How to care for Kalanchoe, and which varieties of the "tree of life" to choose for the home

Kalanchoe is often called "home ginseng"," Home doctor "," tree of life. " The juice of some varieties of the plant has medicinal properties. It is used as a wound healing agent for colds. Flowering varieties are only decorative value.

Short description

Geographical distribution - Asia, South Africa, Madagascar. Several species are found in America. In total there are more than 200 varieties. It is difficult to trace the kinship between the different types of Kalanchoe - they all differ in appearance.

For cultivation at home, only a few species are suitable, plus artificially bred hybrid varieties. They are divided into two large groups - decorative foliage and flowering. The flowers are usually small, but numerous. The colors are different - there are varieties with snow-white or bright flowers up to a deep red hue. Petals are simple or terry.

Known Varieties

Of the 200 natural species in apartments, only a few have taken root. The most interesting types of Kalanchoe have distinctive features.

• Kalanchoe Degremona. Grassy perennial. Leaflets pointed, fleshy, serrated. In the natural environment it often reaches two meters; on window sills it does not grow above half a meter. The color of the leaves is often plain - gray or green. Sometimes brown or violet specks are isolated against a green background. Flowering occurs in winter. The inflorescence is large, loose. The flowers are elongated, pink or purple. An interesting feature of the variety is that a lot of miniature sockets develop along the edge of the sheets. They take root roots, fall off and root themselves in the soil.
• Kalanchoe pinnate. Powerful view up to a meter high. Used for medicinal and decorative purposes. The leaves are oval, fleshy, cloves rounded. At the top of the plant, the leaves are separated. Children on the leaves form, but not so abundantly.
• Kalanchoe Blossfeld. A very common decorative variety. Valued for lush and long flowering. In nature, it grows in the form of a shrub up to 60 cm high. The branches are erect, slightly branched. The leaves are glossy, egg-shaped. Inflorescences are umbellate, large. In nature, flowers are often red, decorative varieties include a wide range of shades - yellow, orange, scarlet, pink. One of the most popular varieties is Kalandiva.
• Kalanchoe felt. The popular name is cat ears. Leaflets ovate, pointed, covered with a dense felt coating, silver-gray color. On the stem are located tightly.Peduncles erect with panicled or umbrella inflorescences. The flowers are not large, of an original shape and color. Corolla - red or purple hue, silver tube with pubescence.

How to choose a healthy plant in the store

Pay attention to the appearance of the plant. The leaves should sit tightly on the stem. An inflorescence is formed, but the buds have not yet blossomed. From the buds you can guess the color of future flowers. A plant with inflorescences in the stage of bud formation after purchase will bloom for more than a month. Selected Kalanchoe consider more carefully.

• Leaves. Normally, leaves of uniform color, elastic. There should be no spots, mechanical damage, yellowness.
• Pests. Inspect the stem, the back of the leaves, look into the flowers if they have blossomed. Sticky, silver, white coating, black or light spots, deformation of leaves and flowers - all this can indicate pest damage.
• Disease. Inspect the base of the stem. The softened areas will indicate the initial stages of rot or fungal diseases.

Actions after the purchase

Caring for Kalanchoe after purchase determines its further growth, flowering intensity. The task of the grower is to create favorable conditions for adaptation, to eliminate the likelihood of infection by diseases and pests at the stage of acclimatization.

• Quarantine. For two weeks, Kalanchoe is isolated from the rest of the flowers. If possible, keep in a separate room. This is a precaution - in the store you might not notice the initial signs of illness or a small amount of insects.
• Watering. The first two weeks of watering are moderate, accurate - until moderate soil moisture. Fertilizing is not applied - in the store plants receive high doses of growth and flowering stimulants.
• Transfer. Transplant Kalanchoe after purchase is a must. If the soil condition is unsatisfactory - immediately. Good soil mixture - it is better to replant after flowering.

Kalanchoe care: basic recommendations

Kalanchoe is considered unpretentious, easy to grow plant. Care may vary slightly depending on the variety. But the basics of content are the same for everyone.

• Lighting. Bright lighting is not needed. Placed on the eastern and western windows, in the winter rearranged to the south. Burns form quickly on the fleshy leaves from the sun. Shade at noon. Lack of light leads to elongation of Kalanchoe, crushing, fading of flowers or lack of flowering.
• Temperature. Easily adapts to different temperatures. Withstands heat in summer over 30 ° C. In winter, keep in a cool 16-18 ° C. This stimulates the laying of flower buds.
• Humidity. Periodic spraying followed by wiping the leaves with a dry cloth is beneficial for Kalanchoe. There are no special requirements for humidity levels.
• Watering. Water Kalanchoe should be regular, moderate. The amount of water per irrigation is determined by the size of the plant and the volume of soil, the conditions of detention. In hot weather, water abundantly, in winter, watering is minimized. Oriented to the condition of the soil - it should be moderately moist. Kalanchoe withstands a short drought, it is sensitive to waterlogging of the soil.
• The soil. Ready soil for succulents is suitable.It is independently prepared from equal parts of turf, sheet land, peat and sand. Perlite or crushed birch charcoal is added as a loosening additive.
• Top dressing. Make any fertilizer for cacti. Occasionally, you can feed organic matter. The optimal scheme is from May to July, from November to January. The intervals between fertilizer application are two weeks.
• Transfer. Transplanted at intervals of 2-3 years. When acidifying the soil, crowding the pot, an extraordinary transplant is performed.

