How to care for Kalanchoe at home

How to care for Kalanchoe at home? Someone will say - what to look after him, it grows itself. Yes, it grows and even brings great benefits. That's just something. Elongated, long, does not bloom, the trunk is bald. Palm tree, not kalanchoe.

But with minimal care, you can get a beautiful lush bush with a huge hat of bright colors. And special efforts are not required, this plant is so unpretentious. A little attention and you will be joy and benefit.

Choose the soil

It will be more accurate to say - we collect on our own. No, of course you can buy a special soil mixture in the store. But who knows what is mixed there? Let’s do it yourself. Land for Kalanchoe should not be very fertile, one might even say, poor. Make it yourself is not difficult. All that is needed is 1 part of sand, garden soil, brick chips and peat. Add a handful of coal from hardwood, mix and done.

Despite the very meager composition, Kalanchoe prefers just such poor food lands.

What should be the pot

It is necessary to transplant Kalanchoe by transshipment method and as carefully as possible. He has very fragile stems and leaves. At the slightest press, they fall off with a characteristic chpokom. If this happened, then do not worry. Root debris calmly in some water or soil. And now, you have not one plant, but several.

Breeding

Kalanchoe can be propagated as conveniently. These are seeds, shoots, cuttings, leaflets, children. All green grows beautifully and quickly takes root. And for greater beauty, plant several varieties of Kalanchoe in a wide low capacity. In the spring, with proper care, you will get such a bouquet of bright flowers in rich shades that you will die of envy for yourself.

Seeds are sown directly on the ground and covered with glass. They are not sprinkled on top of the ground. In a week you will see sprouts, and after a month and a half you can plant a young plantlet in a permanent place. Caring for it is not much different from caring for adults.

How to achieve flowering Kalanchoe

Seamlessly move on to the topic of flowers. Those who claim that it is they who grow a non-flowering variety are deeply mistaken. Absolutely all types and varieties of plants bloom. It is important to know the conditions under which flower buds are laid.

The flower is thermophilic, it comes from Madagascar. But it is precisely the summer of the southern hemisphere that is distinguished by short daylight hours and cool weather. So, creating an artificial summer Kalanchoe, close to the natural habitat, in the spring you can admire the lush flowering.

For this, from September to December, the plant should receive lighting no more than 10 hours. How to achieve this? For example, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. a pot with it should stand on a windowsill or under a daylight lamp. And from 17.00 to 7.00 the pot is cleaned in a dark place. In the closet, in the pantry. There is no such opportunity? So cover the plant with a dense cloth or box.

In winter, it is easier to do, as the day itself is short. But in the fall we’ll have to try a little. But for yourself?

The temperature at this time should not exceed 18 ° C, but should not be lower than 10 ° C. This is the optimal mode for laying flower buds. Starting in January, they gradually increase the length of daylight hours, bringing it to March by 12 o’clock. The content temperature is also increased, bringing to 23 ° C.

Watering is gradually increased.

Watering

He does not like Kalanchoe. If only a little bit. That is, it should be watered when the earthen lump completely dries, plus another two days. No need to worry that the plant will die. In its nature lies the ability to survive in arid conditions, accumulating water in the leaves and gradually spending it on their own needs.

For the same reason, you should never fill a flower with all your heart. It will work like a pump. That is, it pumps out all possible moisture from the soil, but will not have time to spend it. Because when you see dry land, you will pour it again. And Kalanchoe will again be pumped with water. And then it just starts to rot.

For the same reason, never leave excess fluid in the pan. The flower will surely absorb it, in reserve. It is better to wipe the pan dry immediately after watering.

The temperature of the water should be felt by hand, as cool. A warm liquid contributes to the decay of the root system.

Humidity can also play a trick on Kalanchoe. It does not know how to drink the surface of leaves, like plants familiar to our latitudes. Excess moisture settles on the leaves like dew. And remains there until it dries. And if the air around is damp, then it does not dry at all. But spores of fungi and pathogenic bacteria are just waiting for a damp environment to begin to develop violent activity. Then do not be surprised where this infection came from. They themselves lit up.

The drier the air, the better for Kalanchoe.

Still got sick. What to do?
First, try to rinse the surface of the sheet plates with a weak solution of laundry or potash soap. In this case, be sure to wrap the pot tightly with cling film or a dense bag so that the liquid does not enter the soil. After rinsing the plant under a soft stream of warm water and wipe the leaves dry. No doubt, a little troublesome. But they themselves ruined the flower - and save yourself.

You can try to dry the leaves with a hairdryer. Only from afar and strictly cool stream. A stream of hot air can burn the leaves. But this is not very reliable, because you can skip small drops. And wiping with a cloth, you will definitely make out each leaf and stem.

If such manipulations do not help, then cut off the healthy parts of the Kalanchoe and root them. Throw out the rest without regret. By the way, do not try to save the flower with fungicides. Most of them only work when they get into the cell sap of a plant when absorbed from the surface of stems and leaves. Kalanchoe does not know how. It will get drunk with the roots of the poison and simply perish. Or it will discard absolutely all the leaves.

