Guest Author - Connie Krochmal
Of the many species of kalanchoes, the one most frequently seen in cultivation is the common kalanchoe. Walk into a nursery, garden center, or even the floral department of your local supermarket chain, and chances are you’ll see these flowering pot plants for sale.
All of the kalanchoes are members of the Crassulaceae family. This means they are relatives of the jade plant.
Technically, the common kalanchoe is a perennial even though it is commonly grown and treated pretty much as an annual, meaning some folks buy the plants when they are in bloom and discard them when they’ve finished flowering.
The common kalanchoe that is sold as a flowering pot plant will be various cultivars of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana. These are frost tender with most tolerating temperatures only into the 40’s Fahrenheit.
The exact appearance of the other kalanchoes can vary tremendously. What can be said is that they all will have thick, attractive leaves that are succulent in nature. The actual size, shape, and color can vary. The bold foliage tends to be coarse. Sometimes there will be hints of red or purple along the margins. Don’t be overly concerned if a kalanchoe starts to lose some of its lower leaves. Most likely, this is a normal response and doesn’t necessarily mean the plant is sick.
As a general statement, most kalanchoes tend to have a number of stems.
Kalanchoes have vibrant blooms that normally open in the summer through the fall. These flowers emerge in terminal clusters. They are available in a wide range of colors.
In general, these plants require very little attention. This is particularly true for the ones sold as flowering pot plants.
For the most part, kalanchoes need a brightly lit exposure. Depending on the species, some are adapted pretty well to partial shade outdoors. Indoors, we need to give them some exposure at least part of the day to full sun if possible.
Kalanchoes are pretty easy going plants. But they do demand a light, quick draining potting mix. Heavy ones aren’t recommended. Quicker draining ones tend to contain either sand or coir.
Peat-lite mixes are also quick draining, but this kind of potting soil does retain more moisture.
Whatever type of potting soil you use, allow it to dry out between waterings. Like most succulents, kalanchoes don’t need a lot of water.
Before you decide to fertilize, first check the label on your potting soil bag. A number of major brands of potting soil now include a slow-release fertilizer that typically can last for 60 or 90 days. If yours does, you will not need to provide any addition fertilizer to your kalanchoe. At the most, you’ll only need to fertilize once a month.
During the summer months, kalanchoes can often be left outside. That is assuming you don’ t live in an area with frequent rains. Here in western North Carolina, we have been having a thunderstorm about every other day, and the plants wouldn’t like to stay that wet.
Kalanchoes can be planted outdoors in the garden as well. In that case, its needs for a quick draining soil don’t change. It tolerates a high pH, meaning that the soil would be on the alkaline side. When these are planted outdoors, they should be fertilized very lightly about once a year. Too much fertilizer will encourage tender, succulent growth.
Kalanchoes can even be grown in coastal areas where it would be subject to salt spray. It even tolerates salty soils as well.
Whether you keep them indoors or out, avoid overcrowding the pots together. When they are jammed against one another, the foliage can get damaged.
So far as the typical problems are concerned, kalanchoes are most likely to suffer from leaf spots in humid weather. If your area is muggy, choose a spot where it can get cross ventilation. Allow enough space between the plants for good air circulation, which will also help prevent problems with leaf spot.
Caterpillars can also attack the plants. Typically, these like to eat the leaves. Normally, it isn’t hard to hand pick and destroy the culprits. If you are vigilant and examine the plants as you water them, you may be able to spot the egg masses before they have a chance to hatch out.
Now, let’s look at some of the ways you can use kalanchoes in outdoor gardens. In frost-free areas, they can be used as ground covers. In some areas of the lower South, they can be planted in the fall as bedding plants. Elsewhere, they could be planted in annual flower beds in late spring after all danger of frost is past. I wouldn’t recommend planting kalanchoes outdoors in areas that typically receive large amounts of rainfall. This is not good for the plants.
Regarding propagation, the kalanchoes are one of the easiest around. The preferred method varies somewhat from one species to another. Some species will produce plantlets along the edges of the leaves. For those, all you have to do is pot some of these babies up, and you should be all set.
For other kinds, you can take stem cuttings. Allow these to dry out for about 24 hours before you pot them up. This minimizes the potential for rot to occur.
Some species of kalanchoes can be propagated by division or offsets. The offsets are attached to the mother plant by slender stems. Once these puts get to be a decent size, snip the threat and pot the pup. This is similar to what happens to hens-and-chicks (Sempervivums).
