Kalanchoes are wonderful succulents that are often cultivated because of their gorgeous leaves and low maintenance requirements. These succulents are remarkable because of their capacity to store water in their fleshy leaves and stems, allowing them to survive and even grow amid drought and water scarcity over an extended period of time.
It’s fascinating to think about how plants store water in their stems and leaves rather than a more complicated root zone. Kalanchoes have minimal watering requirements but are picky about the moisture they receive. They are quite sensitive to both overwatering and underwatering.
All the information you need to know about watering kalanchoe plants is provided here. Having a positive experience is essential for the plant’s success under your care, and this will help you achieve that.
Watering Kalanchoes: How Often Should You Do It?
Some factors will determine how often you should water your kalanchoe plants. Initially, you should realize that indoor kalanchoe plants require a different level of care than their outdoor counterparts.
There may be a little increase in the frequency of watering for outdoor kalanchoe plants when the weather warms up. These plants may require watering more frequently than once a week during the warmer months.
Different from outside plants, those kept indoors benefit from more consistent temperatures. Indoor kalanchoes are less likely to dry out as quickly as their outdoor counterparts.
You should dig about in the dirt with your fingertips to see how it is doing. Before watering a plant, whether indoors or out, you should examine the soil to see whether it needs to be amended.
A kalanchoe plant should be planted in soil that is dry in the top two inches. Don’t water the plant just yet if the soil is still damp. No matter what, you should always do a soil check. It will be damaging to the plant’s health if you water it too frequently.
Two to three weeks is usually enough time to water indoor kalanchoe plants. Even so, it’s still prudent to do soil inspections on a regular basis.
In the spring and summer, it’s important to check on your outside plants every few days. To ensure the optimal health of your plants, you should water them as needed.
What is the recommended amount of water for Kalanchoe?
Kalanchoe plants require consistent, even moisture, so be careful not to overwater them. They can’t develop their full potential or maintain good health without water.
One inch of rain each week is ideal for outdoor kalanchoe plants. The kalanchoe plants may not require hand-watering very often.
There shouldn’t be any problems with the kalanchoe as long as it gets enough water. However, it is still a good idea to double-check the soil. Watering kalanchoe plants indoors is different from watering plants outside. Each time you water these plants, do so thoroughly.
Water deeply enough to drain through the holes in the soil when it is dry on top. Make sure water is draining out of the pot’s openings before you give up. You then wait fifteen to twenty minutes before removing the plant. After this time has elapsed, remove any remaining water from the drainage dish, and the kalanchoe plant will no longer be sitting in a pool of water.
What is the best time to water Kalanchoe?
Without the soil-checking approach, you won’t know when to water your kalanchoe plant. First, you should put your hand on the ground to feel if it’s dry. You should wait until the top two inches of soil are dry before watering the plant. Not doing so will lead to over-watering.
You’ll find out later that this causes major issues. Just remember that you should check the plant’s soil moisture level on a regular basis to determine if it needs watering. It’s a good idea to put your fingertip to soil at least once every several days. Check-in on the plant’s progress, and give it some water if it needs it.
Kalanchoe plants grown outside will require more frequent watering than their indoor counterparts. This is due to the increased heat and sunshine they experience. Watering kalanchoe plants should be done every 10 days, on average.
Despite this knowledge, it is important to examine the soil often to establish the optimal frequency based on the size of the pot and the environmental temperature.
Just watering the plant once every ten days isn’t enough to keep it alive and thriving. As a result, you risk under-watering the plant.
Overwatering signs and symptoms
Recognizing the symptoms of overwatering is crucial. If you overwater your plant, it may show signs such as these.
The leaves of these plants will often change color if they are overwatered. Eventually, the leaves may seem mushy and floppy.
There are times when the leaves become see-through as well. Since the overwatering problem has caused a shortage of chlorophyll, this has occurred. Defoliation of the leaves may begin, with the decaying process often beginning at the plant’s base.
As another side effect of all that wetness, you can see some fungal development. Insufficient watering causes leaf drop in some plants. It is possible that the plant’s leaves will fall off.
Any of these symptoms indicate that the plant needs to be watered less often. The plant is being damaged by your actions, and if you keep going on like this, it won’t have long to live.
Susceptible to Root Rot
When it comes to plant health, root rot is one of the worst enemies of kalanchoes. When a plant receives an excessive amount of water, the roots begin to rot. These plants are very susceptible to waterlogging. There will be several problems if you water them more than they normally need.
There should be a dry time in between waterings to improve the plant’s chances of thriving. The soil needs to dry out a little bit in between waterings. Inadequate care makes it challenging for the kalanchoe plant to survive. Providing an over-watered plant with any more water than it needs can effectively kill it.
So long as the condition persists, the roots will become mushy and waterlogged. If you don’t take care of the root rot quickly, the plant will die. Root rot makes it unlikely that a plant can be saved.
This is why special attention must be paid when watering kalanchoe plants. Avoiding issues like root rot require careful execution. It’s preferable to water the plant a bit less frequently than necessary rather than overwatering it.
Kalanchoe Overwatered? Here’s what you need to do
If you accidentally overwater a kalanchoe plant, how can you save it? Is saving the plant conceivable, or is it now too late? It depends on how dire the situation is. You should cease watering the plant immediately.
You should wait until the soil is fully dry before giving the plant any more water. In certain cases, you may need to give the plant some space for a few weeks.
It might be a problem with the soil if you’re watering the plant too much. It’s possible that your problems with overwatering are due to poor drainage in the soil.
Changing the kalanchoe’s environment to a new pot is the best option here. If the soil is old and doesn’t drain effectively, you’ll need to replace it. Whether or not the soil drains well may be determined using a simple test.
If you do this, the kalanchoe plant will thrive. One further thing to think about is the vessel you’re employing. How well do the pot’s contents drain? It’s a common error to use containers that lack drainage holes.
The solution may be as simple as switching to a container with greater drainage. You may fix the over-watering problem by making simple adjustments.
A few things you can do to help prevent overwatering will help you keep the plant alive.
Conclusion
Take care to water kalanchoe plants when they need it. It’s best to wait until the top two inches of soil are completely dry before watering your plants. Too much watering will be detrimental to these plants. Overwatering is a common cause of root rot and other problems in kalanchoe plants.
Before watering these plants, you should always make sure the soil isn’t too dry. Give them plenty of water but don’t drown them. In some cases, you may require more suitable soil. These plants require a soil with good drainage.
It’s also important to have a high-quality container with adequate drainage holes. Remembering this should make it easy for you to achieve success.