Houseplant · Crassulaceae
Kalanchoe
Kalanchoe
A composed little succulent that brings bright, long-lasting blooms to a room for next to no effort.
Bright indirect
50–86°F · 10–30°C
USDA 10–12
6–35 in · 15–90 cm
Overview
Kalanchoe earns its place on a sunny sill or a bright kitchen counter, a succulent from the stonecrop family with most houseplant types tracing home to Madagascar. Because it banks water in fleshy leaves, it slots neatly into a busy household routine and forgives the week you forget it entirely. The flowering forms sold at the shop carry dense heads of small, bright blooms that hold their color for weeks, an easy note of warmth on a mantel or a bedside table.
The genus reaches well past that one florist plant, and each form suits a different corner of a home. Some kinds trade flowers for fuzzy silver leaves that read cool and quiet on a shelf, others stack into red-edged paddles that anchor a grouping, and a few line their margins with tiny plantlets that drift and root on their own. Whatever the look, they share the same brief: a spot with strong light and a pot that drains fast.
One consideration shapes where the plant lives. Every kalanchoe holds cardiac glycosides toxic to cats, dogs, horses, and other animals, so in a home with pets it belongs on a high shelf or a room the animals do not share.
Care
The short version: set it in bright indirect light, choose a gritty pot that drains fast, and water only once the soil has dried out completely. Keep the room warm, feed it lightly through the growing season, and ease off the water in winter.
Light
Give kalanchoe bright indirect light, the kind a sunny window offers, and once settled it will take a little direct sun. Skimp on light and the plant stretches and stops flowering, so the brightest sill in the room is the place it looks its best.
Water
Let the soil dry out completely before watering, then water well and pour off whatever gathers in the saucer. The fleshy leaves carry their own reserve, so it is standing moisture, not a dry spell, that undoes these plants through root rot. Draw the watering right back in winter as growth slows.
Soil
Pot it in a gritty, well-drained cactus or succulent mix so water passes through fast and never lingers at the roots. Sharp drainage is the one provision it truly depends on.
Temperature
Keep it within 50°F to 86°F (10°C to 30°C), an easy match for ordinary room warmth. It has no frost tolerance, so any plant summering outdoors should come in well before the cold arrives.
Humidity
Plain, low household humidity is exactly what this succulent wants, so there is no figure to chase. Damp, stagnant air does it more harm than good, so give it room to breathe.
Feeding
Feed monthly from spring through summer while the plant is growing, with a balanced water-soluble fertilizer at half strength. Let it rest and skip feeding through the quiet winter months.
Pruning
Deadhead the spent flowers and pinch the leggy stems back after blooming to keep the plant compact and bushy on the shelf. Cut out any soft, rotted growth the moment it appears.
Repotting
Move kalanchoe into a fresh pot every 1 to 2 years, or sooner once it fills its container. Roots at the drainage holes, water running straight through, and stalled growth all signal it is ready for more room.
Size & spacing
Depending on the type, a kalanchoe stands 6 to 35 inches (15 to 90 cm) tall and spreads 6 to 18 inches (15 to 45 cm) wide. Match the pot and the spot to the plant, since the tidy florist forms stay well under that upper height.
Troubleshooting
Almost every kalanchoe misstep traces back to the roots or to the light it sits in, and caught early most of them come right with little fuss. Find the sign below that matches your plant, then set it straight before the trouble takes hold.
Soft, blackening stems and a mushy base
A collapsing, discolored base is the mark of root and crown rot, brought on when water lingers in soil that cannot drain. Ease the plant from its pot and read the roots, which surrender their firm pale look and turn brown, soft, and sour once rot has set in. Pare away every ruined part with clean tools, resettle it in fresh gritty mix, and let the watering pause until the plant finds its feet.
Fix:
- Remove the plant from wet soil
- Cut away all rotted tissue with clean tools
- Repot into fresh gritty, well-drained mix
- Withhold water until the plant recovers
Stretched, leggy growth that won't rebloom
When the stems draw out and the leaves sit far apart, the plant is telling you it has too little light and is leaning toward the nearest window. Flowering kinds also depend on long dark nights to shape their buds, so shift the plant somewhere brighter and pinch the drawn stems back into form. Coaxing the color back means giving it about six weeks of roughly 14 hours of complete darkness each night.
