Kalanchoes are beautiful succulents with thick leaves that store water to thrive under drought conditions. They have widely grown in popularity over the last decade. Kalanchoe succulents produce colorful blooms in a diverse range of shapes and sizes. They can produce attractive red, pink, salmon, yellow, white, and violet-colored blooms. At every stage of their life cycle, Kalanchoes need plenty of sunlight.
The sun is the primary source of energy for almost all forms of life living on the earth. Like all other plants, Kalanchoes need plenty of sunlight to thrive well. They do well when planted under full sun to partial shade.
Kalanchoe succulents need bright sunny locations to thrive well. Keep your outdoor succulents at a sunny location where they receive full to partial sun. Indoor Kalanchoes must be kept near a bright sunny window for plenty of exposure to sunlight. Protect your succulents from bright direct sunlight as it can cause sunburn. Also, don’t make them starve for sunlight because they can become leggy or stretched out. Give your succulents the right amount of light and see them growing healthy and happy.
Why sunlight is necessary for Kalanchoes?
Sunlight is one of the most critical requirements for the healthy growth of Kalanchoe succulents. Kalanchoes love to grow in bright sunny locations. Give your succulents the right amount of light and care and see them growing luxuriously.
The green pigment inside the leaves known as chlorophyll traps the sunlight energy and converts it into their food and this process is well known as Photosynthesis. If the plants do not get enough sunlight, they will not be able to carry out the normal process of photosynthesis and will be stressed.
How to move a Kalanchoe from an indoor to an outdoor environment?
An immediate exposure of the succulent to the outdoor environment under the bright direct sun can be harmful to the plant’s health. The succulent’s leaves may experience sunburn due to sudden exposure to bright direct sunlight. Therefore, the succulents must be gradually exposed to the full sun to make them accustomed to the new environment.
Firstly, put the succulent at a location that receives filtered sunlight or partly sunny. Once the succulent adjusts to the new environment you can move it gradually under the full sun where it will receive plenty of sunlight for several hours a day and some shade in the afternoon hours.
Light requirements of outdoor Kalanchoe succulents
Kalanchoe succulents grow best in a sunny location that receives partial sunlight from the harsh afternoon sun. The succulents can be planted under the trees to create a partial shade. If you live in a cooler climate and growing Kalanchoe succulents as indoor plants during winter, make sure you move them outdoors when the temperature becomes warm during the late spring or early summer season.
Light requirements of indoor Kalanchoe succulents
If you are growing Kalanchoe succulents indoors year-round, they will do well in areas where they get plenty of exposure to sunlight. Therefore, they must be kept on a sunny windowsill because it will provide the necessary amount of sunlight for the healthy growth of Kalanchoes.
Proper lighting is the primary requirement for growing healthy indoor plants. If your home does not have a bright sunny spot for keeping your indoor Kalanchoes, you can increase the lighting by using supplemental or artificial grow lights.
Artificial grow lights work fairly well for growing Kalanchoes indoors. You can keep your Kalanchoes under fluorescent tube lights or incandescent bulbs. However, care must be taken, try not to keep your Kalanchoe succulents too close to an incandescent bulb, because it generates heat that can burn the succulent’s leaves.
What happens if a Kalanchoe succulent does not get enough sunlight?
If a Kalanchoe succulent does not get enough sunlight it will start to stretch its stem and will appear stretched and leggy. The succulent starts to project its growth towards the source of light. If you look at the plant in this condition it will appear as if it is searching for light or moving towards the light. A leggy or stretched out Kalanchoe will ultimately become weak and will start dropping leaves.
Do Kalanchoe succulents have specific sunlight requirements for blooming?
Many people tend to discard their succulents once they are done with blooming. But instead of throwing your plants away, you can trick them to bloom again. Kalanchoe succulents have specific light requirements that must be met to make them bloom again in the next growing season. The succulents have different light needs in both phases during the normal growth period and bloom inducing period.
Kalanchoes are light-sensitive blooming plants. Once a Kalanchoe is done with blooming it must receive a specific cycle of light and dark to develop flower buds and bloom again in the next season. It is called a short-day plant because the plants need shorter days and longer nights.
To trick you Kalanchoes to bloom again you must give them 14 to 16 hours of dark period each day. You can keep a box over your succulents to block the light coming from the sun or any other sources. Continue this practice for 4 to 6 weeks the flower buds will develop. Do not water or feed your plant during these 6 weeks because the succulent is in a dormant phase.
For more details on how to make your Kalanchoes bloom again please read our article. https://kalanchoe-succulent.com/4-ways-to-make-your-kalanchoe-bloom/
When the flower appears and can be clearly seen above the foliage you no longer need to keep them in the dark each day. Once a Kalanchoe starts flowering move it to a sunny location and resumes normal watering regimes. Kalanchoe succulents typically start flowering in the mid-winter. This way you can keep your Kalanchoes blooming for years. Though the process requires a bit of effort and time, you will love the results. It will also save you from the painstaking process of discarding your Kalanchoes every year.
Have a great time Planting!
