A young clump of kalanchoe plants in the backyard already producing scarlet blooms. The plants can increase in number and can last a number of years.
Come January or February, plus or minus a couple of weeks, of every year, a seemingly ordinary and easily available garden ornamental plant known as the kalanchoe begins to exhibit its prowess – by pushing out large masses of marvellous scarlet blooms, as the name of the plant suggests.
The rest of the year, intermittent flushes of red may continue although a change in the length of daylight hours may alter its flowering schedule.
And because the blooms produced during that period are most superior and gorgeous, it has come to be accepted as a “lucky” plant by members of the Chinese community for the Lunar New Year celebrations.
This is perfect as they also consider red is an invigorating colour that is associated with “ong” or “luck”. It is therefore not a coincidence that there are usually lots of scarlet kalanchoes with red flowers together with a host of other colours from the new hybrids that are available for sale during the festive occasion.
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The colourful picture may be so spectacular that even the imported varieties and those from the hills such as azaleas and camellias have to vie for the attention of the public.
Sometimes called “Spring Flower” or “Red Spread”, kalanchoes are in fact suitable for all occasions. Because the plant is small in size, it can be easily packaged in classy boxes or glazed paperbags to be given as gifts for the birthday occasion of someone’s girlfriend or boyfriend. Even grandparents would love to have it as long as its is red, orange or yellow.
Fortunately there are no black-flowered kalanchoes, or else the innocent plant would be subject to cranky but naive pranks cooked up by some nasty little brats.
As a gorgeous ornamental, scarlet kalanchoes are small-sized herbaceous annuals that are cultivated as perennials in most instances. Known botanically as Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, the plant that comes in pots usually do not exceed 30cm in height, although bigger pots may sustain a larger clump, thus pushing its height to up to 60cm.
An old clump of kalanchoes on the ground may be so densely packed with countless stems that by virtue of mutual support, the clump height may even reach an amazing 90 cm.
Before the onset of the flowering season, a large number of young shoots and green, succulent and fleshy leaves are usually produced during which the flower stalks are very much lengthened and thickened.
The result is the formation of a huge, red mass comprising thousands of small individual red flowers, and it is this large head of red held way above the green foliage that one sees as being prominent and most treasured.
A number of species of the kalanchoe is available and they vary considerably in structure and form. Hybrids come in a wide range of colours including orange, pink, white, maroon and yellow, as well as mottled and edged. Some may be singles while the more exotic ones are doubles which appear to be quite similar to peonies, except for the difference in flower size.
Among the hybrids, there are even the dwarfs which are more compact, more enthralling, and in greater demand.
What more do kalanchoes want?
Kalanchoes are quite hardy ornamentals for every garden including the container-type, and nothing very troublesome should arise under any circumstances.
They want nothing more than the basic few grains of fertilisers and the minimum number of drops of water. Both plants and their blooms can last a considerable period of time if several basic but simple conditions are met.
SUNLIGHT – Well-exposed plants are hardier and are thus more able to hold up the large heads of flowers without drooping. In also induces the full expression of flower colour but over-exposure may sometimes cause the leaves to be slightly bleached yellow.
It is therefore necessary to strike a balance, and to do this, the best way is to provide a little shade during the hottest time of the day.
This measure ensures that the fleshy leaves are kept in a glossy and healthy green colour without compromising the state of the plant that is best for blooming.
WATER – Kalanchoes do not really need a lot of water for growth and survival as it is able to withstand a certain degree of dry condition.
Over-watering may prove fatal as parts of the plant may rot. To do the right thing, it is safer to first check the soil for wetness or dampness. At this point, sensitive fingers can do wonders.
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By poking at the soil around the base of the plant, it is easy to tell if the soil condition is wet, soggy, waterlogged, crusty hard, dry or moist. Doubly thick skins may not help greatly, and so is wearing gloves as they tend to block the sensation of the condition of the growing medium.
SOIL – The soil used in the cultivation of kalanchoes should be friable and well-drained. It should not contain too much organic matter in particular the manures, since this will result in plants that will not produce the kind of beautiful blooms that is wanted.
