Deadheading Kalanchoe

Trying to find the best way to deadhead all my kalanchoe. Is it better to just brush off/pull out the dead brown flowers, or should I actually cut the stem? Looking to promote more flowering - have no frost to worry about. Thanks in advance!

Shari,

I cut my old flowers off as close to the stem as practical, I use a serrated knife (like as bread knife) to saw thru the flower stem. If you do it when the cluster of flowers is about 80-90% done, then fetilize lightly, you can get them to rebloom in less than a month. If you wait until the flowers are all done and drying up it is to late for reblooming. Rule of thumb-if they look bad cut em back.

dale - how I love that picture! So, just so that I'm clear, cut the stem-with the flower cluster-back as close to the main stem of the plant as possible? That I can do. Cutting all the little flower heads off of their stem? Ooooh, that would be tricky....so please clarify. Sorry to be so dumb. But if I want them to look like yours, I want to do it right! Thousands of thanks,

Shari

Let me rephrase that, cut the flower stem as close to the main stem as possible, don't cut the plant stem. And yes it is time consuming.

Thanks again. Big smiles, and keep those pictures coming!

Hi Dale, those blooms look awesome! I got a Kalanchoe gift in december. It bloomed quite fine. But now it just has large foliage - new branches and a few flowers, no shoots/bunches rising from the plant like your pics show. What am i doing wrong?

Doing wrong? Nothing, except not being patient. Your plant will start to regrow later in the season. I am not sure if it is my memory or just a unusual year(?), but, this year they have been a little slow to return to their non-flowering growth. Last year at this time all mine had shed their flowers and were growing new stems and leaves. This year most that I have are still flowering a little. It has been cooler than normal here for the last 2 months. We are still getting cold fronts, we rarely get cold fronts after March 15, we are due to get another tomorrow. Cool weather as well as day length triggers flowering in some plants, guess this is one of those plants.

Oh thanks a million!! I think i will just let it grow and grow then!! Mine is similar to the yellow one in ur pic but the leaves are different. mine have grown all curly and big.
Can i make new plants from stem cuttings in this season?

It's me, Cheetos:

Yep stems are easy to root. That plant in my first photo produces 50 over the summer. I use them as a groundcover in other gardens.

If you want some new plants or a bigger plant in the existing container give it some fertilizer, not much, just a little. When you get your cuttings harvested or the plant is about 3/4 the size you want stop fertilizer and cut back on the water. I water my containers of hybrid kalanchoe once a week or less, but, they are big containers. Around/in late Oct begin to fertilize again with Bloom booster fertilizer (low nitrogen)

Hey dale

Why bloombooster vs say regular MG on kalanchoes? I didn't know to do that. My kalanchoes bloom every year and they are probably my most neglected plant.

Thanks again Dave! I am ready to experiment with them :)

Bloom booster = bigger flower trusses

Little plant, big flowers