Flaming Katy (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana) Growing & Care Guide
Article by Dean Ravenscroft, Ph.D. - Updated 1st Feb 2024
- Plant Characteristics: A succulent plant with fleshy, dark green leaves and clusters of small, vibrant flowers in colors ranging from white to pink, red, or orange. Popular as a houseplant or warm-climate garden plant.
- Growing & Care: Prefers bright, indirect light and well-drained soil. Allow the soil to dry between waterings. Avoid waterlogging, which can lead to root rot.
- Tips for New Gardeners: Easy to care for and will bloom for a long time with proper care. Ideal for adding a splash of color indoors or out. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage new blooms.
The Kalanchoe blossfeldiana plant is native to the African island of Madagascar.
This low maintenance plant makes a very popular house plant, where it is cherished for its attractive pink flowers that seem to bloom for an eternity, and for it's ease of care.
Flaming Katy picture by 石川 Shihchuan; CC.
It is a hairless (glabrous) succulent plant that performs best in gardens in warmer areas that have plenty of full sunlight.
It has a roundish bushy nature, with a spread ever so slightly larger than its height.It is a slow-growing evergreen that is susceptible to the cold. Ideally grow in areas where the temperature remains above 10°C (50°F) as it is known to be cold sensitive.
photograph by Leonora (Ellie) Enking; CC.
If you live in a cooler area then bring indoors or keep under glass in the colder months.
How to Grow Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Video Guide
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Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Growing and Care Guide
- Scientific Name: Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
- Common Name (s): Flaming Katy, Christmas Kalanchoe, florist kalanchoe, Madagascar widow's-thrill.
- Growing Zone (USA / UK Hardiness): 10 to 12 (down to 7 if bringing indoors over winter) / H1B
Plant Details
- Life Cycle / Plant Type: Perennial. Evergreen. Succulent. Bushy Nature.
- Plant Height: 6 to 18 inches (15 to 45 cm)
- Plant Spread: 6 to 20 inches (15 to 50 cm)
- Blooms: Spring. May differ if grown as an house plant. Long lasting.
- Flower Details: Scarlet red, pink, salmon, or yellow
- Leaf Foliage: Green. Ovate. Shiny. Glossy. Glabrous. Fleshy.
Growing Conditions
- Best Light Conditions: Full sunlight or Partial shade. Sheltered location.
- Suitable Soil Types: Sand, Loam. Well Drained.
- Suitable Soil pH: Most soils types are fine.
- Soil Soil Moisture: Moist, but let dry out between watering to prevent potential root rot.
- Sowing, planting, and Propagation: Spring. Sow seeds into a gritty loam compost or propagate from offsets.
- Care: Low maintenance. Takes from two to five years to reach full size. Provide moderate water when growing. Liquid fertilizer (ideally phosphorus rich); apply two to three times during their first growing season. Do not wet leaves when watering. Remove dead flowers at the stem. Pinch to help maintain shape. Deadhead plants to maintain blooming.
- Indoor plant Specifics If growing as an house plant then they perform best in clay pots set atop rocks or gravel to help improve drainage.
Ideal temperature is night = 60°F / 15°C; day 70°F / 21°C. Plants require a period of short day length (approx. two months of fourteen hour darkness; minimal watering) to initiate flowering. Best flower bloom results occur with eight to ten hours of natural light (full sun or very bright indirect light).
Further Information
- Best used for: Drought resistant. Low maintenance. Patio. Container. House.
- Family: Crassulaceae.
- Closely Related Species: Stonecrop: Sempervivum, Crassula.
- Miscellaneous: the name Kalanchoe originates from the Chinese name for the plant (Kalanchauhuy).
- Further Reading and References used for this Kalanchoe blossfeldiana growing Guide: Wiki; SF Gate
- Closely related species and genera: Rochea plants; and Live Forever.
I hope that you enjoyed this guide on how to grow Kalanchoe blossfeldiana plants. You may also enjoy the following Gardener's HQ growing guides: How to grow Sedum spurium, Fothergilla gardenii, and Rochea plants.
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