During the holidays, it is worth putting not only the star of Bethlehem or the December star in your apartment. We should also pay attention to the beautifully blooming kalanchoe, which attracts attention with its variety of colors. In addition, it has an interesting meaty texture. Thanks to this, it can be a unique decoration. We tell you how to take care of them so that you can enjoy them not only during the Christmas season, but also for many years.
This plant can often be found in stores under the name Kalanchoe Xmas, but it is still an ordinary kalanchoe. It owes its name as a Christmas plant to the fact that it is available for purchase in winter and can bloom during the cold months.
Kalanchoe is very popular, however, not only because it beautifully decorates the house during the holiday season, but also because caring for this plant is not complicated. This makes it an ideal choice even for inexperienced gardeners.
However, if we want this unique plant to bloom for Christmas, we must take proper care of it. First of all, you should place the kalanchoe in a bright place, but without direct sunlight. Therefore, an eastern or western window sill will work best.
The next thing we need to take care of when caring for kalanchoe is proper watering of the plant. Due to the fact that it is a succulent that stores water in its leaves, we do not need to feed it with water very often. In winter, it is enough to do this once every two weeks and only when the ground is dry it will be completely dry.
Let’s also not forget that kalanchoe feels best at temperatures between 12 and 22 degrees Celsius. At the same time, avoid placing the plant in drafty places. It is also worth knowing that kalanchoe does not need fertilization in winter.
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If you want to enjoy beautiful kalanchoe flowers as long as possible, it is worth remembering a few things. First of all, we should control the light because this plant needs a short day cycle to re-flower. Therefore, it should be exposed to 8 hours of light and 16 hours of darkness for approximately 6 weeks.
In addition, if you want to prolong the flowering of kalanchoe, do not forget to take care of the soil in which it grows. It is best to use it for growing this plant permeable soil that will prevent excessive water retention. We can use a succulent mix for this.
Kalanchoe is often treated by many people as a seasonal decoration, but if we take proper care of it after it blooms, it will be able to decorate our house for many years. Here’s what to do after the kalanchoe has bloomed:
- We remove withered flowers and cut the shoots by half to stimulate the plant to produce new elements.
- We move the plant to a room with a lower temperature, about 15 degrees Celsius, and leave it there for 4-6 weeks. During this time, we limit watering the plant and its access to light.
- As the days get longer, we increase the amount of light and start watering the plant moderately.
