Indoor flower growers respect Kalanchoe; this is not surprising - it is rare that a plant has so many useful properties, and that is why growing Kalanchoe at home has always been given special attention.
Content:
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Introduction
At the same time, flower growers are not limited to purely medical use: this plant has excellent decorative qualities. The plant itself is quite unpretentious, however, in order to fully reveal its capabilities, you need to know some of the nuances of its cultivation.
Many people are tempted to have on hand not only an antiseptic or an agent that accelerates the healing of wounds, but also a beautiful specimen of wildlife that delivers aesthetic pleasure to the owner.
Currently, there are more than one and a half hundred varieties of Kalanchoe and about fifty of their hybrids. Their exterior can be the most diverse, however, almost all of them retain the healing properties of their ancestors.
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The medical use of Kalanchoe is quite wide: it is used as a bactericidal agent, has an anti-inflammatory effect, accelerates wound healing and removes toxins from the body.
Kalanchoe juice in a pipette
In addition, the juice of the plant is used to stop minor bleeding. Kalanchoe tincture is used to treat many diseases, such as thrombophlebitis; its juice is used to treat boils and boils.
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Varieties of Kalanchoe
Almost all species in one form or another originate from several of its main subspecies.
They have a lot in common, however, there are important differences that should be mentioned in order to most fully describe the features of growing this plant in a modern apartment or house.
Kalanchoe Blossfeld
The size of this small plant rarely exceeds 35 cm in height. It has oval leaves with slightly serrated edges.
Sometimes the end of the leaf edge has a reddish tint. The main feature of Blossfeld is its ability to bloom.
It is quite long and occurs at an unusual time for most plants. The flowering of this subspecies of Kalanchoe begins in January and can last until the end of May.
The plant is unpretentious, tolerates drought and transplants well.
Kalanchoe Kalandiva
It is a very interesting variety in terms of appearance: the high density of flowers sometimes leads to the fact that their volume significantly exceeds the amount of leafy mass of the plant.
The flowers are quite small, however, they are collected in large beautiful inflorescences. Among lovers of decorative varieties of Kalanchoe, this particular variety is very popular.
It also blooms for a long time (sometimes up to six months), differs from Blossfeld in smaller sizes and leaves with a more shiny surface. In addition, this species has a large number of shades of flowers: from yellow to bright red.
Kalanchoe Pinnate
It has a more complex structure of leaves, along the perimeter they have many "notches". The flowers of this subspecies have an inflorescence in the form of a panicle.
Coloration is dominated by reds or purples, but numerous hybrids can range from pink to purple; The color of the leaves also varies from light green to purple.
Kalanchoe Degremont
When talking about Kalanchoe, in most cases it is this variety of it that is meant. This is the most familiar to the grower, one might say, the classic version of the plant.
Its most characteristic feature is a large number of "children" (brood buds) located along the edges of its leaves. Children are formed very quickly, and, having separated from the mother plant, they immediately take root, hitting the ground.
The leaves of this variety are triangular in shape, they are slightly bent inward.
The plant has a truly fantastic ability to grow and reproduce: its growth is practically unlimited, and, often, its upper part can break off under its own weight.
In order to maintain the plant in its normal form, it is necessary to regularly cut off its top and remove excess "babies".
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When the question arises of acquiring Kalanchoe, there are a number of certain rules, following which you can choose plants without fear of losing it in the coming months.
It all starts with an external examination of the plant and checking its mechanical strength.
The leafy part of the plant and its stems must be elastic and have a uniform color; there should be no plaque in any form, since non-compliance with these requirements indicates Kalanchoe disease.
The plant should have an even distribution of leaves along the stem, if there are long sections of the stem devoid of leaves, this indicates plant injuries or diseases
Another requirement applies to decorative varieties of Kalanchoe: it is better to take a plant with a large number of unblown buds.
If the number of faded or dried buds prevails, therefore, the period of its flowering has already passed and a new one will not come soon.
It is optimal to acquire a plant at the beginning of winter, when it has a flowering period.
At the same time, it is desirable that faded flowers and inflorescences be removed in time - so he will have the opportunity to set new flowers.
Mandatory at this stage is to place the plant in a kind of "quarantine", away from other plants; this will help identify its possible diseases and prevent their spread to other plants.
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Kalanchoe care
At home, caring for Kalanchoe is quite simple.. The normal temperature for a plant is the range from +18 to +35 ° C in summer and + 12-16 ° C in winter. A short stay of the plant is allowed at temperatures from 10°С to 15°С, but at temperatures below +5°С the plant dies.
Kalanchoe should be in a place with good lighting, however, the use of diffused light is preferable; direct sunlight is undesirable. The optimal location of the plant is on the windowsills of the eastern or southeastern windows.
In winter, when the sun is low above the horizon, plants can be placed anywhere, even under direct rays.
