Kalanchoe is a beautiful houseplant native to Africa. It can be found in many homes around North America. They can adapt well to in-home environment, so it is not surprising that so many people choose them for their houses.
These plants are known for their beautiful blooms, so it is understandable that you wish your plant to give flowers. However, this doesn't always happen. Sometimes, the blooms will not show. Kalanchoe not flowering is a relatively common problem that many gardeners face when they wish to grow this plant in their home.
Kalanchoe Not Flowering: The Main Issue
The first thing to do when you have a Kalanchoe not flowering is to figure out why this might be happening. While there might be many different reasons for Kalanchoe not flowering, the number one is the light level in the house.
Keep in mind that Kalanchoe plants require low light conditions in order to produce buds. This is the only way to make it flower. Under the best circumstances, a Kalanchoe plant should have about 14 hours without light. This will encourage it to develop buds and to bloom eventually.
Because of this, a Kalanchoe not flowering is often a consequence of too much light. However, some other issues might also be at fault, so it is important to inspect them, too. Keep in mind that making your Kalanchoe bloom requires some effort and specific care conditions. You need to provide those in order to make your plant flower.
Kalanchoe Not Flowering: What to Do
How to fix the issue of your Kalanchoe not giving blooms? Kalanchoe not flowering is generally an issue of inadequate care requirements, and these are often easily fixable. In general, making your plant bloom will mean correcting the lighting it receives, as well as allowing your Kalanchoe to rest a bit. Adding some fertilizer can also speed things up.
Generally speaking, Kalanchoe plants are sold when they are in full bloom. They can give flowers for weeks or even months. They are specially prepared in the nurseries to flower consistently so people would buy them.
A Kalanchoe plant can bloom throughout the entire year in its natural environment, but when grown as a container plant, it generally blooms in the winter and spring. It often stops giving flowers in late spring.
This is directly related to the amount of light that the plant receives. As the sunlight increases and remains for longer, the Kalanchoe plant will give less flowers. Keep this in mind if you have only purchased your plant recently.
So, the challenge is to make your plant flower again. Kalanchoe not flowering again after purchase is a common issue. The easiest way to fix this issue is to trick the plant into thinking it is winter again. It means restricting its exposure to light.
In general, Kalanchoe blooms when it's exposed to low light levels during the fall and winter. You need to mimic those conditions in order to make your plant give flowers again, or if you wish to make it bloom throughout the year.
During the winter, a Kalanchoe plant enters hibernation period. This rest period is crucial for the plant because this is when it collects its energy needed to grow later. It is also the energy needed for blooming. In other words, you need to give your Kalanchoe plant needs some hibernating period in order to give flowers.
If you wish to make your Kalanchoe bloom, make sure to give it some rest period so it can hibernate. Trying to make it bloom without this will generally not be successful. Keeping the plant in low light condition will awaken the plant and make it produce flowers.
Rest and Low Light
The main solution to a Kalanchoe not flowering is to give your plant some rest, and then lower light conditions to make it produce blooms. When you notice the old flowers begin to fade and die, make sure to cut them back and remove all of the spent blooms. This will conserve the energy that your plant has.
When the winter arrives, make sure to give your Kalanchoe some fertilizer. A good choice is a 0-10-10 fertilizer. It will promote the development of the buds. You can also wait with the fertilizer until the first buds are showing. This will enhance your plant's strength and encourage it to produce flowers.
To trick your plant at flowering at a specific time, you need some preparation. Around 6 weeks before the desired flowering time, make sure to give your Kalanchoe 14 hours without light per day. You can put it in a closed or under a box. It should receive 14 hours of darkness, and the rest 10 hours per day should be under the bright light. Also, make sure to keep your plant warm and away from any draft areas. This will make your plant go dormant. During this period, make sure not to water or feed your plant.
You should see flower buds slowly emerging after this period. This is when you should move your Kalanchoe into a brighter light area and resume watering. You can also apply some fertilizer to encourage flowering. This preparation typically pays off and you will get your Kalanchoe plant give beautiful flowers for months.
Photo credit: blackpictures
0 Comments