Kalanchoe degremona

Content rules

Caring for a plant at home consists of the following components:

• Lighting. Kalanchoe is a light-loving plant. Insufficient lighting can lead to stretching of the stems and lack of flowering. You need to place the flower on the windowsills on the east or west side.

  It should be borne in mind that excess sunlight and direct exposure to ultraviolet rays on the delicate surface of the leaves can cause burns. In the midday heat, the plant needs shelter.

• Temperature conditions. The shrub grows best in warm temperate climates. In summer, the air temperature should not exceed 25 degrees Celsius, in winter - drop below 11 degrees. Short-term temperature drops to 8 or an increase to 30 degrees are allowed, but in this case, the irrigation of the flower should be regulated as much as possible, avoiding waterlogging of the soil or overdrying the coma.
• Watering. The flower prefers a slight drought, stagnation of moisture in the root system will lead to its decay. In the summer, watering with water at room temperature is carried out daily, but in the winter season, once every two weeks is enough. When planting, you need to take care of drainage, which will maintain the moisture in the soil at an optimal level. You can water the flower in both the upper and lower ways.

  In the first case, moisture should not get on the leaves, especially if they have a fleecy surface. Water droplets will linger on the surface, which will lead to fungal diseases. In the case of adding liquid to the pan, it is necessary to regularly drain the excess.

• Top dressing. It is preferable to use complex mineral compositions in a diluted form before flowering (the concentration should be half that indicated on the package). Before adding nutrients to the soil, it is recommended to water the plant abundantly to protect the roots from burns.
• Pruning. The crown of the flower grows rather quickly and takes on an inappropriate appearance without pruning. Therefore, in the spring it is recommended to cut the extended branches. Elongated shoots cut off by about 2/3 or a little more.
• Pinching. To give the bush a neat shape and stimulate the growth of lateral shoots, the top of the Kalanchoe must be pinched. This procedure is carried out in the summer season and is more relevant for young plants, but it can also be practiced for older specimens.
• Fight against insect pests and diseases. Kalanchoe has increased resistance to various ailments, but with improper care it can be exposed to some diseases.

  Most often, the plant is damaged by aphids, mealybugs, mites, brown spots appear on the leaves, white or gray bloom. Ailments should be dealt with by removing the affected areas and spraying with chemicals.

An important condition for the correct development of a flower is its transplant in the spring. To carry out the procedure, you must perform the following steps:

1. Prepare a low acid soil. To do this, you need to mix garden soil, humus and coarse sand in herbal proportions.
2. Find a suitable pot. The height of the container should not exceed 15 cm, and its diameter should be much larger than that of the previous one.
3. Place drainage on the bottom. Fill the pot with it about one quarter. Add a small amount of soil on top.
4. Get a bush with a lump, shake off excess soil, being careful not to damage the root system. Place in a new pot.
5. Fill up the earth and level the surface.
6. Drizzle. Place in a well-lit place, but not in direct sunlight.
7. After a couple of weeks, carry out the first feeding. By this time, the plant should already take root.

It should be borne in mind that to ensure the flowering of the Kalanchoe, it is necessary to provide conditions for a short daylight hours with a duration of no more than 10 hours.

At the same time, ideally, during daylight hours, the flower should receive a sufficient amount of sunlight so that the buds develop actively, and the color of the flowers is more saturated.

The essence of the procedure

Pruning Kalanchoe is a necessary procedure to remove overgrown shoots, excess leaves and peduncles that interfere with proper nutrition and normal plant development.

Do I need to do this?

Pruning helps rejuvenate the plant. After removing old leaves and shoots, sap accumulates in the stems, which is evenly distributed over the branches. As a result, they become more juicy. The plant becomes resistant to drying out.

Pruning promotes root development. After the procedure, the roots of the plant become stronger.

First cut

The first pruning is done after the plant has taken root and begins to grow. The most suitable time for it is spring. The procedure involves removing the top pair of leaves on each shoot.

After pruning, the plant forms new shoots with young leaves on them. After a while, 2 - 3 leaves are again removed from the new shoots. Starting in early spring, the Kalanchoe can form a neat dense crown.

Preventive

Preventive pruning allows you to maintain a neat appearance, preventing shoots from overgrowing, forming a beautiful crown and removing old and diseased stems. It is carried out as young shoots grow back. The branches and leaves are removed until the crown takes on the desired shape.

It is not necessary to wait for the leaves to grow, they can be removed by pinching immediately after formation.

For the prevention of diseases, plants are periodically examined and damaged shoots and leaves are cut off. As it grows, the plant sheds old foliage, exposing the stem. After pinching the bare shoots, the Kalanchoe begins to branch out, creating a neat crown.

The procedure is carried out from early spring to late autumn. In the second half of November, pruning is stopped and resumed in the spring before bud formation begins. During the flowering period, it is contraindicated.

