Kalanchoe
Most owners treat this as a disposable flowering gift plant, but it will reflower reliably the following winter if given a genuine dark rest — the same principle as Christmas cactus and poinsettia, two other short-day plants already in this KB.
Care
Needs good light to rebloom, but avoid intense midday sun through glass, which can scorch the leaves.
Allow the compost to dry out well between waterings; water from below if possible to avoid wetting the tightly packed flower heads.
Free-draining cactus/succulent compost, or a peat-free houseplant compost with added grit.
Deadhead spent flower clusters to tidy the plant; cut back lightly after flowering finishes to encourage a bushier shape for next time.
A half-strength feed monthly through spring and summer. As with the Christmas cactus, the rest that follows matters more than the feeding: flowers come after a cool spell of short days, not after extra fertiliser.
Tip cuttings in early summer, dried for a day and then rooted in gritty compost. Some species also produce tiny plantlets along the leaf margins that drop off and root by themselves, often in neighbouring pots.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchEnjoy the main flowering season, typically running from midwinter into spring on a shop-bought plant.
- AprilDeadhead and trim lightly once flowering finishes. how ›
- OctoberGive at least 12-14 hours of uninterrupted darkness a night for 6-8 weeks if reflowering is wanted for winter — this genus is a short-day plant, the same mechanism as poinsettia and Christmas cactus.
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchEnjoy the main flowering season, typically running from midwinter into spring on a shop-bought plant.
- AprilDeadhead and trim lightly once flowering finishes. how ›
- OctoberGive at least 12-14 hours of uninterrupted darkness a night for 6-8 weeks if reflowering is wanted for winter — this genus is a short-day plant, the same mechanism as poinsettia and Christmas cactus.
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchEnjoy the main flowering season, typically running from midwinter into spring on a shop-bought plant.
- AprilDeadhead and trim lightly once flowering finishes. how ›
- OctoberGive at least 12-14 hours of uninterrupted darkness a night for 6-8 weeks if reflowering is wanted for winter — this genus is a short-day plant, the same mechanism as poinsettia and Christmas cactus.
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchEnjoy the main flowering season, typically running from midwinter into spring on a shop-bought plant.
- AprilDeadhead and trim lightly once flowering finishes. how ›
- OctoberGive at least 12-14 hours of uninterrupted darkness a night for 6-8 weeks if reflowering is wanted for winter — this genus is a short-day plant, the same mechanism as poinsettia and Christmas cactus.
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Healthy plant, but no repeat flowering.
What to do. This is a short-day plant — it needs several weeks of long, uninterrupted nights (12+ hours, no lamps, streetlight, or room light at all) to form new buds; without that dark treatment it will produce leaves but not flowers indefinitely.
How to spot it. Soft, blackened stem base.
What to do. Almost always overwatering — let the compost dry out between waterings, and water from below to keep the crown dry.
How to spot it. Clustered on tight new flower buds before they open.
What to do. Rinse off or wipe away; check plants brought back from the shop, as this is a common entry point.
Questions
Kalanchoe: is it hardy?
H1b: Tender, needs above 10°C. It survives above 10 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Sold almost exclusively as a compact flowering pot plant, usually discarded or kept as a foliage succulent once flowering finishes rather than deliberately reflowered.
Kalanchoe: when do you prune it?
Deadhead spent flower clusters to tidy the plant; cut back lightly after flowering finishes to encourage a bushier shape for next time. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in April.
Kalanchoe: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in January–April.
When do you feed it?
A half-strength feed monthly through spring and summer. As with the Christmas cactus, the rest that follows matters more than the feeding: flowers come after a cool spell of short days, not after extra fertiliser. Feeding months, UK: April–July.