Kalanchoe is a decorative succulent home plant: other names and a photo, how it looks, and also how to grow it in a pot

This amazing gourmet plant is known to almost everyone; many grow it not only for beautiful flowers, but also for medicinal use. After all, Kalanchoe is not without reason called the "home doctor", absolutely all of its varieties are very healing.

Yes, besides, it’s not difficult to take care of him, no supernatural conditions for growing are required - the plant is very unpretentious. From this article you can find out everything about him. We also recommend watching a useful video on this topic.

What is this plant?

Kalanchoe (meaning "with thick skin") is an evergreen perennial succulent plant, which belongs to the Tolstyankov family. It is thanks to such thick leaves and stems that the flower is endowed with excellent ability to accumulate moisture and can do without water for quite a long time.

ATTENTION: This succulent grows well both at home and in greenhouses, and in natural conditions - it can be found almost throughout Asia, America, South Africa.

What is it called by the people?

Kalanchoe, definitely, is highly respected by peopleIt is not for nothing that he has so many different names that only emphasize his value. The people call him:

"People's doctor";
"health";
"flower of Life";
"Indoor ginseng."

History of occurrence

Kalanchoe was born on the sunny island of Madagascar, the story of his appearance is connected with an interesting legend: In the 18th century, one of the marine magazines published an article about the story of a Russian sailor who, due to a tropical illness, was disembarked from a ship (so as not to infect the whole crew) in the south African island. And when, after a short period of time, the ship returned to that island, the sailor was already completely healthy and returned to the crew. As it turned out, the disease helped to defeat the amazing flower (he constantly chewed its leaves) - Kalanchoe.

What does it look like?

The appearance of the handsome Kalanchoe can be described as follows:

stalk thick straight;
the leaves are located on short petioles or sessile, can be gray, dark green, green, speckled, with a reddish or blue tint, of different sizes and different shapes (elongated, rounded, triangular), with a wavy, fine-toothed or even edge;
flowers are small or large (about 1 to 3 cm in diameter) consist of 4 fused petals of pink, white, red, purple and some other shades;
a lush inflorescence similar to an umbrella is formed from flowers (sometimes a paniculate species is found), the flowering process occurs mainly in winter;
plant height ranges from 20 cm to 1.5 m.

Varieties: description and photo

In nature, there are many varieties of Kalanchoe - more than 200 specieswhich differ in their size, shape and color of leaves, flowers.

Blossomfeld

One of the most common species (flowering), there are very tiny hybrids, and there are varieties that grow up to 50 cm in height, it branches very rarely, mainly grows straight up, its dark green leaves are egg-shaped, slightly wavy, smooth ; flowers are small, with a diameter of 1 cm, there are pink, orange, yellow and red; very easily propagated by cuttings, blooms continuously from mid-winter to late spring.

Manzini

This, in fact, is a hybrid from Kalanchoe Blossfeld, but differs in beautiful large flowers in the form of bells (drooping). This look is great for ampelous flower arrangements..

Kalandiva mix

It stands out among the rest by its miniature and elegance, widely distributed in home cultivation, grows no higher than 30 cm, blooms in very lush caps, beyond which even leaves are not visible, terry flowers of various bright colors.

Cirrus

This species in its homeland (Madagascar) reaches 1 m in height and grows there on rocky soil. The lower leaves are oblong, light green in color with a red border along the edge, and the upper leaves have a feathery shape (of several lobes).

At home, blooms for a long time, most often begins in spring, red flowers, large; multiplies very easily - on young shoots that appear from the axils of the leaves, the root system is immediately formed, so rooting occurs 100%.

Degremon

Originally from the African tropics, a very unpretentious species, at home can grow up to 50 cm in height, large leaves in the form of an ellipse, gray-green, fleshy, slightly twisted. Degremon blooms in winter - inflorescences in the form of a panicle of flowers of red or white.

Lacinate

This species is also called "deer horns" due to the succulent leaves, similar to deer horns, the bush is very beautiful, it is very popular for indoor cultivation among flower growers. Yellow flowers drooping; suitable for ampel landscaping, because gradually the plant sinks under its own weight.

Beneficial features

Everyone is well aware of the unique healing properties of Kalanchoe, which is why it is so popular in home gardening. Now the healing properties of Kalanchoe are recognized as official medicine!

Kalanchoe is successfully used for:

treating flu and colds;
removal of various inflammatory processes;
speedy healing of wounds and cuts;
stopping bleeding;
toothache treatment;
disinfecting and antimicrobial effects.

IMPORTANT: For home treatment, the juice of the plant is used both externally and internally, and in official medicine only for external use.

All kinds of decoctions, ointments, infusions are made from Kalanchoe, also its juice is successfully used for treating a cold in children (buried in a nose) and as a laxative (concentrated juice). To relieve toothache, you just need to attach a crumpled sheet to the sore spot.

In addition to the therapeutic effect, Kalanchoe is able to perfectly influence relationships in the family and the home atmosphere in general - he has good positive energy.

Breeding

Kalanchoe is very easy to propagate. Moreover, reproduction occurs in several ways.

