Image – Wikimedia/বাক্যবাগীশ
It often happens that you see a kalanchoe full of flowers in the store, buy it, take care of it… but the next year, for some reason, it does not bloom. And of course, at times like this, it makes sense to wonder what care he received before we took him home, because something might be overlooked; that is, we don’t give it everything it needs.
But trust me when I tell you that sometimes in production nurseries i.e. those places where only the plants are propagated and cared for until they reach the desired size before being sold later in stores, they make sure they’re not missing important nutrients, they’re not cold or anything. In other words: they “pamper” them a lot so that they are beautiful. But this has a downside: it can weaken them a bit. It is therefore important to be patient, because getting your calanchoe to bloom again is not very complicated.
What does a kalanchoe need to flower?
Image – Flickr/Elias Rovielo
However, for this it is necessary to know what are the needs of the calanchoe. So let’s see what kind of plant it is. And we’re talking about a succulent, or to be more exact, a non-cactus succulent, or a succulent. This already tells us a lot about her: it has succulent leaves because it uses them as a water reserve. And it is so because it lives in places where there can be long periods of drought. Does that mean you don’t need water?
Well no. All this tells us is that, if it does not rain for a few weeks, and as long as it grows in the ground (and not in a pot), it will be able to resist the scarcity of water thanks to the reserves that you have in your body. Also, you should know that it is a type of plant that needs lots and lots of light, even direct sun. That is why he does not adapt very well to indoor life, because at home there is usually not enough light for him.
Another thing that should not be missing if we want it to flourish is space.. Are you one of those who have their succulents in pots? Then you need to remember to transplant them whenever they need to, that is whenever the roots come out of their holes, or if they have been growing in the same container for a while. At the kalanchoe too.
Why is it not flowering and what can I do to fix it?
Well, once we know that our plant needs sun, warmth and space to grow, we can have an idea of what could be happening to it that is causing it to not flower. But even so, we might overlook other possible causes which are also very important. For this reason, we will now talk in more detail about the reasons why the calanchoe does not produce its flowers, and how we can solve it:
It’s not flower season
Your kalanchoe may not bloom because now is just not the time. Keep in mind that the vast majority of species in the genus do this in summer, and some in spring. But none will when the temperatures are low, that is, when they stay below 18 ºC. In this case, there is nothing to do, just wait.
is young
Whether it is a plant whose seed germinated recently, or whether it is a cutting that took root in the same year, the normal thing is that it does not bloom until it grows a little more. You have to have patience.
you’re running out of space
We have already discussed this, but how can we know for sure that the kalanchoe needs a slightly larger pot? The quickest way is to see if its roots come out of the holes in the container. But sometimes it can confuse us, because it may happen that it needs a transplant but still does not have roots growing outside the pot. Therefore, I like to do the following:
- With one hand, I take the plant by the base of the stem, and with the other the pot.
- Then I take the plant out, as if I wanted to take it out of the pot.
- If I see that the bread of soil does not crumble, that is to say if it comes out whole, then I change the pot into a plant.
need fertilizer
The subscriber is important to do, especially if your kalanchoe is in a pot. It has to be done because the soil lacks nutrients, since the roots absorb them. For him, if it has stopped blooming, it is possible that what you urgently need has to be paid for example with an ecological fertilizer for cacti and succulents (such as No products found.) following the manufacturer’s instructions. But when should it be done? Well, in spring and summer, that is, when the weather is nice and the plant grows.
You are thirsty or choking
Calanchoe is a plant that tolerates drought, but wants nothing to do with waterlogging. When the soil remains wet for a long time, its root system finds it difficult to breathe and, therefore, to keep the rest of the succulent alive. For this reason, it is necessary to ensure that said land benefits from good drainage, and that, in addition, the frequency of irrigation is adequate.
A) Yes, if for example it dried, we would see that the earth is very dry, that the leaves bend and that the stems “fall”. Pests, such as cottony mealybugs, could also appear.
On the contrary, if what happens is that he drowns, the leaves will also look droopy, and the plant will look “sad”. But not only that, but the soil will be very wet, and when we pick up the pot, we will notice that it is very heavy.
What to do in each case? In the first, we will take the pot and immerse it for a few minutes in water so that the substrate rehydrates. In the second, instead, it is better to remove the plant from the container and carefully remove the soil to replant it in another pot with a specific substrate for cacti and succulents like this.
Thus, your calanchoe will be able to bloom again.