Soil mix for Kalanchoe
Soil mix for kolanchoe
The mixture should be as follows:
Drainage should be about a third of the height of the pot.The optimal drainage filler is expanded clay, pebbles or small gravel.
Example of required drainage
Transfer
This plant is fast-growing: sometimes a doubling of leafy biomass can occur every six months.
To some extent, it is possible to restrain growth by stopping leaves and stems, however, sooner or later there comes a moment when the plant requires a transplant.
In the process of transplant
Usually, Kalanchoe is transplanted once a year. In this case, a pot with a diameter of 3-4 centimeters larger than the previous one is selected.
When transplanting, care should be taken not to damage the stem of the plant; Kalanchoe roots normally tolerate transplantation, so do not worry too much about their safety.
Watering the plant
Frequent watering for Kalanchoe is undesirable. Watering once every 3-4 days is considered optimal; Kalanchoe does not like overly moist soil, as rot or fungus may appear on the roots and stem of the plant.
Since Kalanchoe belongs to succulents, it is able to accumulate moisture in its leaves.
This feature allows it to tolerate drought normally, so when watering, you can be guided by the principle "it is better to underfill than overfill."
Excess water must be removed immediately, therefore, attention should be paid to draining the pot in which the plant is planted.
Proper watering
Also, the plant, despite its tropical origin, does not like high humidity.
If you need to remove dust or dirt from the leaves, be sure to remove the remaining moisture from them by wiping dry with a soft cloth.
fertilizers
It is necessary to feed the plant no more than once a month. In this case, standard fertilizers for succulents or their combinations are used.
The most popular is a mixture consisting of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus fertilizers in a ratio of 2.5 to 2.5 to 1. The concentration is 6 g per 2 liters of water.
Fertilizers are usually applied between April and August.
Care for Kalanchoe during flowering
In general, the flowering time of Kalanchoe lasts from November to March, and its duration is rarely less than four months. Given the largely vegetative nature of Kalanchoe reproduction, it is sometimes difficult to achieve flowering.
In order for the plant to begin to bloom, a number of conditions must be met:
flowering phase
Usually, if there is enough light for flowering, in almost all varieties of Kalanchoe, the color of the leaf edging changes (it can become either a darker shade or even become different, for example, red).
Kalanchoe care after flowering
Sometimes flower growers want to get another one after one flowering period of Kalanchoe. A similar procedure for a plant is not recommended, since after it the next flowering will come only after a few seasons.
Often, repeated flowering is used for large-sized plants with the aim of their further "disassembly" into cuttings, followed by planting them in several pots.
This method of extreme reproduction is used when the owner pursues two goals at once: the rejection of further transplantation of an overgrown bush is combined with the aesthetic pleasure of continued flowering.
And, although repeated flowering lasts about half as long as usual, the number of flowers sometimes exceeds their number during normal flowering.
Repeat bloom
To make the plant bloom again, it must be placed in the following conditions for 3-4 weeks: temperature in the region of + 13-15 ° С, daylight hours - no more than 8 hours.
You can provide a similar regime, for example, by covering the plant with a bucket for a time from 14-00 to 6-00.
Winter plant care
During this period, it should be remembered that the plant is tropical, so it is not recommended to allow it to cool below + 10 ° C.
Since winter is the flowering time of Kalanchoe, it is recommended to install it on the windowsills of southern windows to increase the amount of daylight received.
It is undesirable to place Kalanchoe next to heating devices (heating radiators, fan heaters, heaters, etc.). Sometimes it is recommended to water the plant with half the frequency, but twice the amount of water (one plentiful watering in two weeks).
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Kalanchoe grows very fast and has an excellent ability to regenerate, so it needs regular pruning.
In addition to aesthetic functions, such a procedure is important for the normal life cycle of the plant.
Trimming home flower
The basic pruning rule is quite simple. You can cut and pin the plant as you like, whenever and wherever, it will only get better.
But, all this applies to the "original" species and subspecies of Kalanchoe, but this is categorically contraindicated in hybrids.
- initial
- for the purpose of prevention
- after flowering
- aesthetic
Initial pruning is specially allocated to a separate group, since its main goal is to stimulate the growth of young plants.
It is produced very simply - on each stem, 2 leaves located on top of the plant are removed. The growth cone does not need to be removed!
In place of the cuts, after a while, new shoots appear, which also need to be shortened. Thus, the initial pruning becomes preventive.
When pruning after flowering, excess or withered leaves and stems, as well as faded buds and whole inflorescences, are removed. However, such pruning is done only after the flowering process is complete.
After trimming
Aesthetic pruning in one form or another is included in each of the listed types, and can also be done at any time convenient for the owner. Usually, shoots and leaves are removed, the growth of which leads to a deterioration in the exterior of the plant.
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Kalanchoe has all possible methods of reproduction, however, preference is given to vegetative reproduction.