And temporarily set aside the diseased plant from other flowers to the side so that the sore does not spread to them.

About pests

Although the flower is foreign, the local pests enjoy it. Not everything, but there are lovers. These are aphids, spider mites and worms. The first is washed off with a stream of water or poisoned with any insecticides. Be sure to look at the instructions and do not exceed the dosage. Naturally, they cover the soil in the pot with a bag so that the poison does not get into the ground. Otherwise, the flower will regale her heartily. They get rid of the second ones by completely replacing the earth in the pot with a new one. By the way, it is advisable to pre-disinfect it with a hot strong solution of potassium permanganate, annealing in the oven or freezing for a week.

It is advisable to temporarily quarantine the infected plant. Otherwise, all these nasty inhabitants will switch to neighboring flowers and calmly burst them.

Top dressing

Strongly not overfeeding Kalanchoe! Remember the poor composition of the soil mixture.In the period from August to January, the plant does not give any fertilizers at all. From February to July occasionally, once a month you can treat the flower with any mineral mixture for succulents. It is possible for cacti. If you have a favorite mineral water for indoor flowers and you are sure of its quality and benefits, then use it.

How much to give top dressing? The calculation is very simple. We read the recommendation on the packaging and boldly divide in half. Or even in three parts. And only then we feed. And do not increase the dose! The plant absorbs everything that will be in the ground, and then simply throws off the oversaturated leaves. Instead of a fluffy hat, get a palm trunk with a small bunch on the top of your head.

Kalanchoe formation

A palm tree can turn out by itself. If Kalanchoe is not formed, then it will grow on its own with a long stem and will drop the lower leaves. In order to prevent this from happening, pinch all the tops on the shoots. First it will be the central stem, and only then the stepsons.

Just start as early as possible. Immediately after the appearance of 6 leaves, pinch it and 5 leaves with a piece of the handle. If you start later, the stepsons will not grow all over the stem, but only from the topmost leaves. As a rule, there are always two of them. In this situation, you run the risk of getting the most ordinary slingshot, which looks a little like a fluffy bush.

And if you plant in the street

Kalanchoe can be planted in open ground only in the southern regions. In the middle lane, mobility is needed so that when the weather conditions worsen or until the rain approaches, you can quickly remove the flower to a more suitable place.

But to take to the street to freshen up after the winter, you can start at a temperature of + 12 ° C. The flower calmly transfers it. Just do not leave it in the sun for the whole day. Choose a place where the sun shines from morning until 12 noon. Or after lunch, shade the Kalanchoe with a cloth or a dense fence.

What flower is medicinal

Not all varieties of Kalanchoe have healing properties. If you are acquiring a plant specifically for therapeutic purposes, then choose one whose leaves are long, triangular and narrow. By the way, they say about him that it does not bloom. Doctors! It blooms, and even so, with pink small flowers collected in panicles.

And if you need only for aesthetic pleasure and tenderness of the soul, then pay attention to round-leaved varieties. It is they who give those very legendary fluffy hats of the most diverse colors. By the way, the more you cut the faded peduncles, the more new ones the plant will throw.

Valuable Tips

1. If your flower looks beautiful, but the leaves began to change the color to reddish, then this means that they fed with light. Reduce lighting.
2. The same signs, but the color of the leaves does not change, but refuses to bloom? So either fed with fertilizers, or did not observe the light regime.
3. When watering, try so that the liquid does not get on the leaves, stems and flowers. If this happens, remove all the droplets with a dry cloth or soft cloth. Otherwise, you will then treat your pet for fungal and viral diseases. Even one drop can completely destroy the plant.
4. After flowering is complete, it is imperative to prune the peduncle with a small piece of the stem. If this is not done, then the plant may begin to rot right from the top of the head. Yes, and the force will be spent on setting seed.
5. Kalanchoe does not like spraying. The only reason this is done is to remove dust from the surface of the leaves. And surely then they are wiped dry!
6. Do not spare Kalanchoe when you do shaping pruning. Skip at least one escape and in a week a good whip will hang on this place. For a flower is growing at a catastrophic rate. Beautiful form then will not work.
7. Typically, the plant blooms for two months, rarely three.But today, breeding offers varieties that bloom without interruption for up to 6 months! Moreover, they have very beautiful terry flowers that give Kalanchoe even more decorative.
8. As a rule, they buy a flower after winter, closer to March. Then it just blooms. Transplant the plant immediately after acquisition. Even if it already pleases you with a magnificent hat of inflorescence. Let now you lose one year, but save all Kalanchoe for the subsequent joy. Purchased soil is not suitable for long-term roots there. It is crammed with various stimulants. And makes the flower give all life forces. If you leave it to grow in such soil, then soon it will die.

How to care for Kalanchoe at home? In fact, it is not difficult. A minimum of water and food, a bit of dancing with the light mode and now you are the owner of a lush flowering bush. Besides medical.

Video: how to grow Kalanchoe at home