Why Kalanchoe does not bloom: 5 reasons (and how to fix them)

Flower-studded Kalanchoe bushes are always visible on store shelves. Buyers willingly take them apart in the hope that they will also bloom at home. However, it often happens that flowering ends, months pass, and there are no new buds. There can be many reasons for this. We will analyze each and find out how to make Kalanchoe bloom luxuriantly and for a long time.

All about Kalanchoe flowering at home

Species features
Reasons for the lack of flowers and how to solve them
— Wrong lighting
— Mistakes in watering
— Incorrect temperature and humidity conditions
— Lack of nutrients
— no rest phase
Flowering stimulation

Species features of a flower

An evergreen plant of the Tolstyankov family belongs to succulents. This means that it is able to accumulate moisture in the fleshy leaves and use it as needed. Its homeland is the African and Asian tropics. Exot is easy to care for and unpretentious. In nature, there are more than 200 of its varieties, but no more than two dozen of them are grown at home. Most of the species are ornamental, the rest are medicinal plants.

All exotics have beautiful carved leaves of various shapes. Most varieties are also flowering. Flowers are of different sizes and colors. The duration of flowering, on average, is from three weeks to three to four months. The bush blooms once a year. The exact period depends on the variety: this is the period from the end of January to the first days of March. With proper care, repeated budding is possible. Then flowering continues until the middle or even until the end of summer.

Why blooming Kalanchoe does not bloom: causes and solutions

Despite their unpretentiousness, flowering varieties do not always please the owner with flowers. It happens that they are not there for several months and even years. This, most often, suggests that there is no proper care for the bush. We will analyze why Kalanchoe does not bloom and what to do in each case.

1. Wrong lighting

Exot refers to typically southern plants. In nature, it grows well in bright sunlight. If Kalanchoe does not bloom at home and stretches, this means that he does not have enough light. The bush needs to be provided with good lighting and a long daylight hours during the period of active growth. An important point: direct sunlight, especially in summer, is still not shown. Sheet burns are possible. The best choice is diffused bright light.

For culture, the southwestern, eastern and western sides are good. But the southern window sill should be chosen only for the winter, and then on the condition that direct rays can be scattered. Excessive shading and removal from the light source is detrimental to the bush; in this case, you should not wait for flowers. Even a lack of daylight hours can cause a flower to drop buds. Therefore, in prolonged cloudy weather, backlighting is recommended.

2. Mistakes when watering

Improper watering is detrimental to the flower. Moreover, excess and insufficient are equally dangerous. With an excess of moisture, the bush begins to actively produce new shoots. If this happens on the eve of flowering, all the energy will go to the growth of green mass. The bush will not tie the buds. The situation with a clear lack of water is also unfavorable. The lack of moisture forces the exotic to fight for the life of its already existing shoots. He will not lay buds. Even if a small number of them appear, the leaves will suffer. They will turn yellow and wither.

For proper irrigation, settled water at room temperature is needed. In spring and autumn, the flower should be watered on average once every 7-10 days. More often in summer, about once every five days. In the heat, the earth ball dries out quickly, so it is recommended to check its condition before watering. If the substrate is dry and crumbly at a depth of 2.5-3 cm, it must be moistened. In winter, you need to water every 14-18 days. Abundant watering is undesirable. It provokes root rot and the development of fungal diseases.

3. Wrong temperature and humidity mode

Caring for flowering Kalanchoe also involves ensuring the temperature regime. For the summer period, temperatures from 20 to 28 degrees are considered the norm. The southern exotic can easily endure great heat, but can shed its leaves at the same time. In winter, the optimum temperature for a flower is 10-17 degrees. A short-term decrease is also possible, but not lower than 7 degrees.

The plant has no special requirements for moisture, but its excess is undesirable. Therefore, half an hour after watering, excess water from the pan must be poured out. In the summer heat, it is advisable to spray the bush. But in winter, excessive humidity is undesirable. Moist cold soil causes root rot and plant death.

4. Lack of nutrients

The flower is undemanding to the quality of the soil, however, it actively consumes nutrients from it. If you do not feed the succulent, it quickly depletes the substrate. Moreover, it is impossible to restore fertility, you have to replant the bush. With a nutritional deficiency, exotic grows only green mass, does not tie buds. For flowering to occur, it is necessary to properly feed it all year round.

In summer and spring, liquid top dressing is given once a week and a half. In autumn, they feed less often — once every fortnight. In winter, fertilize every 4-5 weeks. Moreover, winter doses are of particular importance. If they are not introduced, the bush will not bloom in the spring. Fertilizer must be dissolved in water, which is used for irrigation. It is optimal to buy a special composition for Kalanchoe.

In its absence, fertilizer is chosen for any succulents. Other options, including flowering mixes, are undesirable.

5. Ignoring the rest period

In nature, the dormant phase for a flower is required. She is in the winter. After that, the plant actively forms buds and blooms. At home, it is usually organized in the fall so that Kalanchoe blooms in winter. The rest period should last from two to five weeks, depending on the variety. The rules are like this. The bush needs to limit watering, stop feeding and put it in a cool place with a temperature of 11-15˚С. Lighting should not be bright. Some flower growers keep exotic in complete darkness. This does not harm him: in the conditions created for him, he temporarily stops his growth. At the end of the dormant period, watering should be gradually brought to normal, given top dressing and increased lighting.

How to stimulate flowering

If the plant receives optimal care, but still does not bloom, you can try to stimulate this process. We have collected the most effective ways.

• Stimulant supplementation. On sale there are special mixtures to stimulate the flowering of Kalanchoe. That’s what they’re called. Apply strictly according to the instructions. It is useless and even dangerous to use stimulants for other crops. They can harm exotics.

• Pruning. Especially needed for elongated bushes. It is carried out at the end of the resting phase. With a sharp disinfected tool, cut off about half the length of all shoots. Sick, twisted and growing branches are completely cut out. Slices are powdered with charcoal.

• Creating a stressful situation. Approximately two to three weeks before the expected flowering, the bush is fed and watered. After that, they stop caring for him. The mechanism of reproduction before death is triggered. Exot blooms and forms seeds. True, this happens a few days later than planned.
• Transfer. If the plant has managed to deplete the soil in the container, it will not give flowers. For transplanting, choose a pot 2-3 cm wider than the old one. It is best to take a substrate for succulents or cacti, but a universal substrate for flowering crops is also suitable. In the latter case, sand or vermiculite must be added to it. Transplanted by transshipment, so as not to damage the root system.
• Simulation of a dormant period. This is an old trick of professional flower growers to get exotics to bloom. Four weeks before the start of flowering, the bush is covered daily from 18.00 to 8.00 with a thick cloth or a dark paper cap.

Kalanchoe blooms with proper care. This is the most important rule that a florist should know. As soon as he provides normal conditions for growth and development, the plant will delight with abundant lush flowering.