Caring for Kalanchoe. Proper care of Kalanchoe

Flowering Kalanchoe is one of the most beautiful phenomena for a gardener. This ornamental plant adapts perfectly at home and does not require significant care. It is worth noting the useful properties of Kalanchoe– it can be used for cooking folk recipes and for medicinal purposes, which makes the plant practically irreplaceable.

A florist needs to know the flowering period of Kalanchoe not only because of the desire to admire its beauty, but also, often, to plan reproduction. As you may know, Kalanchoe can be propagated in its flowering state.

The flowering period of Kalanchoe is protracted. It blooms only once a year, but in the most joyful period of the year - winter! The first buds appear in the last winter months, and Kalanchoe completely fades in early spring. At good care flowering can be repeated. Then the buds will begin to form in March, after which the plant will still delight you with its flowering until the end of spring.

How to prepare Kalanchoe for flowering at home?

One of the main procedures designed to prepare Kalanchoe for the beginning of flowering is pruning. Timely pruning will allow the plant to start the necessary processes, after which the Kalanchoe will begin to lay buds. How to prune Kalanchoe before flowering? You need to pay attention to the peduncle. It is cut as low as possible to protect it from rotting. All damaged shoots and diseased leaves are also removed. In addition, you need to pinch top part shoots so that lateral shoots begin to form.

Caring for Kalanchoe at home for flowering

Having decided on the timing and period of flowering of Kalanchoe, as well as preparing the plant for its beginning, it is necessary to briefly examine the basic rules for caring for the flower.

Water Kalanchoe sparingly, since the stems and leaves accumulate moisture and can even survive a period of prolonged drought. Of course, excess water the tray must be drained, and the frequency of watering must be introduced as the upper part of the soil substrate dries out.

Kalanchoe loves a moderate amount of lighting, tending to increase rather than decrease, so the plant feels best on western and eastern windows.

In summer, the air temperature should not exceed 25 degrees, and in winter it should not fall below 12 degrees Celsius.

Humid air is not suitable for keeping Kalanchoe - it is much more comfortable in dry air. Moisture should also not get on the leaves and peduncles to prevent them from rotting.

Feeding Kalanchoe complex fertilizers once a month. Fertilizers for succulents are quite suitable. Be sure to ensure that the soil mixture does not thicken - be sure to loosen it after adding nutrients.

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In almost every apartment you can find a flower such as Kalanchoe, which many use for decorative and medicinal purposes. This is enough unpretentious plant, which is easy to care for at home, but for this you must adhere to certain rules. Only in this case will Kalanchoe delight its owner with bright pink flowers, but its flowering period is not too long.

In this article we will try to figure out how to care for Kalanchoe at home so that it decorates your apartment or house for as long as possible.

Features of the plant

The birthplace of this flower is Madagascar island, but it can be found almost throughout Asia. It grows well both in greenhouses and at home. This plant belongs to the Crassulaceae family. Possessing thick stems and leaves, it is able to accumulate moisture and long time do without watering. A thin film on them prevents evaporation. All these points should be taken into account when caring for this decorative creature.

Kalanchoe: home care

The principles of care are as follows:

Watering

A flowering plant does not have any serious watering requirements, even prefers a little drought. Of course, in hot weather, Kalanchoe needs to be watered as often as possible, but in winter the frequency of watering is reduced to once every two weeks. It should be remembered that stagnation of moisture contributes to the appearance of rot, which can even destroy the plant.

It will be better if the flower pot, in addition to the soil, contains drainage, which will keep the soil in optimal condition. Watering the plant is carried out not only from above, but also into the pan.

Lighting and temperature conditions

Flower care includes correct lighting and necessary temperature regime. Unlike most indoor plants blooming Kalanchoe loves direct sunlight. In winter, he prefers to be at rest and with sunny window it is transferred to a darkened room.

Surprisingly, for the plant to begin to bloom, it is necessary reduce his length daylight hours . Under natural conditions, this happens with the onset of winter, which is why Kalanchoe begins to bloom during the cold period. If the grower wants this to happen at another time of the year, it is necessary to artificially reduce the daylight hours to 10 hours. To do this, you can put it on the potty tight package or at a certain time in the evening put it in the closet and take it back in the morning.

An important point in care is the temperature regime, which also differs in summer and winter period. In warm weather, the flower can be kept in a room with a temperature of +18 to +28 degrees, and in winter it can easily tolerate cooler conditions with a temperature of +10 to +16 degrees. Decorative Kalanchoe even likes an insulated loggia or balcony.

