Remember this photo from back in March of 2015? (just click the pictures to enlarge them.)
Well here they are 5 MONTHS later with 2 new friends! :D To think these were all purchased at 30% off because they were all scraggly and dead looking.
I plan on posting these "diary" entries of sorts as to help others out there by providing an average plant caregivers POV.
Kalanchoe Basics.
1: Kalanchoe (Cal-en-ko-ee) (I'm told there are other ways of pronouncing it but this is the most common) Is a flowering member of the Succulent family, similar to a Christmas Cactus.
2: Kalanchoe like things DRY. No tray of water to maintain humidity, no misting leaves, no funny business!
Actually they appreciate a little neglect from time to time. If you live in a dry house, as I do, watering about once a week is more than sufficient.
If in a more humid house, I'd say to just watch for when the first 1/2 to 1 inch of dirt becomes dry. After that (depending on the size of the pot and plant) they only receive a 1/3-1/2 of a cup of water, more if the dirt is overly thirsty.
Also, Some guides say to keep them in Terracotta or Clay pots but you know what they do? They break! If in that same humid house however, clay may be a better choice than plastic. I live in a dry house so I need to keep them in plastic pots.
3: Speaking of dirt, they like a fairly light soil to live in. The usual potting soil you get with commercial plants destined for the flower bed is fine. I like to mix that soil with a little black dirt from my bean garden (lots of Nitrogen) and some fine gravel or sand. That way they have a nice and firm but well draining soil that doesn't shrink when overly dry.
4: Over-watering is the #1 Killer of a Kalanchoe! It makes their leaves go mushy and their roots rot! They store plenty of water in their leaves for the tough times so let them do their thing. If under-watered however, their leaves will turn yellow and shrivel.
5: I live in Saskatchewan Canada, so my plants must endure winter in the house under a plant light but during Summer they get to spend their days on my east facing porch with once a week watering, once a month feeding and taken inside when chilly at night. If you live in a similar place then you should do the same.
If however, you live in like, oh I don't know, California, Nevada or Death Valley, then they can probably live outside year 'round. Just bring them in during any heavy rainy spells of if it gets nippy out.
Speaking of cold, they will die in only a few hours if exposed to temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius (45-40 Fahrenheit) and HEAVEN FORBID exposed to frost! Their home is originally Madagascar so they like it warm.
6: If you have been given or purchased a Kalanchoe and it has finished blooming, DON'T throw it away like so many other people do! (this honestly shocked me the first time I read that) Besides being wasteful, it's not as hard to keep or care for these tropical perennials as some houseplants. Plus, they're just plain COOL to look at.
7: Kalanchoe are phenomenally colorful little plants! They come in Red, Orange, Yellow, Fusha Purple, bubble gum Pink, soft Pink and White. I have Red, Orange, Purple and Yellow.
The ever rare "Rosebud" Kalanchoe where their flowers have twice the petals! I also understand there are variegated varieties.... somewhere...
Only trouble so far is I should've labeled their pots so I'd know what was what. I know my Yellow one only because it has different shaped leaves than the others.
That and it's getting ready to bloom... :3 I will cover the ins-and-outs of blooming in a later chapter.... provided I can pull it off.
Kalanchoe Feeding.
I know most Kalanchoe care guides say to only feed at 1/2 the recommended dose of most 20-18-20 plant foods (or whatever numbers they go by) but this stuff here I use is pretty old and since they only get about 1/3-1/2 cup of water a week, I just put 7 drops a plant on their dirt then water (Bottle instructions say for 7 drops per Liter) ...... but they seem to like it. :)
They've more than doubled since I took that photo back in March. They also received bigger Pots, which you are to do once a year. 1 inch bigger every year. They level out their growth at about 5 years.
Kalanchoe Adventure 1: Cuttings.
Somewhere around July, I was helping my Dad move a new recliner in the house when one of my Kalanchoe took a tumble off the porch stairs and a piece broke off. :'(
Before this I had read about how Kalanchoe propagate: Through Stem Cuttings.
All the instructions for Stem Cutting to be successful say you clip off a piece 3-4 inches long, snip off all but the top most leaves then let it dry somewhere in your house for 3 days to form a "scab" on the cut end. Then you gently plant it in a recently watered pot.
Next, cover that pot with (of all things) Plastic wrap and tuck it and a bright, but not direct sunlight place for 4 weeks. (direct morning/mid morning light is best) The plastic keeps it from drying out too much. You can't really water it during that time or it may rot!
I decided to give it a try so as to not have the little broken piece go to waste, even if it was technically too small for a standard cutting. 3 weeks later (one week early) I was rewarded with success! The way you tell if your cutting has survived is you gently pull at the leaves. If you feel resistance, it has taken root!
There were only three leaves on this little cutting when I first planted it. Now there's a dozen! :D Did I mention these make great gifts for your green thumbed friends? The big question now is: Which color did this come off of?...
Speaking of the leaves, I feel I should point out that when you first purchase a Kalanchoe, their leaves are going to be a very deep, almost Forrest Green. When they are put out in the sun their leaves lighten in color so as to protect against burning. This is very normal. (dark Colors absorb more heat) Some will even develop Red/Orange highlights around the tips of their leaves. Quite lovely!
Just be sure to slowly acclimate them to sunlight after a long winter in the house. :)
Well, that's all I have for now. I'll be sure to take pictures and document my attempts to make my Kalanchoe Bloom in about another 2 months as well as explain proper pruning techniques. I hope this will be helpful to any new Kalanchoe buyers out there.
Later! A.M.
No comments:
Post a Comment