How to Maintain Flowering Indoor Plants

Every September marks the beginning to the indoor flowering plant season on the floral market. I have worked in the field of Horticulture for over 36 years, specializing in the interior market of houseplants. When the days become shorter and the plant life begins to die outside, a bleak landscape foretells the time of cold ahead. What better way to ward off low spirits than with a plant in full bloom that will bring color and life into our homes during the ofter dark days of winter.

Those store owners know how to market these plants by presenting them in areas in full sight upon entering the buildings. What better way to begin a shopping experience then by being exposed to the brilliant colors of these living beauties? So we take them home and place them on a table where they will show off their beauty all day long for many weeks. But those short weeks are only a beginning of the plant's life inside. Most of us will discard the plant after the beauty of the flowers have faded, but his does not have to be the outcome for the plant. With a bit of knowledge and patience, these plants can live many years inside and flower ever year.

The most common flowering houseplant found most of the year is the Kananchoe (pronounced either Ka launch o or Kal en ko e. Either pronunciation is acceptable.) These are plants that have been hybrid into many color ranges to fill the market for the fall winter and spring. From bright yellows, pinks and pale oranges for spring, to deep reds, golds, pure white and maroons for winter, these are a common sight in many stores and florists.

Knowing the basic needs of these succulent plants is half of the battle of maintaining their brilliant color for months instead of just a few weeks. As all members of the succulent group of tropical plants (those plants the die if their roots freeze), the Kananchoe need a lot of light to maintain the ability to photosynthesize the energy to continue to flower. High light allows the light to build strong stems that will hold huge clusters of tiny brilliant flowers. With the correct amount of light and the proper amount of nutrients in the soil, these plants can bloom for months at a time.

When the plant comes home, be sure to place in a lot of light. Depending on the country and area of each country and time of year, this area should have bright light shining through a window very close to the plant. In New England in the US, this is close to a south-facing window. In areas where overcast skies rule for weeks at a time, the plant needs to be in the window so it can get as much light as possible.

The succulent group of tropical plants, which include the cacti, do not like to have heavy, wet soils. These plants have evolved in ares of little water in certain times of the year, and have cell structures in the foliage designed to hold water for when rainfall is sparse. The leaves of the Kananchoe are large and waxy and will plump up when watered correctly. Always allow the top of the soil to dry 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch from the top before watering again. This slight drying of the top of the soil will ensure that the plant cells will not burst from trying to hold too much water.

After having the plant for two to three weeks, begin using a very weak solution of water soluble fertilizer in the water when it is time to water. Never allow the soil to dry too much, and make sure the middle part of the soil is moist before using the fertilizer. This will give the plant extra nutrients to build more buds and flowers. It is also very important NOT to allow the bottom of the pot to sit in water. This will cause root rot. Never allow water to pour out the bottom of the bottom of the pot while watering because this washes out all the important nutrients that the plant needs to build new flower cells.

As the individual flowers go by in the clusters, gently pull them out so the plant will replace them with new flowers. The plant flowers for one reason--to propagate itself and grow more of its kind. If the spent flowers are allowed to remain on the plant, seed pods will develop ending the plant's flower cycle. In not allowing the seeds to develop, the plant will continue to develop more buts to try to develop those all important seeds. In this way, we can elongate the flowering time of each plant and continue the beauty in out homes.

Keeping the plant in bright light, never over or under watering and adding a bit of nutrient regularly will help the plant to blossom longer. Keeping the plant in cooler temperates allows the flowers to last longer on the plant.

Like all perennials, the Kanachoe only blossoms once a year. After all of the flowers have gone by and no new buds appear, this is the end of the plant's flower cycle for this year. It is time to allow the plant to grow more foliage and build up its reserves for next flowering season. At this time, be sure to cut back any old flower stems to the first large leaves below the flowers on that stem. This helps the plant to continue adding more leaves to that stem.

High light is still very important especially during the winter months. Keep the tips pinched back by taking out the new growth at the very tips on each stem to ensure short distances between leaves. When the stems become long, thin and have long distances between leaves, this is a sign of too little light. The plant is stretching to get more light to photosynthesize. By keeping the stems thick and strong, they will be able to hold up larger and heavier flower clusters. Using a fertilizer higher in nitrogen gives the plant the nutrients for building more leaves and together with high light, stronger stems.

The period between flowering is usually ten to twelve months. After ten months it is time to bring the plant back into flower again. The plant should be very bright light all day, and moved to a very dark and cool place at night. The nighttime space should be completely dark. Placing the plant in a room where a night light can shine into the window will prevent the plant from flowering. The darker the night time the better. This bright light days and dark nights is what will stimulate the plant to flower. This procedure of bright days and very dark nights should continue until the first signs of buds appear. Once a flower cluster appears, begin the using a fertilizer with high phosphorous in a weak solution weekly. Thus the cycle begins again.

I have talked with folks that do not have to move their Kananchoe at night because the spot the plant is in gets cooler temperatures with no light at night. Every spring they transplant and prune the top and the plant performs beautifully.

As with Kalanchoe, all cacti need to have the bright days and cool dark nights to flower. The last greenhouse I managed the temperature dropped by ten degrees at night and I would often come in the next morning to have some of them in flower. When one did, i often took pictures because most true cactus flowers last only one day! I would often point these tiny plants with huge flowers to many customers as they came in so they could enjoy these flowers as well.