Replanting Kalanchoe

For comfortable stay at home this plant needs to be replanted, since it root system It grows very quickly. This must be done in April-May, during the intensive growth of the flower. The duration of daylight hours should be 12 hours and, if necessary, additional lighting should be provided.

Used for transplantation new pot, which should be much wider than the previous one, and the composition of the earth should remain the same. The flower should be removed from the container very carefully so as not to accidentally damage the earthen ball.

Flowering Kalanchoe does not have any special requirements for soil quality, so it can be perfectly located both in dense and loose soil. It's good to add some sand. When preparing the soil for replanting a flower at home, it should be disinfected.

Top dressing

In order for Kalanchoe to bloom magnificently and beautifully, it is necessary to fertilize it correctly and in a timely manner. This must be done once a month. It is best to feed the plant with fertilizer for succulents, but using complex additives guarantees abundant flowering.

Fertilizer is applied very carefully, since an excessive amount of fertilization contributes to abundant growth green mass, but you can’t wait for flowers. It is best to apply half the amount indicated on the package.

Protection from diseases

Caring for Kalanchoe at home includes protecting it from various diseases. Although this happens quite rarely, you should be prepared for anything.

If the leaves of the plant are covered with white, gray or brown spots– this indicates that a change in care is required. For example, spots occur due to excessive soil moisture, so the moisture supply should be reduced. Excessive feeding can also affect their formation; in this case, stop using fertilizers or change the soil.

Often indoor flowers are attacked by aphids, due to which the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall off. To cure the plant, cut off the affected areas and treat them with a preparation against these insects or with a soap solution.

Reproduction methods

Caring for Kalanchoe includes its reproduction. This plant can also be purchased at flower shop, but it often happens that after purchase it begins to wither and hurt. The easiest way is to breed it yourself, and you can do this in different ways:

• by dividing a large bush;
• rooting cuttings;
• planting a separate leaf;
• sowing seeds.

At home, a large bush is divided when it needs to be refreshed. But the divided flower may not take root or will take a long time to recover.

The simplest and most common method of propagation is rooting cuttings. The roots of the small stem form very quickly, which allows it to easily take root in a new pot. After about a month, the bush becomes very lush.

From the parent plant you can pinch off not only the cuttings, but also the leaves. It takes root just as quickly as a cutting, only required sizes reaches in a year.

At home this decorative flower propagated using seeds, which in such a plant are very small, so makes it difficult to plant them. Place them on the surface of the soil, lightly pressing them into it, but in no case sprinkling them. Then the pot is covered with glass or plastic bag. To create comfortable conditions for seed germination, make scattered sunlight, carry out a little ventilation and place the container in a warm place. After the seeds germinate, the glass or bag is removed and the pot is placed in a sunny place.

Trimming

Is it necessary to prune Kalanchoe during flowering? Only if it was attacked by pests or the flower became sick. This is done very simply - the diseased areas are cut off at the junction with the healthy ones.

Since flowering greatly weakens the plant, it is necessary give him periods of rest. To achieve this, the following activities are carried out:

• cut off all flower stalks;
• the pot is placed in a cool shade;
• the plant is not watered for about 1.5 months.

After a period of rest, the Kalanchoe is returned to its usual place and fertilized.

Topping

Does Kalanchoe need pinching? The fact is that the plant often does not bloom again. The problem may lie in the thinning of the shoots due to poor supply of minerals. This can cause them to dry out completely. That is why pinching Kalanchoe.

You can pinch off weak shoots with anything, but this must be done slowly and very carefully. If this happens, the wound is cured by sprinkling it with charcoal or ashes.

Thus, we have figured out what Kalanchoe is, caring for it at home does not cause any difficulties. This plant can do well for a long time without special care at the expense of its own reserves, but in this case it will not be so lush and healthy.

Kalanchoe is one of the most popular indoor plants. It has medicinal properties, therefore used in folk medicine for the treatment of dermatitis, burns, rashes, inflammations and at the same time very decorative. This magnificent handsome man belongs to the Tolstyankov family. He doesn't require complex care and great worries, however, many gardeners notice that Kalanchoe grows, does not bloom and stretches out.