After flowering

After the Kalanchoe has faded, a cleansing pruning is carried out.

Care should be taken when pruning to avoid damaging nearby stems and leaves. Pruning after flowering activates new stem growth and flower-setting for the next flowering

After her, the flower needs rest. To do this, you need to reduce watering and move the pot with the plant to a darker and cooler room. The dormant period of the Kalanchoe lasts about a month. After that, the plant is ready for a new flowering. Usually the procedure is carried out in the morning.

Pruning after flowering activates new stem growth and flower-setting for the next flowering. After her, the flower needs rest. To do this, you need to reduce watering and move the pot with the plant to a darker and cooler room. The dormant period of the Kalanchoe lasts about a month. After that, the plant is ready for a new flowering. Usually the procedure is carried out in the morning.

How to shape a bush?

The height of the Kalanchoe stems can reach 50 cm. Such shoots look sloppy. They do not bloom and wither quickly. In order not to damage the flower, you should prepare in advance for formative pruning. You do not need to remove all the shoots at once, trying to give the plant a beautiful shape. A flower cut to hemp looks much worse.In addition, not every plant will be able to withstand the removal of a significant part of the green mass.

Pinching the tops of the shoots is most effective. Young leaves are removed without waiting for their growth. In this case, the damage quickly heals in a short time. This method allows you to reduce the number of trimmings that injure the plant. In addition, pinching stimulates the growth of lateral shoots where the leaves have been removed.

After the formation of the bush, the pot with the plant must be moved to a shaded place, otherwise the shoots will stretch out again and the bush will lose its shape.

How to pinch correctly?

Pinching allows you to form a branchy, rounded bush with a dense crown

The first pinching is carried out immediately after the purchase of the plant. It allows you to set the direction of growth and lays the foundation for a beautiful crown. For this, 2 - 3 leaves are removed on each upper shoot. This will activate the growth of new shoots.

The procedure is carried out with clean hands. The tip of the leaf is grasped with the thumb and forefinger, squeezed and removed. The leaves should be very small. During the pinching of large leaves, the plant is injured, and the damage heals for a long time.

Video about how to properly cut Kalanchoe:

Secrets of caring for Kolanchoe

A thick-stemmed plant is successfully grown indoors, following some rules. The key to a healthy appearance and lush flowering of Kalanchoe is the correct place of its keeping and proper care. The main care for Kalanchoe Kalandiva, as well as for its other relatives at home, is as follows.

Proper watering of the Kalanchoe

This tropical plant reacts poorly to excess moisture. Constant waterlogging of the soil is the main cause of rotting of the root system of a flower. It is necessary to water the Kalanchoe not very often and not in large doses, especially when it has a flowering period.

In the spring-summer period, an ornamental plant is watered with cool, settled water. In the process of watering a flower, the ground part must be protected from water ingress in order to prevent rotting of the stem and leaves. Moderate watering in the spring and summer is ideal for this flower. When overflowing, the excess water must be emptied from the sump. The optimal frequency of watering Kalanchoe is once every three days.

This flower has a significant supply of liquid in the leaves and trunk, so the lack of moisture is not very terrible for it. He suffers more from its overabundance.

In the autumn-winter period, Kalanchoe is watered less often. Do not allow stagnation of water in the sump. Excess moisture with a low temperature, which the plant cannot tolerate, can provoke its death. Ideally, each watering of this exotic is carried out as the top layer of the earth dries up. In winter, the plant is watered with warm water. Watering with cold water can stress the plant.

Kolanchoe lighting

Kalanchoe is a sun-loving plant. Until noon, the flower can be completely calmly exposed in direct sunlight, and after lunch it can be cleaned in a shaded place, creating half-light conditions. In order not to rearrange it every day from place to place, it is possible to use the most ordinary lightweight fabric and cover the plant with it. In the afternoon, the sun's rays are extremely dangerous for this flower. They can cause burns to leaves and stems.

In winter, the plant can be placed in one place without moving, since the sun is less active at this time of the year.

Temperature regime of Kalanchoe

Kalanchoe prefers a moderate temperature in the range of 16 to 20 degrees. But if the temperature drops to 5-7 degrees, then this will in no way affect the state of the plant. This flower does not like heat, it begins to absorb a significant amount of water and suffer from various diseases.

Air humidity

This flower does not need high humidity.The plant does not like an excess of moisture, not only in the soil, but also in the air. With increased air humidity, its stem accumulates excess moisture, which can provoke the appearance of fungal infections and mold. In winter, the flower must be provided with low air humidity.

Top dressing

As for fertilizers, the Kalanchoe does not need to be fertilized. In this case, if the plant suffers from a lack of mineral components, then it is fed with fertilizer for cacti. It must be remembered that the Kalanchoe is not fed during the winter.