Cuttings

You can root a leaf or a piece of stem:

We choose an even strong shoot (no more than 10 cm) with beautiful leaves and planted in the ground so that the lower leaves literally lie on the ground.
If you need to root with a leaf, then we pluck the leaf from the bush (in late spring or early summer) and plant it in the ground.
Cover with a jar from above and periodically spray.

Soon, roots will appear on it and the plant will begin to independently develop. It is necessary to regularly remove the tops of the seedlings (pinch) - this contributes to lush flowering.

Watch the video about the propagation of Kalanchoe by cuttings:

Kids

A very interesting way - in some species, “babies” are formed at the edges of the leaf, ready for independent life, with roots and leaves, so these “babies” grow to a certain height, then just fall to the ground and root from them sometimes a whole green "carpet". These are ready-made new plants - they can immediately be transplanted to a permanent place.

Seeds

Also a good option, sowing Kalanchoe seeds is best in late February:

they just need to be scattered on the surface and lightly pressed down with a finger, it is not necessary to fill with soil from above;
cover the container with seeds with polyethylene or glass;
air 1 - 2 times a day.

It is desirable to provide a temperature of 17 - 20 degrees, to prevent drying of the soil. As soon as the first shoots appear, we immediately remove the shelter, after about a month you need to dive into a larger container, and you can plant it in a permanent place if there are 4 leaves. When Kalanchoe takes root in its place and starts to grow, the top of it must be pinched right away, it will bloom the next year.

Care

How to grow a plant like flowering Kalanchoe? Of course, this plant is unpretentious for flowering at home, but nevertheless it is better to create conditions for it that are close to the natural conditions of its habitat. Let us dwell on the main nuances of caring for Kalanchoe:

The soil - it should be slightly acidic or neutral, it is most convenient to purchase ready-made soil for succulents in the store and put a good layer of drainage in the pot.
Lighting - Of course, Kalanchoe loves the sun and direct sunlight is not afraid of him, but nevertheless, the western and eastern windows are the ideal place for his location in the apartment. He has an interesting feature: in order for flowers to appear, you should reduce the daylight hours, usually the plant blooms in winter, when natural rhythms coincide with its need for light. So on cloudy winter days this flower cheers up with its beautiful lush multi-colored bouquets.
Temperature - Kalanchoe, in principle, calmly refers to any temperature regime (within reason), in the summer it will be comfortable for him from 18 to 30 degrees, and in winter - from 10 to 16 degrees. In summer, the plant will feel great in the fresh air - on the balcony, for example.
Watering - you can water the plant not only from above, but also through a pallet, in winter it is enough 1 time in 2 weeks, in summer you can more often, Kalanchoe will calmly survive a slight drought, but you can’t pour it.
Humidity - spraying is not required, you can do this only on hot summer days, but wipe the surface of the leaves with a damp cloth.
Top dressing - about 1 time per month, you need to make special fertilizer for succulents, you can also use complex fertilizer, thanks to it there will be more magnificent flowering (apply in summer).
Transfer - transplant as the root system grows (it grows rapidly), the transplant pot needs to be chosen wider. Caution, without destroying the earthen lump, you need to transfer Kalanchoe to a new place, not forgetting about the drainage layer.

Another point should be noted - after flowering, the plant needs to rest, that is, a dormant period is required, so it would be best for a while (about 1.5 months) to rearrange the pot in the shade, cut off all flower stalks from Kalanchoe and not water it, and then already return to their place and continue to care as usual.

Watch a video about caring for flowering Kalanchoe:

Growing Features

Naturally, when growing Kalanchoe at home and in the fresh air there are differences and some subtleties. Let's compare:

In the house - home Kalanchoe does not tolerate waterlogging, you can not allow excess moisture; overheating of the plant should not be allowed; high humidity in the room is unacceptable, otherwise mold will appear on the flower; feed a little, only special and only in the summer.
On the street - Kalanchoe can be successfully grown in open ground in that climatic zone where there are no frosts, or planted in a garden or flowerbed as an annual plant after the end of frosts; place for him to choose a sunny (or partial shade), also in open ground there is too much danger of attack by various pests - you need to carefully monitor this, another moment - if the soil on the plot is heavy, you must add sand.

Diseases and Pests

Unfortunately, sometimes even with the most careful care, it is impossible to avoid trouble with your pet - he can get sick or be populated by pests.

Diseases and pests that Kalanchoe can suffer from:

late blight - black spots appear at the very base of the leaf, the reason is excessive watering or intense heat;
powdery mildew - violation of the temperature regime or very dry air in the room.
aphid - attacks the leaves, sucks out the juice, the leaves gradually turn yellow, dry out and fall off;
scale shield - provokes the development of fungal diseases on the stem and leaves of the plant.

TIP: Actellik treatment will help in the fight against pests.

Conclusion

What can be summed up? Yes, only one - such a unique viable plant must be in every home. Here you and beauty, and the benefits are huge, and attention will require to himself completely to a minimum. How much joy in the middle of winter you can experience when you suddenly have a cheerful multi-colored flowerbed from blooming Kalanchoe on the windowsill - this is a whole holiday!