Reasons for lack of flowering

With good care, the plant has beautiful leaves with wavy, pointed or smooth edges and blooms in dense clusters with small flowers. If you buy a Kalanchoe at a flower shop, you usually buy an already flowering specimen and expect the same lush and lush flowering as when you bought it. But after a couple of months, the flowers fall off and dry out, and new buds stop forming, the branches become elongated, and the leaves become smaller. Therefore, any gardener, who grows this flower for the first time, the question arises why Kalanchoe does not bloom and grows upward.

Problems with flowering occur with many types of flowers; some are difficult to force to bloom at all, especially if they are not created suitable conditions, he's missing nutrients etc.

There are more than 200 varieties and hybrids of Kalanchoe in the world. Most often in apartments you can find Kalanchoe Blossfeld - a spectacular plant with a lush, bright head of flowers. This view is different long flowering- from February to the end of spring, and at home it can last for a longer period. It is often purchased as a gift: it is no less beautiful than an expensive bouquet, and pleases the eye much longer.

But sooner or later the flowering stops, and no matter what the housewives do, the Blossfeld Kalanchoe does not bloom. What should be done so that the formation of buds continues, the plant is constantly covered with flowers, and the leaves do not become smaller? Without flowers, with deformed small foliage, the elongated bare branches look very unpresentable, there is no decorativeness in them.

There are several reasons why Kalanchoe does not bloom..

For these and many other reasons, there is no flowering, and the flower grows upward, shedding its leaves, exposing its branches.

To make Kalanchoe bloom, you need to follow a number of simple maintenance rules. All species need the same care and a 10-hour daylight hours, in this case the plant will begin to bloom in late winter - early spring, and with proper care it will be covered with flowers all year round.

Flower growers who supply plants to stores prepare the bushes for sale and force the plant to bloom by forcing buds. To do this, young bushes with a small root system are planted in pots with nutrient soil and placed in ten-hour daylight conditions. Over the course of 3-5 weeks, buds form and the vigorous flowering, which lasts up to two to three months. This procedure requires special conditions and atmosphere, but what can you do to make Kalanchoe bloom at home?

To begin with, you need to create a favorable environment at home, close to the natural tropics in which Kalanchoe was born.

Soil selection

Like people, plants need care, love, affection and proper balanced nutrition. This can be achieved by planting flowers in special soil mixtures and feeding organic fertilizers, which contain a lot useful substances for their growth. Succulents love loose soil with the addition of sand and various components.

You can purchase ready-made soil at a gardening store, or you can prepare it yourself. For this you will need:

• brick chips or other type of drainage;
• wood ash (an excellent stimulator of growth and bud formation);
• sand;
• turf land;
• garden humus.

Kalanchoe does not like acidic soil. If you were unable to purchase suitable soil, to normalize it, add a small part of slaked lime.

Required lighting

The tropical resident does not like direct sunlight, but prefers illuminated window sills. In spring and summer, daylight hours are longer, so it is worth shading the windows with curtains or paper, allowing the plant to rest and recover. Optimal light conditions are created in autumn and winter, when the days shorten. It was at this time that the succulent gathers its strength for growth and color. Daylight hours for a plant should not exceed 10 hours.

Watering and fertilizing

The fleshy leaves of the plant have the ability to accumulate water. But, unlike cacti, succulents are not capable go without water for a long time Therefore, in hot weather, especially in summer, Kalanchoe needs to be watered abundantly, preventing the soil in which it grows from drying out. You need to water it as soon as it dries out. upper layer land. At the same time, you need to ensure that the water does not stagnate and that the excess goes into the drainage.

In winter, reduce watering and water only when necessary..

After the flowering period has ended, the bush needs strength to restore and prepare for the next flower. To do this, once every two weeks the bushes are fed with a mixture for succulents. When the first buds appear, control the amount of nitrogen fertilizers, which can provoke the growth of leaves and shoots.

Kalanchoe plant

In most cases, flower growers acquire new plants by purchasing a young bush in a store, while many tend to choose an already flowering plant, because this way you can see all the beauty and features of the variety. This is especially true for decorative flowering plants, in particular Kalanchoe, which have various shades of inflorescences.

In this case, a situation often arises when, blooming at the time of purchase, the next season refuses to do so at home. Externally, the plant is absolutely healthy, actively growing a leaf cap, but flower buds doesn't pawn.

To make Kalanchoe bloom, you need to create the right conditions for it:

• lighting;
• temperature regime;
• watering.

Daylight hours and temperature conditions

The flower loves good lighting, so the northern window sill is clearly not for it. IN summer time It is advisable to take the pot outside or place it on the balcony.