Flowering features

Ideally, Kalanchoe blooms twice a year. If flowering does not occur, then the conditions of detention are violated, the flower is sick or affected by pests. You can fix the problem by adjusting the care, cropping or treatment.

Why no flowers

Kalanchoe does not bloom for various reasons. Sometimes it is necessary to eliminate not one factor, but immediately their combination.

• Insufficient or excessive lighting. In sunny places, they try not to keep Kalanchoe - the leaves get burns, flower buds are reluctantly laid. In the shade, the plant stretches, sometimes even dies.
• Long daylight hours. For laying flower buds, Kalanchoe must be in the dark for at least ten hours a day. Long daylight inhibits the formation of buds.
• Excess Feeding. Kalanchoe negatively reacts to the introduction of a large number of fertilizing. Heavy soil, oversaturated with fertilizers, inhibits flowering.
• Lack of a phase of rest. If the Kalanchoe has faded, he needs to recover in coolness, with a short daylight hours.
• Watering. Lack or excess of moisture leads to inferior development. Irregular watering is especially negative - drying of the soil in alternation with waterlogging.

How to stimulate

Judging by the reviews, the easiest way to get Kalanchoe to bloom is by reducing the length of daylight hours. For a month and a half, the plant is covered with an ordinary cardboard box every evening (at 5 p.m.). In the early morning, no later than seven hours, the box is removed. In the conditions of short daylight, flower buds begin to be intensively laid. After about two months, Kalanchoe blooms. An additional stimulation of flowering is provided by spraying with the preparations “Bud”, “Ovary”.

When the Kalanchoe blooms, they do not rearrange it, do not turn it, do not remove the leaves. All these actions lead to dropping buds. In the heat it is better not to keep it - in the cool, in diffuse lighting, the flowering will last longer.

Post-flowering content

How to care for Kalanchoe after flowering? For a couple of months, the plant needs to rest, regain strength in order to form flower buds again. Help Kalanchoe - using the method described above - reducing daylight hours, keeping cool.

Be sure to trim the Kalanchoe after flowering. Without pruning, it will lose its decorative effect and cease to bloom. Remove all faded peduncles. When new shoots appear, begin to pinch the Kalanchoe. Lateral sprouts pinch after the third pair of leaves. The procedure is continued until a neat lush bush is formed. The last pinch is in October - then actions to stimulate flowering begin.

Breeding methods

Propagating Kalanchoe is easier in a vegetative way than in seed. Cuttings, leaves, daughter sockets quickly take root and grow. Sowing seeds is indispensable for the cultivation of new breeding. Seeds germinate quickly, seedlings form small lush bushes over the year. But plants from seeds collected from a hybrid variety on their own may be different from the mother bush.As a reproduction - only a vegetative method.

Leaves

Features. For propagation by leaves, you can use fallen, but not yet dried leaves.

Procedure

1. Cut off any adult intact leaf.
2. Dip it with a stalk into nutritious light soil.
3. Top cover with a cap or a cut plastic bottle.
4. Maintain soil moisture, systematically air the greenhouse. Soon, the leaflet starts up the roots and forms a rosette of leaves.

Cuttings

Features. This method is convenient to combine with cropping. It can also be rooted directly in the ground. As they grow, pinch new shoots to form a lush bush.

Procedure

1. The cut off shoot up to 8 cm long is placed in a glass with water.
2. The addition of activated carbon helps to eliminate the likelihood of decay.
3. After the appearance of the roots, they are transplanted into an impromptu greenhouse.
4. With the appearance of signs of growth, shelter is removed.

Kids

Features. An effective and easy way to get new plants from species that form brood buds.

Procedure

1. Microscopic sockets are formed along the edge of the sheet.
2. They fall off and take root quickly.
3. It remains just to put them in another pot.

Possible diseases

Kalanchoe is ill often. But systematic waterlogging of the soil and other errors in care weaken the immune system, lead to susceptibility to fungi and viruses. The names, symptoms and methods of treating diseases are shown in the table.

Table - Kalanchoe diseases and their treatment

Common pests

Infected by pests from neighboring plants. The likelihood of insects increases when kept in dry air, waterlogged soil. Signs of the presence of insects and methods of getting rid of them are shown in the table.

Table - Kalanchoe pests and methods of getting rid of them

Since it is easy to care for Kalanchoe, it can be recommended to beginner gardeners. Problems with common species occur infrequently. Hybrid varieties grown in the Netherlands are considered more moody.