in the Arizona desert where I grow my Kalanchoes both indoors and out. I keep mine on the patio out of the sun completely because the rays are so strong, and the sun shines almost daily. They’d fry in full sun in a few minutes here in summer!
You might find this helpful: how much sun do succulents need.
How to Water Flowering Kalanchoes
These plants are succulents with fleshy leaves and stems (which store water), so you don’t want to keep them constantly wet. They need good drainage so the excess water can readily flow out.
Water yours, let all the water drain out, and then water again when the mix is dry. That might mean you water yours in a 6″ pot every two weeks. The frequency will vary depending on your temperatures, light situation, and the pot size/soil mix your Kalanchoes are in.
I water mine a bit more often when it’s flowering, and I water less often in the winter months.
They do best in pots with drainage holes. If your Kalanchoe comes wrapped in a pot cover, usually foil, or in a decorative pot with no drain hole, remove the plant when you water it. You don’t want water building up in the foil or a saucer because that will lead to root rot.
This could be a problem: Kalanchoes are subject to powdery mildew if kept too wet. The foliage is very dense and fleshy, so you don’t want to mist or spray this plant regularly.
