Kalanchoe, frequently asked questions

How to care for kalanchoe

Question: How to take care of Kalankhoe after purchase, why do some Kalonkhoe live well after flowering, and others only throw away?

Tanitka: I found out that it turns out they were bred as annuals, for growing in flower beds and decorating the streets in old Europe.

Maria: I also made such a conclusion for myself. Moreover, with red colors there may be both a hybrid and a traditional Blossfeld calankhoe. Traditional - tenacious as I do not know who, withstands the most nightmarish conditions in lousy land and without watering. But red, but hybrids, just like all other colors (white, yellow, pink, orange) - die the stase after fading... I lost white and yellow, and the red still uprooted, but it has been sticking out in the form of a semi-dead stamen for more than a year. Suspicion of hybridity is caused by those that bloom too magnificently in the form of a very small bush. It's for the Reds. And all other colors are definitely hybrids.

Victoria: My kalonkhoe (Dutch) has been growing for the third year, but every year in May I cut new cuttings from an old plant and plant them in ordinary garden land - this is very important - not store land! By November, the plant becomes a lush bush and begins to bloom, in April there is a second bloom, and after it I immediately cut off the cuttings, throw out the old one every year.

Agava: I bought 3 pieces from one delivery the year before last: white, yellow and red. White and yellow after flowering did not even start growing, immediately bent. And red tormented, chah, lost leaves, I cut it off and uprooted it - it still barely grows. I decided for myself so - which bloom very magnificently with the small size of the plant itself - all hybrids. But the reds are still more or less tenacious. And in "normal," "grandmother's" kalankhoe flowering is not so luxurious, but completely frantic growth energy and survivability. My mother once threw a kalankhoe in an old apartment when moving. Nobody lived there, and six months later I needed to go there. The unfortunate kalankhoe, not watered for six months, waved to the top of the window, like a huge bunch of bald pasta with leaves at the very top. But in any case, it is necessary to re-root: if the hybrid is to try to save at least something. And if "normal" - so as not to stretch in the form of a long pasta.

Agava: And in general, it is not difficult to take care of Kalanchoe - watering when the soil in the pot is confidently dried, it is better to dry it out than pour it over. If possible, in the morning or in the afternoon, if at noon it is very hot, keep it not on the windowsill, but under the shade - blinds, tulle, etc.

Kalankhoe - care - in the Encyclopedia of Houseplants section.

Kalanchoe - how to care after flowering

Question: What to do after the flowering of Kalankhoe, when it branched out a lot, like a tree and almost bald. Is it possible to prune it and how to do it?

Agava: Kalankhoe can be cut as you like! You can cut cuttings and stick them in the same pot, you can generally leave one foam - it will let the sprouts go and wither. The only thing - this refers to the usual Blossfeld calanchoe, which blooms in red. All sorts of hybrids such as white, yellow and pink after flowering can bend completely.

Natanella: There are only two options for dealing with faded kalankhoe:

1. Cut cuttings, root them and get a new plant. It will bloom when it becomes old enough, i.e. probably in a year. Ideally, Blossfeld's calanchoe is a tall erect plant (50 cm) with an unbranched stem, so pinching does not work. We have Dutch specimens on sale, which are apical cuttings from an already adult plant. It is not difficult to make them bloom, the main thing is to observe the light regime.
2. Try to arrange a "dark" plant for an adult and get a flowering bush. Kalankhoe is a short-day plant, i.e. in order for the bush to bloom again, it should darken from about 17 pm to 9 am the next day. Daylight hours should not exceed 8-10 hours. This simple procedure should be done within a month and then the kalankhoe will bloom again. But first you need to remove the old peduncles.

---

Question: My kalankhoe has already left in the second round, it seems to be no longer going, so it's time to send him to rest. I know that you need to cut it. Just want to know specifically what to cut and how much to cut?

Buttercup: Peduncles are cut. But the height of the bush is how you want.

Land for kalankhoe

Question: What is the best land for Kalankhoe?

Agava: I have absolutely all Kalanchoes planted in the same purchased land with coconut washcloth (fibers) and foam, all on the balcony in "lace" shadow. At the same time, tubiflora, fedchenko, laciniata - grow as undermined. Blossfeld, tomentosa "Panda" and Fang - slowly. And the little tomentosa "Chocolate" is half-dead. If you have one with a serrated edge and with many children along the edge, then it is very unpretentious, grows almost in clay.

Devi: I have a traditional land recipe for succulents: 3 parts of Terra Vita universal land (green package) + 1 part of coconut substrate (from briquettes) + 1 part of zeolite granules. Excellent composition, porous, quickly dries.

How to transplant a calanchoe

Question: How to transplant calanchoes correctly, is it possible to transplant blooming calanchoes?

