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Kalanchoe
Many nurseries, grocery stores and gardening centers carry the Kalanchoe and most often the plants have blooms on them. Once the bloom has faded, most individuals will throw the plant away. With minimal care, more blooms are possible so don’t throw this pretty plant away! A close relative of the Kalanchoe is the jade plant. Size shape and colors are found in a wide variety with this plant. The foliage will have hints of red or purple and flowers are produced for as long as six to eight months.
 Growing
Kalanchoe Indoors
As houseplants go, Kalanchoe are one of the simplest to grow because they take little care. If you have a very busy schedule, this is the plant for you. Kalanchoe needs warm temperatures and little water. This plant is very sensitive to drafts of cold air, so be sure to place it in a draft free area for optimal growth.
Choose a pot for the Kalanchoe that will give it good aeration in the roots. Placing pebbles in the bottom of the tray that holds the pot is a good way to do this. The growing medium for this succulent is to be a mix of peat, soil and rough sand. Many commercial mixes for cactus and succulents have a slow release fertilizer that will keep this plant happy throughout its growing period.
Kalanchoe is very easy to propagate to give you more plants. Each mother plant will have babies that can be taken as cuttings. When removing the babies from the mother plant, allow them to dry for a period of two to three days in the open air. The cuttings should be placed in a light, loose soil mixture in order to start the rooting process. The babies can be cut off or broken off from the mother plant as long as you are careful not to rip the flesh of the stem from the mother plant. To solve this, it is best just to use a sharp knife to cut the babies away from the mother plant.
Care
Excessive watering will kill your plant, so set up a watering schedule of one time a week while the plant is flowering and let it go almost completely dry in between watering after it slows flower production. Unfortunately, Kalanchoe is susceptible to root rot. Keep in mind that Kalanchoe is a relative to the cactus.
To stimulate new bud production the plant needs to placed in full light for eight to ten hours a day. After the bud production the mother plant can be placed back in less light. In order to get the Kalanchoe to flower, let the plant rest for about thirty days in a dark place. Do not water during this time period. Once new buds appear you will return to a normal watering schedule.
Bottom Line
When properly cared for and divided as explained earlier in the article, Kalanchoe will give brilliant spots of brightness throughout the winter months with the beautiful flowers it produces.
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