The kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana), a flowering succulent plant, belongs to the Crassulaceae (jade) family and is native to Madagascar. Like the poinsettia, the kalanchoe is often kept as a potted plant and flowers during winter. The kalanchoe has up to 5-inch-long, spatula-shaped, fleshy green leaves with scalloped edges. The stems grow upright, reaching 12 inches tall and topped with tightly-clustered flower inflorescences, or clusters, comprised of hundreds of tiny, four-petaled flowers. The flowers come in shades of white, yellow, orange, pink or red and bloom for up to two months. To care for kalanchoe, place it in a sunny spot and provide consistent temperatures.
Place your kalanchoe plant in a sunny spot that receives about four hours per day of direct sunlight during spring, summer and early autumn. During winter, move your kalanchoe to a spot with southern or western sunlight exposure.
Maintain daytime temperatures around your kalanchoe plant of 70 to 75 degrees F. Keep nighttime temperatures slightly cooler, around 60 to 65 degrees F.
Water your kalanchoe plant deeply once or twice each week, providing water until it drains freely from the bottom of the pot. Water your kalanchoe only when the soil begins to dry out slightly.
Feed your kalanchoe plant with an all-purpose liquid houseplant fertilizer once each month. Follow the dosage instructions on the fertilizer package.
Re-pot your kalanchoe in a container the next size up after the plant is finished flowering. Pot the kalanchoe in an all-purpose, well-draining potting soil and in a pot with drainage holes in the bottom. Cut back the old flower stalks after the kalanchoe is done flowering and also cut back any tall growth.