Natalie: When you buy a flowering kalanchoe, it can only be transplanted by transshipment. Pour over the calanchoes and crimp the pot to keep the ground behind the pot walls. Take a new pot and if you enlarge the holes at the bottom of the pot. For example, if you have three holes, make a hot knife 6 or 8. If the holes are large, place a circle of mosquito net on the bottom, then a 2cm drain of foam, wine cork or expanded clay. Remove the plant from the pot and plant the kalanchoe in a new pot. Now fill the voids with fresh earth. Try not to tamper with the earth, but to knock the pot. When it is completely filled with earth, put the calanchoe on the windowsill. For the first two days, shade in those hours when the direct sun shines. Do not water for 3-4 days! Then watering as usual.

How to water a calanchoe

Question: I bought a kalanchoe, passed, 4 days have passed, how to water now?

Devi: If the calanchoe blooms, water slightly more often than non-blooming, but the edge is very thin. It is necessary to water so that the earth becomes completely dry from above, inside (if you stick your finger) it is also dry to the touch, but not too much, do not dry to a state of dust when the pot is completely weightless. Look at the weather, sometimes the earth dries quickly (when it is hot, sunny days in summer or very warm in winter), sometimes it dries for a long time, especially in autumn - at the end of August, September. Kalankhoe is a succulent, the leaves are dense, storing moisture, but the leaf mass is large, the need for water is higher than that of cacti or, for example, a centenarian (aloe), especially during flowering.

How to make Kalanchoe bloom

Question: Now in early February there are 3 bushes in one small pot, about 13-15 cm high, so thin with small sheets. Last transplanted a year ago. What to do next with it - so put it on vacation without a transplant, having previously cut it off, or transplant it into a new land, and then put it into darkness in a month?

KozaNostra: Put for a month (until the end of February) in a dark place, for example, under a box (you can still pluck the tops on the kids) and do not water. Get out of there shrunken, shrunken. First, put in the old place and spray. Then, after 10 days, start watering and set it so that in addition to lighting a little natural light falls on it (you can under the ajar blinds). If nothing starts (this is unlikely), pour a solution of potassium humate and superphosphate on it (the latter is better in boiling water - then cool it down).

Anyuta: let a small addition - the plant should stand in complete darkness and absolutely dry - otherwise it will stretch out.

Tanyushka: Usually they buy flowering kalanchoe, but literally a year later the owner gets a completely different plant: it is larger, the leaves take on a different shape, the plant ceases to bloom. Therefore, after flowering, all peduncles are cut off. Sprouts that start growing pinch. When new shoots grow from the place of pinching, they are again pinched at the level of 3 pairs of leaves. And they do it all the time. The last pinch is done in November. Since that time, the plant is kept in the light for 8 hours a day, then closed with an opaque cap (it can be made of cardboard, it must cover the plant and the pot). After about a month, buds appear on the calanchoe, and it is no longer necessary to cover the plant with a cap.

You can try another way. After flowering, all peduncles are cut off and the plant is placed on a dark windowsill. Almost not watered during the month, then rearranged in a well-lit place and watered moderately. Changing light and water modes stimulates the formation of buds. Kalanchoe must have a dormant period, usually arranged in early spring.

Calanchoe reproduction

Question: How to breed kalanchoe?

Tanyushka: The easiest way to propagate kalankhoe with a cuttings - cut about 5-7 cm from the end of the shoot if the twigs are thin, or slightly longer so that there are 3-4 leaves on the cuttings. Cut off the bottom two sheets and put the handle in water, in a small glass. Do not put in a large jar - the water will sour. It is advisable to change the water every two days for fresh, you can boiled. It is important that the handle is in a bright place, not on the cabinet shelf, but on the windowsill. It is better, of course, to root Kalanchoe in spring or summer, but you can do it in autumn or winter, just put it under the lamp.

Anyuta: One of the ways of rooting succulents-dried cuttings is strengthened above the water so that it does not touch the emerging roots of the water. In a week or two, the plant is ready to be planted in the ground. Sometimes kalanchoe forms air roots, especially if the humidity is high, such can be immediately planted in the ground.

Vikusya: You can root a calanchoe stalk in sand or vermiculite, or a mixture of sand and vermiculite. But, the pot must be covered with a jar or placed in a bag so that there is high humidity. And be sure to ventilate 2-3 times a day for 20 minutes.

---

Question: Two processes of Kalankhoe planted in the sand, questions:

1. How often to water the sand so as not to rot, and let the roots go? One sticks out 5 cm above the ground, the second a maximum of 7, so there is nothing to cut.
2. If by October-November it takes root, is it necessary (before winter) to transplant into the ground?
3. Does it make sense to shorten his day after such stress?
4. How high to wait to start pinching?
5. Do such young people also hibernate in winter, or water more often than adults?

Buttercup:

1. It is necessary to water the sand after drying, or it is better to spray it so that the sand is wet. Put in a bright place, but not under direct sunlight.
2. If you take root, you can transplant it into a small pot.
3. Shorten the day - according to the circumstances: it will be good to gain growth - it is possible, no - then it is not necessary on purpose. In winter, daylight hours are already short.
4. You determine the height of the flower yourself, to your liking.
5. If the cuttings are strong, then it will be possible to arrange a rest for them in winter.