Fix:
- Move to a brighter spot with bright indirect light
- For flowering kalanchoes, provide about six weeks of roughly 14 hours of complete darkness each night to trigger budding
- Pinch back leggy stems
White cottony fluff where the leaves meet the stem
Cottony white tufts and the sticky sheen beside them betray a colony of mealybugs tucked into the joints of the plant. Touch each one with a cotton swab dipped in 70 percent isopropyl alcohol, follow with insecticidal soap, and stay with the treatment until the plant reads clean again. Set it apart from your other succulents in the meantime so nothing travels.
Fix:
- Dab insects with a cotton swab dipped in 70 percent isopropyl alcohol
- Treat with insecticidal soap and repeat until clear
- Isolate the plant from other succulents
Toxicity
This is a plant to place thoughtfully around animals. Every part holds bufadienolides, cardiac glycosides that bring on drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea, and in larger amounts can unsettle the heartbeat. No part is edible, so treat it as toxic to pets and livestock and keep it beyond a child's reach.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Toxic
A cat that grazes on the leaves tends to drool first, with vomiting and diarrhea following soon after. The genuine worry is a large mouthful, since the cardiac glycosides can unsettle the heart rhythm.
Dogs Toxic
In a dog, expect drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, and a flat, listless mood after it nibbles any part of the plant. Larger helpings can slow or scramble the heartbeat, which is reason enough to call the vet.
Horses Toxic
The same bufadienolides weigh heavily on horses, showing as drooling, colic, and loose manure. In real quantity the toxin can disturb the heartbeat and turn dangerous, so keep it far from any paddock.
Rabbits Toxic
Kalanchoe is never a treat to offer a rabbit. Even the smallest taste brings on drooling and digestive upset, and the cardiac glycosides make it truly risky for so small a creature.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, goats, and sheep can be poisoned wherever this plant grows or its clippings are tossed within reach. The signs run from drooling and diarrhea through to staggering, and a heavy dose can stop the heart.
Birds Toxic
Pet birds belong well away from the foliage. The cardiac glycosides are no kinder to them, so a bird that pecks at a leaf can be left with an upset gut and heart-rhythm trouble.
People Caution
No part of the plant is food, so it should never end up on a plate. The sap can leave skin faintly itchy, and swallowing any amount tends to upset the stomach, so keep it well beyond the reach of small children.
Sap can cause mild contact irritation; keep the plant out of reach of pets that chew foliage.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Kalanchoe spans far more than the flowering plant most people bring home. These are the forms you are likeliest to meet.
Kalanchoe blossfeldiana (Flaming Katy)
This is the florist kalanchoe that turns up on every shop shelf, easy to place by its glossy scalloped leaves and tight clusters of small bright flowers.
Kalanchoe tomentosa (panda plant)
Kept for its thick, fuzzy silver leaves edged in soft brown felt, this is a plant grown for the foliage rather than any flower.
Kalanchoe daigremontiana (mother of thousands)
Its leaf margins carry rows of tiny plantlets that eventually drop away and take root wherever they come to rest.
Kalanchoe luciae / thyrsiflora (paddle plant)
Rounded paddle-shaped leaves stack up like the petals of a bloom and take on a deep red edge under bright light.
How to propagate
Few succulents multiply as easily as kalanchoe, whether you root a stem tip or raise a whole new plant from a single leaf.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring to summer during active growth · 2 to 3 weeks to root
Take a healthy stem tip through spring or summer while the plant is in growth, then leave the cut end to dry and callus for a day or two before it goes into the pot. Settled into gritty, barely moist mix, it takes root in about 2 to 3 weeks. Letting the cut callus first is the quiet step that spares the stem from rotting.
Leaf cuttingsEasy
Spring to summer · 3 to 6 weeks to form plantlets
A great many kalanchoes will raise a whole new plant from one leaf laid flat on well-drained mix in spring or summer. Fresh plantlets and roots gather at the leaf base across the following 3 to 6 weeks. Let the leaf callus before you begin, and keep the mix no more than barely damp.
Myths
Kalanchoes are harmless succulents that make safe gift plants around pets.
It is a tempting notion, yet the ASPCA lists kalanchoe as toxic to cats and dogs, and the whole genus carries the same hazard. The plant is laden with bufadienolides, a cardiac glycoside behind the drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea it causes, and in larger amounts it can unsettle the heartbeat. A handsome bloom is no measure of safety in a home shared with animals.