Garden Care Guide

Kalanchoe Care

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

A popular succulent with fleshy leaves and long-lasting colorful flowers. To flower again, it must spend about 6 weeks in autumn in uninterrupted darkness for 14 hours a day (short days); overwatering rots its roots.

Frost-tender (protect from frost) · 2 °C / 36 °F

Monthly care calendar

Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.

January
  • Watering: Stop watering. In winter, wet soil is the most common cause of root rot.
  • Pruning: If needed, remove spent flowers.
  • General care: Flowering continues.
  • Pests & diseases: Check the undersides of the leaves and the joints for mealybugs.
  • Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 2 °C.
February
  • Watering: Stop watering. In winter, wet soil is the most common cause of root rot.
  • Pruning: As flowering ends, cut the fading flower stalks at the base.
  • General care: Flowering continues.
  • Pests & diseases: Do pest control.
  • Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 2 °C.
March
  • Watering: Stop watering. In winter, wet soil is the most common cause of root rot.
  • Pruning: After the main flowering ends, lightly prune all stems to make the plant fuller.
  • General care: Suitable period for planting and transplanting. Flowering continues.
  • Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 2 °C.
April
  • Watering: Once a month, water when the soil is completely dry.
  • Fertilizing: Start a half-dose balanced liquid fertilizer (e.g. 10-10-10 NPK) once a month.
  • Plant protection: Check the new shoots for aphids.
  • General care: Suitable period for planting and transplanting. Flowering continues.
May
  • Watering: Once a month, water when the soil is completely dry.
  • Fertilizing: Continue fertilizing once a month.
  • Pruning: Prune as soon as flowering ends. Next year's flower buds form over the summer; late pruning reduces flowering. When flowering is complete, cut the flower stalk at the base. Remove elongated and deteriorated leaves. The cut leaf pieces easily become propagation material.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Suitable period for planting and transplanting. Drainage is critical for this plant. In heavy, water-retaining soil, plant on a mound or bed raised 20-30 cm; the root collar should remain above the surrounding soil level.
  • Pests & diseases: If you see black spots with yellow halos on the leaves (black spot), collect the diseased leaves and remove them from the garden; the disease overwinters in fallen leaves.
June
  • Watering: After the soil has dried out completely, water a little at a time every 15-20 days.
  • Fertilizing: Continue fertilizing.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: In summer months you can place it outdoors in a partly shaded spot.
  • Pests & diseases: If you see black spots with yellow halos on the leaves (black spot), collect the diseased leaves and remove them from the garden; the disease overwinters in fallen leaves.
July
  • Watering: After the soil has dried out completely, water a little at a time every 15-20 days.
  • Fertilizing: Continue fertilizing.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • Pests & diseases: In hot and dry weather, look on the undersides of the leaves for fine webbing and speckled yellowing (spider mites). Washing the leaves during the cool hours reduces their numbers.
August
  • Watering: After the soil has dried out completely, water a little at a time every 15-20 days.
  • Fertilizing: At the end of the month, apply the last fertilizer.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • Pests & diseases: In hot and dry weather, look on the undersides of the leaves for fine webbing and speckled yellowing (spider mites). Washing the leaves during the cool hours reduces their numbers.
September
  • Watering: Once a month, water when the soil is completely dry.
  • Fertilizing: Stop fertilizing.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Good time for planting and transplanting.
  • Pests & diseases: If you see black spots with yellow halos on the leaves (black spot), collect the diseased leaves and remove them from the garden; the disease overwinters in fallen leaves.
October
  • Watering: Once a month, water when the soil is completely dry.
  • General care: Good time for planting and transplanting.
November
  • Watering: Stop watering. In winter, wet soil is the most common cause of root rot.
  • General care: Flowering begins. Make sure water does not collect in the root zone during winter rains; for this plant, drainage is more critical than watering.
  • Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 2 °C.
December
  • Watering: Stop watering. In winter, wet soil is the most common cause of root rot.
  • General care: Flowering continues. Evergreen leaves keep losing water in winter. Water thoroughly once before the soil freezes.
  • Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 2 °C.

The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.

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