Kalanchoe is one of the best-selling plants in the world. At the famous Dutch flower auctions, it ranks first in sales. Indoor flowers of Kalanchoe are very decorative, easy to care for and extremely diverse. The combination of these three properties underlies such a high popularity.
Kalanchoe refers to succulents. Conventionally, all the diversity of these plants can be divided into three large groups.
- Kalanchoe blooming with bright beautiful flowers.
- Kalanchoe, bred for decorative foliage.
- Kalanchoe bryophyllum , interesting for its unusual way of reproduction. At the edges of their leaves, new baby plants are formed, which, having reached a certain age, are separated from the mother's leaf and fall to the ground. Here they take root and continue their independent development.
How to care for Kalanchoe.
Kalanchoe is very patient, ready to adapt to various conditions, forgive mistakes and inattention of gardeners. For long life and flowering, they need sunlight, fresh air, watering during growth and cool dry land during dormancy.
For those who want to know the answer to the question "how to care for Kalanchoe", below are the main parameters of their content.
Temperature condition . It prefers moderate temperature, but it can withstand its decrease to 6-8 ° C. Succulents love when the difference between day and night temperatures is large enough. Therefore, Kalanchoe feels great outdoors, on a loggia or balcony.
Lighting Needs good lighting, tolerates direct sunlight.
Watering . Watering is moderate, rare. Between watering the soil should dry out. Stagnation of water leads to decay, so when planting a plant, it is necessary to take care of good drainage. In winter, watered once every 10 to 14 days.
The soil. Need infertile soil mixed with sand. It is best to use succulent earth mixtures sold in flower shops.
Top dressing . In spring and early summer, once a month you can feed funds for cacti and succulents.
Air humidity. Spraying is not required. The plant loves fresh air, it is recommended to ventilate the room and "walk through the window" in warm weather.
Transfer. Transplanted in the spring after the end of the dormant period.
Pests . Dangers are spider mites, scale insects and thrips.
How to care for Kalanchoe during reproduction.
Kalanchoe reproduces very easily, so it makes sense to replace old plants with new ones that have a more fresh and well-groomed appearance. You can get them from leafy or stem cuttings and shoots.
Below we describe how to care for Kalanchoe when propagated by cuttings.
Cooking cuttings. To do this, cut off young strong shoots 10-15 cm long from the mother plant. We clear their lower part from the leaves and leave them for one to two days to dry.
Ready cuttings are planted in the ground for succulents in a permanent place, carefully crushing the ground.
Seedlings do not need to be covered with a film or placed in a greenhouse. Recommended temperature - 20-25 ° C, moderate watering. Kalanchoe is usually easily rooted and quickly develops into a full-fledged plant.
Reproduction using seeds is less common, but also requires little effort. Seeds germinate at a temperature of 20-25 ° C. Shoots need moderate watering and pinching after the appearance of several leaves.
Kalanchoe bryophyllums easily reproduce with the help of baby plants, transplanted to a permanent place for rooting. No additional effort (other than watering) is required when breeding them.
The healing properties of Kalanchoe.
Many Kalanchoe are able to have a wound healing and hemostatic effect. The leaves and stems of the plant need to be washed, crushed, wrapped in gauze and applied to the damaged area.
The tincture of Kalanchoe leaves has an anti-inflammatory and bactericidal effect and can be used to rinse the throat and gums, rinse the nose and eyes.
Kalanchoe juice is a biostimulant. It can be used in cases where the human body needs support after prolonged overload or a serious illness.
The most effective among the species is Kalanchoe pinnate, it is used in the pharmacological industry to create drugs.