For a long-blooming succulent that is relatively easy to grow, the Calandiva is what you need. These indoor plants add a splash of color to any living space. The fat fleshy leaves stand out, but when it blooms, you will love ❤️ flowers available in different colors. Make sure to check out our pink Calandiva in the shop.
Plant Name: Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
Other Name: Flaming Katy, florists kalanchoe, Christmas Kalanchoe, Madagascar window’s-thrill, and kalanchoe calandiva
Plant Type: Succulent
Native Areas: Cultivar
Light Requirement:
Watering: Moderate
Fertilizer: Liquid fertilizer
Toxicity: Toxic to humans and pets
Temperature: 64°F to 68°F
Propagation: Cuttings and division
Growth: 12 to 18 inches tall and 4 to 18 inches wide
Soil Type: Well-draining soil
USDA Hardiness Zones: 10-12
More About Kalanchoe Calandiva Plant
The Calandiva is a herbaceous cultivar in the Kalanchoe genus of the Crassulaceae family. The cultivar was developed in the Netherlands to grow as an evergreen succulent.
The flowering plant has stunning features as it has a flowering period of six weeks from early spring into late winter.
It can produce buds with rose-shaped flowers that add a unique touch to a home or garden design.
Like most succulents, the plant, like the Christmas cacti, is popular during the holidays. The Calandiva plant reaches up to 18 inches tall and 20 inches wide.
Furthermore, the Calandiva has shiny textured foliage that stays green throughout the year. These outdoor plants make bold statements in the garden design.
The buds form to display large flowers and have a flowering period of up to six weeks. The bloom colors vary from pink, purple, and orange to red.
Similar Flowering Plant Varieties
As with Calandiva, you can find many other Kalanchoe varieties to grow in the garden seen here:
Pendant Flowered Kalanchoe
The charming perennial succulent has fleshy oval leaves with red edges and orange tubular flower buds from late winter to spring.
Chandelier Plant
The plant has arching branches with yellow to cream irregular markings and urn-shaped flowers in red during spring.
Beach Bells
The plant produces buds in red-orange to bright red that are urn-shaped, and the round green leaves turn red in full sun.
Coral Bells
The epiphytic succulent looks fabulous in hanging baskets and blooms bell-shaped flowers in a red violet.
Some standout varieties exist, but check out some of the other Kalanchoe cultivars in our shop. We are sure you will find something you like.
Caring For Kalanchoe Blossfeldiana
The Calandiva is bread to produce larger buds and has double flowers, sometimes called the Rosebud Kalanchoe. In contrast, most gardeners treat them as one-time bloomers, as getting them to flower again is tricky. We have some details below to help you to get your plant to bloom again toward the end if you are interested. 🤗
Light Exposure
Whether grown in containers as a houseplant or in the garden, your Calandiva needs bright indirect light. Preferably get a spot with indirect sunlight, as too much direct sun can burn the leaves.
Yes, we know it is a bit tricky, but if your succulent is flowering and half-open, low light will make them not open. When flowering is fully open, it can handle lower light for a few weeks. The Calandiva is a slow grower but a beautiful plant in bloom.
So, standing on a windowsill provides your plant with filtered sun from sheer curtains. While in the garden, protect your plant from the harsh direct sunlight in the afternoon.
Soil Requirements Calandiva Plant
As the Calandiva is a succulent, they prefer a light and aerated mix, like a well-draining succulent and cacti mix.
When grown in pots, ensure enough drainage holes to prevent root and stem rot. A suitable soil is a half succulent mix and half potting soil. You can also add some compost as well.
Doing this helps to keep your plant on the dry side, and adding perlite or pumice helps.
Watering Calandiva Kalanchoe
When watering, the Calandiva can quickly rot out when overwatered. When your plant is in bloom, you can water more than your other succulents. It also depends on the temperature, natural light, and container size.
Neither do you want your plant to remain wet as it grows dense and can form powdery mildew on the lower leaves! The same applies in the garden; you must water your plant sparingly. A rule is to do a finger ☝ test to check if it is dry or moist at the topsoil level.
In winter, you can expect to water every one to two weeks. But never wait until the soil is completely dry.
Calandiva Temperature and Humidity
Growing Calandiva as a houseplant can thrive in the average home temperature. But keeping your plant away from cold drafts or heat vents is best.
You can grow them outside during the summer, providing them with bright indirect light protected from the afternoon sun and too much rain.
When winter comes around, and it gets too cold, bring your plant inside.
Fertilizing Calandiva Plant
While most people grow the Calandiva as a short-term blooming plant, it never needs fertilizing. But when in bloom, feel free to fertilize them using a houseplant feed. Still, we recommend avoiding feeding plants in the fall and winter as they rest.
Repot and Pruning Calandiva Plant
Once your plant’s blooms die, you can do minor pruning by removing the entire flower stem. Over time your plant grows leggy with taller leaves, and it helps to pinch the tip to prevent it from happening.
You can remove the excess growth with sterile scissors to give it a fuller look. For repotting your plant, only do this when your plant outgrows its containers. Then you can freshen up a larger pot size with new soil.
Ensure to use a cacti mix for drainage.
Propagating Calandiva Kalanchoe
When it comes to propagation, you can do it in several ways, using division or taking stem cuttings.
When pruning your plant, you can select a leaf to cut along the stem with two leaves attached. Do not cut stems with flowers attached.
Then leave the stem cuttings to heal for a few days and place them in the soil.
Keep the soil moist, place the containers in indirect light, and check to see if new leaf growth occurs and if the cuttings establish roots before transplanting them into a larger pot.
You can use a rooting hormone optional before planting your Calandiva, as it helps encourage healthy root development. This is the easiest way to propagate your plant.
How to Promote Flowering
The Calandiva flowers in winter and spring as the flowering is encouraged by the short days and long nights that start in the fall. Do the following to ensure your plant reblooms yearly:
When fall arrives, place your new plant if it does not have open buds in a dark spot for up to 14 hours a day. You can set your plant in a closet in the late afternoon.
The important thing is for your plant to receive a long night 🌙 of at least 14 hours for six weeks. Water your plant sparingly or less than usual.
After six weeks, you should see your new plant developing buds.
You can then move your plant pot to brighter light but not in full sun, and it should be flowering shortly after that.
Calandiva Common Pest and Diseases
When brought from outside, Calandiva growing as indoor plants can be bothered by mealybugs and aphids. The other concern is overwatering, leading to root rot, and stem rot is another concern, as you should not water over the foliage but at the base of the plants.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is a succulent perennial, but many treat the plant as annual, but if kept under the right growing conditions, it can last up to three years and still look good.
The Calandiva is sold as a houseplant, but you can grow it outdoors in USDA zones 10 to 12. You can grow them in pots outside in the summer to bring indoors in winter when the temperatures drop.
You can find different cultivars in the Kalanchoe genus, and the Calandiva is one of them, also known as the Kalanchoe Calandiva, a cultivar of the Kalanchoe blossfeldiana.
The plant grows a few inches but typically reaches 18 inches tall and 14 inches wide.
Grown indoors, your plants need medium levels of light protected from direct sun.
To help your plant bloom, it needs 14 hours of darkness for up to 6 weeks in a room or closet as it blooms in winter.
You can pinch the blooms off after it fades to encourage more blooms.
It is traditionally associated with persistence, prosperity, and love.
Whether you want to buy, sell, or simply reach out to other plant enthusiasts, Plantly is the right place to be!