Flower buds in Kalanchoe are formed only in conditions low temperature and short daylight hours. In autumn, it is good to keep the flowerpot outside until the first frost. Thus, Kalanchoe will have conditions as close as possible to natural ones.

IN winter time a flower pot should be placed near window glass, where the temperature is usually lower.

For bud formation, the ideal night length should be 12-14 hours. If possible, Kalanchoe should be placed in a room where the lighting will be natural: the sun shines during the day, and in the evening the light is not turned on often. If this is not possible, the flower can be covered every evening with a dark bag that does not allow light to pass through. In the morning, remove the cover.

Watering frequency

Since Kalanchoe is a succulent, it is able to accumulate moisture in its leaves and stem. For this reason, the plant does not tolerate abundant and frequent watering, and stagnation of moisture in a pot or tray can be detrimental to it.

It is necessary to water the flower only after the earthen clod has completely dried.

After the Kalanchoe has finished flowering, it is recommended to shorten the shoots a little so that the bush begins to branch and acquire a beautiful shape. The resulting cuttings can be used for propagation. Flowers that have bloomed must also be cut off with scissors, because they themselves only dry out, but do not fall off.

When and how often does Kalanchoe bloom at home?

Kalanchoe one of the most ornamental plants, which is valued primarily because of its long flowering, bright large flower caps of a wide variety of colors and shades.

When does Kalanchoe bloom? Compact bushes Kalanchoe They are often pleasing to the eye when a snowstorm is blowing outside the window. And therefore period Kalanchoe flowering you can call it winter.

Flowering period: Kalanchoe in bloom maybe already at the end of January, but sometimes it happens that they do not bloom, they last a long time, then the plant drops them by the beginning of March.

And after a while it gains new ones, which bloom by the end of the month. Flowering continues throughout spring.

But some varieties, mostly artificially bred, can bloom from March to the end of September with proper maintenance.

If the plant is comfortable, then, having finished flowering at the end of spring, it can begin it again in mid-summer and finish in late autumn.

That is why when asked how many times a year and when Kalanchoe blooms impossible to answer.

How to make it bloom?

Basic rules on how to care for Kalanchoe so that it blooms. By observing these conditions you will certainly achieve flowering:

Many people perceive Kalanchoe as a bouquet plant, and when it fades, it is thrown away.

Those who leave complain that the Kalanchoe no longer blooms. In fact flowering can be provoked.

Photo

Kalanchoe blooming:

Caring for flowering Kalanchoe: pruning after flowering

Why doesn't it bloom?

What to do, if Kalanchoe decorative Has it stopped blooming at home?

• If Kalanchoe blooming does not bloom, but grows upward, then you need to radically prune, remove everything upper leaves In order for the plant to expand, be sure to tear off the sprouts on the leaves if the roots begin to appear;
• to Kalanchoe bloomed can we provide him minimum temperature during the rest period along with short daylight hours;
• It’s worth trying to move the plant to a window facing the other side of the horizon, but not the northern one;
• what to do to Kalanchoe bloomed? It is covered with a cap made of dark thick paper and left for 20 - 21 days without water.

  After sunlight is returned to it, it is worth feeding it with fertilizer;

• how to make it bloom Kalanchoe at home and in winter? To do this, you need to organize a short daylight hours for him, lasting 8 hours.

  After a month of living in this mode, Kalanchoe begins to bloom.

Kalanchoe may bloom almost the entire year, if the conditions of its maintenance are met.

But Kalanchoe flowering at home throughout the year it is typical mainly for young plants that bloom for the first year.

Kalanchoe has bloomed

What to do after flowering? Caring for Kalanchoe after flowering:

• If the flower is already “tired”, you need to cut off old wilted leaves;
• flowers with peduncles, put it in a cold place;
• When new shoots appear, it is best to pinch them at a level of no more than three rows of leaves from the root, otherwise the plant will look “disheveled,” and this should be done until about the end of November.

Kalanchoe after flowering needs updating. This is very simple to do - by cutting in the spring.

And buds will appear on the new, very young plants, which will turn into flowers faster than the old ones.

What to do with faded Kalanchoe flowers - cut and let the plant die. Kalanchoe is not the best capricious flower . With proper care, even a novice gardener can handle it, and he will respond to you with delightful results. long flowering and will decorate your home.

Useful video

You will learn how to properly transplant decorative Kalanchoe and perform proper care from a short video: