Getting potted succulents to flower indoors can be the most rewarding moment in succulent care.
Sadly, indoor succulents don’t always grow flowers. They need their conditions to be just right.
First, give your succulent all the basic care it needs to grow. Then, when it is doing well, make it so happy that it will bloom and grow stunning flowers for you.
Indoor Flowering Succulents
Many indoor potted succulents won’t bloom at all. So if your plant is not flowering, don’t worry, it is perfectly normal if it doesn’t.
Getting your indoor succulent to flower requires all the care conditions to be right for your plant. For most succulents, this means plenty of light, a regular watering regime, and very importantly, good drainage.
If you are lucky, you might find a flowering succulent when you are out plant shopping. Succulents like the Kalanchoe and holiday cacti like the Christmas cactus or Thanksgiving cactus are sold for their flowers when they are in bloom.
Many other succulents, like Echeverias, usually bloom at the end of the growing season in late summer. Check your local plant nursery or garden center to see if they have any for sale around that time.
Things you need to make your succulent flower:
- Your succulent needs to be old enough to grow flowers
- Plenty of light
- A good watering regime
- Cool winter / warm summer temperatures
Age of Succulent
Your plant needs to have aged enough before any flowers can grow. Young plants won’t bloom. Depending on the type of succulents, and the conditions they are growing in, it can take about four to six years before a succulent will flower.
So before anything else, make sure it is old enough. Purchase a succulent that has already matured, or if you propagate your own succulents, know that you might have to wait a few years.
Plenty of Light
Once your succulent has matured, the most important thing is light. They need a lot of bright light to start blooming.
When you notice a flower stalk starting to grow, make sure it gets plenty of sunlight. The more the better, just build it up gradually.
Do watch out on very hot and sunny days. Even succulents can get sunburnt! Move your plant away from the window a bit, or use something like a sheer curtain or a DIY sun diffuser for protection.
Succulents that do not receive enough light will eventually etiolate and stretch out. And won’t have a lot of chance of growing any flowers.
If you can’t provide enough bright light, you could use an indoor plant grow light.
Further reading: how much sun succulents need.
Watering Regime
When you water your succulent, be generous, soaking the soil. Then let the soil dry out completely before watering again. This is called the soak-and-dry method.
When it is blooming, water a bit more often. Continue reading for more info on how to care for your succulent when it is growing flowers.
Summer / Winter Temperatures
Most succulents originate from the desert where they are used to a significant temperature difference between night and day, as well as summer and winter. These temperature differences trigger the succulent to start blooming.
If possible, keep your succulent in a cooler spot in your home during winter. If you have a spare room where you can keep the heat off or set to low, that would be great.
Some succulents like the Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti don’t come from the desert but hail from the rainforest. They like a dark treatment for 6-8 weeks to bloom.
Humidity
If you want the flowers to last longer, keep the humidity low. The flowers will fade a lot quicker when the humidity is high.
Fertilizing
Growing flowers uses a lot of your succulents’ energy. Feel free to help your plant a little by giving it some extra fertilizer. A bit more and a bit more often.
Continue fertilizing this way until the flowers start fading.
Should you Cut the Flower Stalks off your Succulents?
This question always comes up. Should you prune or trim the flowers? And if so, when?
Some people are not impressed by the flowers and believe that growing them will cost the succulent precious energy. These people tend to remove the flower stalks.
Other people, like me, treasure the delicate beauty of the blooms and let them flower in all their glory.
When the flowers start wilting, is when you want remove the flower stalk. Use sharp pruning scissors, follow the stalk down, and get as close to the bottom of it as possible without harming the leaves. Carefully trim off the flower stalk.
What Happens After Flowering?
Certain succulents flower once and die right after. But not many. Most will continue growing after they bloom.
There are two types of flowering succulents; perennial and monocarpic. Perennial plants can flower many times in their life, monocarpic plants bloom once and that’s it.
Plants like the Paddle plant, and Tillandsia Ionantha or Tillandsia xerographica are such monocarpic plants.