Reproduction by cuttings
Propagation by cuttings involves the use of either a large leaf or a stem with 2-3 leaves as a cutting. The cutting can be immediately rooted in almost any soil to a depth of about 2 cm, tilting it at a slight angle.
Sometimes ordinary sand is recommended as a soil, since the root system will develop faster in it.
In the case of using sand, the rooting depth should not exceed 1 cm. Regardless of the soil used, immediately after rooting, the cutting is poured with warm water and covered with a glass or plastic bottle for several days.
This approach allows you to create conditions for a young shoot that are close to greenhouse ones; they root faster.
Dried cuttings
Sometimes it is recommended to dry it at room temperature before sedimenting the stem cutting for a day. In this case, after rooting, do not cover the stalk, but wrap the entire pot with the stalk with plastic wrap, after watering.
Propagation by cuttings is best done in late May - early June.
Reproduction "kids"
In Kalanchoe pinnate and Degremon, many children are formed that can be used for reproduction.
Their advantage lies in the fact that they already have a root system and their cultivation is generally carried out without any problems.
"Kids" or brood buds of pinnate Kalanchoe with developed roots
As a rule, children taken from the mother plant are poured into a hotel “seedling” container and sprinkled with a layer of soil about 1 cm thick. Planting must be watered daily with warm water.
Within a week, 1-2 cuttings grow from each baby, which after a month are transplanted into individual pots.
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Kalanchoe is a highly disease resistant plant. Usually, diseases or pest attacks occur if the plant is not properly cared for.
If the leaves of the plant become pale, then it does not have enough light. The lack of flowering may be due to insufficient water or not during the feeding.
Dried leaves must be removed
Red spots on the leaves indicate that the plant is attacked by multi-claw mites. The appearance of white tubers speaks of a mealybug; it is rarely attacked by aphids.
The method of combating parasites is quite simple: the leaves must be wiped with a cotton swab soaked in an alcohol solution.
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My mother taught me to this flower precisely because it has healing properties. My mother generally does not recognize conventional medicine, she is always treated exclusively with folk remedies, and so, according to her, Kalanchoe should be in every home) Well, I can confirm its healing effect, since my husband had a serious wound, then as soon as we started using Kalanchoe , husband much faster went on the mend. But in principle, I really like this flower, my mother has a lot of its varieties, probably almost everything that is listed in the article. And my husband and I grow Kalanchoe Cirrus in our house. We like it, especially my husband, after this flower helped him heal the wound)))
I also really like Kalanchoe)) I have three flowers of the Kalanchoe Blossfeld variety at once and everyone feels great with me)) The only drawback of this flower is that at each time of its development, different care is needed. But in principle, you can put up with this)) Otherwise, this flower has solid pluses))
Did you know that Kalanchoe tubiflora (Kalanchoe tubiflora) - Mother of Millions - is poisonous and should not be confused with another Kalanchoe degremona - Mother of a Thousand, which, on the contrary, is useful?
I completely agree with Kristina that Kalanchoe has useful properties, since my husband serves in the special forces and they are also all treated there only with traditional medicine, then he also has Kalanchoe, one might say, is in “armament”))) He has there are always scratches for the work, then he uses Kalanchoe quite often and I can say because I see that it is really effective. We have two varieties growing at home - these are Kalanchoe Kalandiva and Degremona. But with Anna, I don’t quite agree that his lack of different care, care is not very different there, and personally I don’t see any problem in this. If there is a desire and love for a plant, then caring for it at any period of its maturation becomes a real pleasure)))
I didn’t suspect that it was growing for many children, it turned out to be Degremont’s Kalanchoe) It was always a pity for the children when it came time to clean the pot, they take root very quickly, so they tried not to just leave them lying around, but offered them to their girlfriends. And many people like it for ease of care - useful properties. No worse than the famous aloe. By the way, yes, Ekaterina, the approach to any creature with love is beneficial to both parties)
What could be better than natural treatments? More than once this delightful plant has helped due to its beneficial properties. In childhood, it was often used to heal wounds. I have always been attracted to a flower growing at my grandmother's, especially these little children who cover the leaf so abundantly. And now, after many years, I also planted Kalanchoe in my house and am happy with this flower, because caring for it is quite simple and does not cause trouble.
I was recently gifted with a newcomer to the greenery collection. Kalanchoe, similar to the photo of the kalandiv from the article, bloomed with pink flowers. ALBERT, however, I would be very grateful if you would reveal the recipe for tincture from rhinitis-sinusitis. They tried a lot of things, but the niece cannot get rid of this nasty scourge. I heard that it is possible to mix with onion juice, but the child does not want to bury this byaka. Maybe there are more gentle options suitable for kids? How quickly was Kalanchoe cured of sinusitis? How old should a flower be to make a tincture, so mature aloe is taken.