Even if the plant begins to wilt at this time of year, it does not need to be fertilized. Fertilization for Kalanchoe is carried out in late spring - early summer. The concentration of the substance must be half the recommended one. This is quite enough for the full growth and development of the flower.

Fertilizers are applied in liquid form, having previously dissolved it in warm water. This technique provides adequate nutrition for the roots.

Reproduction

Kalanchoe can be propagated in several ways:

• seeds (self-collected or store-bought);
• kidneys;
• vegetatively (that is, cuttings).

The easiest way is to reproduce by the kidneys. They fall off the plant themselves and take root themselves. To do this, it is best to transplant them into a separate pot with pre-prepared soil, in which peat and sand must be mixed. It is best to cover a small pot immediately after transplanting with glass or foil for faster rooting of the plant.

When propagating by cuttings, experts take parts of the stems from the top of about 5 cm each. Cuttings are deepened into the ground and sprayed with a spray bottle. If all is well, then the first roots will be visible in a couple of weeks.

When propagating by cuttings from leaves, you need to cut off the leaf from the mother plant and place it in a previously prepared moist soil. From above, it is advisable to cover the sheet with a glass jar or at least a glass.

How to grow at home?

The leaves of this plant, as befits succulents, are fleshy and juicy, located opposite on the stem on short petioles. They have an elongated lanceolate shape, slightly widening towards the base, serrate at the edges, slightly folded "inward" relative to the central vein.

In the depressions between the teeth of mature leaves, brood buds are located, from which new small plants are formed, making the edges look like a fringe. For this ability, the plant is sometimes called "live bearer".

The color of the leaves is interesting: the top is deeply dark green, on the underside they are pale green and speckled with frequent lilac-violet strokes.

Another reason for the frequent presence of this plant in our apartments is the extreme simplicity of its cultivation and reproduction, as well as the endurance of this plant.

For optimal cultivation of Kalanchoe Degremon, you need a loose nutritious soil mixture, the following composition:

• 2h leaf + 2 hours sod +1 hours of sand;
• 2h deciduous land + 2h. turf + 2h. peat + 3 parts of sand.

In any case, when choosing a soil, it must be borne in mind that Kalanchoe does not like heavy soils with high acidity. As it does not like stagnant water, therefore, it is imperative to pour a drainage layer on the bottom of the pot (expanded clay, vermiculite will do). In general, the plant does not develop a very powerful root system, so a medium-sized stable pot is sufficient.

History and description of the species

Degremona is a perennial succulent (contains water in tissues) plant of the Fat family. Its homeland is the island of Madagascar, where it is most often found in the wild, as well as some regions of Asia and South Africa. In nature, the flower can reach impressive sizes, but the home version, as a rule, does not exceed 1 m in height.

This variety can be distinguished by triangular, rather large toothed leaves, along the edges of which tiny daughter rosettes - brood buds with air roots - sit. They take root easily and serve as the main breeding method. The stem of the plant is erect, becoming woody with age. The leaf plates are fleshy, shiny, gray-green on the surface, and have a purple tint from below. Degremona blooms in winter with pinkish or red flowers located on a long peduncle, and can look especially attractive during this period.

How to make Kalanchoe bloom in good conditions

Full adherence to the rules of plant supervision does not guarantee the appearance of inflorescences. Many growers are wondering what needs to be done to make the Kalanchoe bloom. There are several nuances that help make the bush not only bloom, but also increase this period in time. The procedures are carried out after the end of the budding season.

The gardener will have to create an environment similar to the natural one - in its natural habitat, the culture experiences a tropical winter with a decrease in daylight hours, rare rains and a lower temperature. After the florist creates an analogy, the plant can bloom.

Pruning to enhance flowering

What do I need to do

To force the plant to release inflorescences should be by step-by-step application of the following procedures:

1. Artificially immerse the specimen in a state of hibernation for 2-3 months. To stop growth and development, the stems are cut almost to the ground level, the container is covered with dense cloth and removed to a dark room. The room must maintain a temperature regime of +15 degrees. Irrigation of the substrate is carried out twice a month, fertilizers are not applied for the entire period.
2. From the first summer months to November, he needs to form a strong crown. The box is returned to its original place, watering is carried out after the soil has dried, every 10 days. The temperature is maintained at +16 .. + 25 degrees. To increase the density of the green part, the extra leaves are removed, trying to maintain uniform proportions.
3. Stimulating kidney growth - requires the creation of an eight-hour daylight hours, moderate irrigation of the substrate and a temperature regime of +18 degrees. The first buds will form in 3-5 days.

The secondary method used to stimulate the kidneys is stress therapy. The succulent is wrapped in a thick, light-proof cloth and sent to a dark room for one month. For the entire period, you need to stop watering or feeding it.