Instead, a lot of juicy green leaves that are broad, thick and crispy will be produced under such circumstances.
Such plants do look good but leaves are not the primary motive in the cultivation of kalanchoes.
When growing kalanchoes in pots, avoid using the heavy clay soils in compact pots. The reason is that this may not encourage the production of many flowering shoots, and without these, the plants are basically vegetables.
A good way out is to mix in some coarse sand and compost while making sure the clayey lumps are thoroughly broken up.
This should allow for good drainage and aeration of the soil, which is what the plant need.
FERTILISATION – When the soil is properly fertilised prior to planting, it should be able to take the plant right to the state when it is ready to flower. At this stage, a high potash fertiliser should be added as a supplement to boost flowering.
This may be applied in the form of a dilute, soluble application once a month. High nitrogenous fertilisers should be avoided as it will only result in the production of lush green vegetative growth but little flower.
Ways of multiplying kalanchoes
From a single plant, or even just a small part of a solitary plant, it is possible to produce hundreds of them. Anyone can do it, from the young and old, men and women included. A number of methods are available to do the job, and all of them are just about as simple as ABC.
There are high and low tech methods, but these methods are very simple and commonly done my many:
BY SEPARATION – From an old plant on the ground or in a pot, it is possible to obtain several instantly growing kalanchoes with a 100pc success rate. Just dig out the old clump, or remove the root ball from the pot and then separate it into several sections each with a couple of living stems.
It is best to use a long sharp knife to do clean cuts, although secateurs may also be skilfully and successfully applied. Each section with their own stems and roots may then be replanted elsewhere to start a new clump of kalanchoes.
BY USING STEM CUTTINGS – Take 10 cm sections of a mature stem, air-dry it for a couple of days, and then insert them into a rooting medium comprising moist sand, peat or compost. The entire set-up should be kept under shade and regularly misted to encourage the growth of roots.
BY USING TIP CUTTINGS – This method is basically the same as for stem cuttings, except that in this case, only the tip cuttings of mature stems are taken for propagation purposes.
BY USING LEAF CUTTINGS – Leaf cuttings may also be made to root and produce new plants in the same way that sansevieria leaf cuttings are used to generate new plants.
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BY USING LEAF BLADES – Many kids already know this technique whereby mature leaves are cut cleanly from the parent plant and then slotted in between the pages of a thick book.
After several weeks, the leaf edges especially at the serrations tend to produce little plantlets. These may be allowed to grow bigger and then separated to be grown initially in small little pots or polybags.
BY USING SEEDS – Kalanchoe seeds are available and these can be bought and sown in suitable germination medium. The young seedlings can then be separated and grown into individual pots.
Usually, plants from seeds take a long time to produce results, but this is the only way to create new varieties.
Upkeep of kalanchoes
PRUNING –This is one of the most important tasks in the maintenance of kalanchoes. All old, dead, diseased or weak stems and leaves, as well as rotten and faded flowers should be removed by pruning.
One very important function of pruning is the encouragement of bushiness and the production of a large number of flowering shoots.
When properly done, the entire pot could be filled with a dense, compact bush of flowers. If the plants are ground-grown in rows or in beds, the view could be awesome.
WATERING – Watering should only be carried out when the soil begins to feel dry.
FERTILISATION – During the early stage, an ordinary fertiliser or manure that is incorporated into the soil before potting should be sufficient for growth. But when flowering stage appears, a high potash fertiliser should be applied once a month.
CLEANING – Artificial leaf shine sprays should be avoided. Instead, a piece of damp cloth or cotton wool should be used to gently wipe off all dirt and dust as and when necessary in order to keep the leaves clean and shiny.
REPOTTING – For those plants that are grown in pots that are less than 30 cm diameter, repotting is not necessary unless the plant is into the third year. It all depends on how much growth or how densely packed the pot is.
Generally, for the smaller pots, repotting should be done more often to maintain vigorous growth and flower production.