Kalanchoe Care Chapter 2: Pruning.

In my last chapter of Kalanchoe Kare (teehee) I just ran over the basics. Everything from watering to soil composition. Today I'll be introducing you to my newest Kalanchoe and how to prune it.

As you know, I have the interesting habit of buying these little boogers at discount after their flowers have begun to wilt. Personally, I'm okay with this. 

Even though I had promised myself I would NOT be buying any more, The Heavens just had to lay in my way a Variegated Kalanchoe! What's that you ask? That means it's flowers are two-tone!

 








See? They're dirty yellow on the outside with streaks of orange leading to the inside.

You can easily tell this one from my Yellow Kal which is getting ready to bloom.

So you know these are rather difficult to find (not as hard as a "Rose-Bud" Kal but pretty close) So when I saw it, I couldn't say no.


 








Anyway, as far as making this poor, neglected thing look presentable, These large Winter/Greenhouse leaves have got to go. As you can see they're already waving their little brown, crusted flags of defeat.

Now, first thing you need are some scissors, preferably some little craft snips like these. It will be easier for you to reach in to snip leaves without damaging either the stalks of the plant itself or any surrounding leaves. You especially want to avoid harming any new growth that may be trapped in the darker recesses of the plant and are further hindered by the larger leaves.

For pruning the leaves, you want to cut them off as close to the stalk they grew from as possible.

For pruning off the flowers, don't go snipping them off right up there.












Snip them off further down here. Make sure not to cut off past those two leaves. That little bit of stem will in fact produce more leaves making for a nice, bushy and healthy plant later on.

Now why prune off the flowers in the first place you ask? Simple: It tells the plant to stop feeding the now dying flowers and instead focus on root and leaf production. You actually end up giving it a nice break. Your Kal will thank you for it.

Now here is my Variegated before pruning. 

Here it is after. I'm sure it looks a little naked now but in a few months time, including a new pot, fresh soil and some food, this will bounce right back!

I left the one flower stalk because it was least dead. I give it another few days to a week, then they get the snips too.

Thanks again for reading, I hope you enjoyed and that these Plant diaries help. 

Later! A.M.