Madagascar Bells, Flaming Käthchen, Broodblatt - the Kalanchoe is known by many names. The very lush flowering plant is easy to cultivate and brings a cheerful blaze of color into the house in spring and early summer. Most plants are sold with red or pink flowers, but there are also varieties with orange or white flowers. However, getting the plant to bloom a second time isn't exactly easy unless you follow our tips.

If the dormant phase is not observed properly, the Flaming Katy will bloom sparsely or not at all

This is how you keep your Kalanchoe blooming again and again

Most people only cultivate the Kalanchoe for one season and then discard it. The reason for this is the problem that a second bloom is apparently difficult to achieve - once the Kalanchoe has bloomed, it is often difficult to persuade it to bloom again the following year. It's actually quite simple once you figure out the trick. The Flaming Katy, as the Kalanchoe is also often called, is one of the short-day plants and only forms flower buds if you proceed as follows:

  • The buds are formed after a period of dormancy.
  • During this the plant should only get little light and water,
  • it should also be as cool as possible.
  • Make sure that the plant gets a maximum of eight to nine hours of light per day.
  • This applies not only to natural but also to artificial light.
  • Furthermore, the temperatures should be a maximum of 15 °C
  • and the plant should be watered very little.
  • There is no fertilization at all.
  • Put the Kalanchoe in the dark from 6 p.m. in the evening until 9 a.m. in the morning.
  • If necessary, put a cardboard box or a bucket over it
  • or place the plant in a cupboard or the windowless storage room.

This phase should start in November and last about six weeks. The plant then forms the flower buds for the following year.

Extend the flowering period - this is how it works

As a rule, the Kalanchoe blooms between February and June. This period can even be extended by regularly plucking off the faded flower heads. However, only remove the flowers, not the entire flowering stem - this is where the second flower forms.

tips

If you can't get enough of Flaming Katy, then simply multiply it yourself - for example with the help of leaf or shoot cuttings.

Category:

Vegetable garden