For an experienced grower, it is not difficult to find the root cause of the lack of buds on a succulent. With close observation, you can identify external changes that communicate a developing problem. Observing the rules of looking after the crop, do not forget that excessive moisture of the earth often leads to the development of fungal pathologies and attacks of parasitic insects. Only the exact fulfillment of the requirements will help to grow a healthy and periodically flowering plant, with good immunity and resistance to diseases and pests.

Plant care at home

The birthplace of the Kalanchoe Degremon is the island of Madagascar. The plant is undemanding to soils, easily tolerates drought and temperature drops of 27 - 15 degrees. He needs a lot of light and fresh air.

Watering and fertilizing

Like all succulents, Degremona's Kalanchoe does not like waterlogging. It is necessary to water the plant after the earthen coma has completely dried. In summer, watering once every 10 days, in winter - once a month. Make sure that no water collects in the pan. This is fraught with the appearance of gray rot on the roots of the plant. It can be sprayed only in hot weather in summer.

Watering tips: in summer water at the root, in winter through a sump.

In spring and summer, during the period of active growth, it is necessary to apply mineral fertilizer for succulents and cacti once a month (May - July). In winter, the plant does not need to be fed.

Transfer

For the first five years after planting, the plant is replanted every year as it rapidly builds up biomass. Subsequently, it is enough to replant once every two years. Determine the term of the transplant by the roots peeking out into the drainage.

The technical process is as follows:

1. prepare a pot 3 cm larger in diameter than the previous one;
2. water the plant abundantly;
3. prepare the soil by mixing sand, garden soil, humus in equal parts, or buy a ready-made substrate for succulents;
4. pour a layer of drainage 3 cm thick on the bottom of the pot, then a small layer of soil on top;
5. remove the plant from the old pot along with a clod of earth and transfer to a new one;
6. add soil and water;
7. fertilizers can be applied 2 weeks after transplanting.

After transplanting, do not place the Kalanchoe in bright light. You need a bright place without direct sunlight. Adaptation after transplant is one week.

Reproduction

Kalanchoe Degremona reproduces:

1. By "children" that develop along the edges of the leaves, they turn into small plants with developed roots. They fall to the ground and take root by themselves, you can immediately plant them in a separate pot.
2. Cuttings or leaves that need to be buried in the ground by 3 - 5 cm, water and cover with a glass jar or plastic bag for rooting.
3. Seeds, which are planted in moist soil, are then covered with a film, while it is necessary to ventilate and moisten the ground every day. When shoots appear, they are planted in separate pots.

Bloom

In the wild, the Kalanchoe Degremona blooms regularly. In indoor conditions, this happens extremely rarely. This is explained, oddly enough, by the fact that the home conditions for the plant are more comfortable.

How does it bloom?

Kalanchoe blooms with pink or red elongated flowers

To keep the plant strong and healthy, growers often cut flowers, put the plant in a lighter place.

How to get the buds to appear?

To make the Kalanchoe bloom, experienced florists subject it to a kind of shock:

1. stop watering and feeding until the earthen coma is completely dry;
2. put the plant in a shaded place;
3. a month later they are exposed to light, watered, fed and await flowering.

What problems can arise

In general, the plant tolerates pruning well and easily recovers. Sometimes it suffers from infections and parasites. Also, the flower may become more demanding in terms of care and maintenance conditions.

The most common problem of Kalanchoe is late blight. With the development of pathology, brown spots and plaque appear on the leaves. Infection can be due to excess moisture in the soil or stagnant air in the room.

To cope with the problem, it is necessary to cut off the damaged fragments of the bush and spray the plant with Fitosporin solution. At the same time, it is necessary to reduce the number of waterings and ventilate the room more often.

After pruning, the plant needs timely and high-quality watering.

With rare ventilation of the room in hot weather or during the heating season, the likelihood of developing powdery mildew increases. In this case, the leaves of the culture are covered with a white bloom. To cope with the problem, the culture must be treated with Fundazole.

If the plant is kept in a very cold place, there is a risk of darkening and rotting of the lower part of the stem. Treatment with Diskor and maintaining optimal temperature conditions will help to cope with the problem.

Also, the bush can suffer from parasites - primarily from the spider mite. Pests settle at the bottom of the leaves, which leads to their twisting, yellowing and falling off. Fitoverm will help to eliminate ticks.

Another parasite that harms the Kalanchoe is the mealybug. In this case, the leaves are covered with white waxy stains. It is recommended to collect the parasites by hand, then treat the bush with soapy water and Aktara.

With improper care of the bush after pruning, there is a risk of developing dangerous diseases

Pruning Kalanchoe helps to improve the decorative properties and increase the defenses of the culture. To achieve good results when carrying out this procedure, you need to choose the right period and strictly follow the recommendations of experienced florists.